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A New Voice:
Vincent Ong in Recital
SUNDAY 25 OCTOBER 2026
5:00PM
VICTORIA CONCERT HALL
(Cellist Anastasia Kobekina is no longer able to appear in Singapore as originally scheduled due to unforeseen scheduling issues. In her place, we are delighted to welcome pianist Vincent Ong.)
Fresh from his acclaimed success in 2025 as the first-ever Malaysian finalist and laureate of the International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw, pianist Vincent Ong makes his eagerly anticipated Singapore professional debut with a recital that reveals the breadth of his artistry beyond the music of Chopin.
Spanning more than two centuries, this thoughtfully curated programme traces the evolution of the piano repertoire through works of striking individuality and imagination. Brahms opens the evening with his deeply personal Variations on a Theme by Robert Schumann, a work of profound emotional depth inspired by friendship, admiration and devotion. The elegance and wit of Haydn follow in the luminous Largo assai and the sparkling Sonata in E major, before Bartók's electrifying Three Etudes bring the first half to a dazzling conclusion with their rhythmic vitality and formidable virtuosity.
The second half turns to the poetic intimacy of Mendelssohn's final volume of Songs without Words, music that sings with effortless lyricism, before culminating in Prokofiev's monumental Piano Sonata No. 8. The last of the composer's celebrated "War Sonatas", it is an epic masterpiece that ranges from haunting introspection to explosive brilliance, demanding both exceptional technical command and profound musical insight.
More than an introduction to an outstanding young pianist, this recital offers audiences the opportunity to encounter an artist of rare intelligence, sensitivity and imagination at the beginning of what promises to be a major international career.
PROGRAMME
BRAHMS – Variations on a Theme by Robert Schumann, Op. 9
HAYDN – Largo assai in E major
HAYDN – Piano Sonata in E major, Hob. XVI:31
BARTÓK – Three Etudes, Op. 18
MENDELSSOHN – Songs without Words (Book VIII), Op. 102
PROKOFIEV – Piano Sonata No. 8 in B-flat major, Op. 84
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(Programme subject to change at the artist's discretion)
THE ARTIST
VINCENT ONG, piano
Malaysian pianist Vincent Ong has quickly emerged as one of the most prominent and exciting young pianists of his generation. He gained international recognition at the 19th International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition in 2025, where he became the first Malaysian pianist to reach the final round and was awarded a laureate prize. His performances drew significant international attention and marked a major milestone for Malaysia’s classical music scene. In 2024, he was awarded First Prize at the 19th Robert Schumann International Piano Competition.
Born in Penang, Malaysia, in 2001, Vincent began playing the piano at the age of four. He studied with Malaysian pianist and composer Ng Chong Lim before continuing his musical education with Prof. Eldar Nebolsin at the Hochschule fuÌr Musik Hanns Eisler Berlin.
Following the Chopin Competition, Vincent’s concert appearances in Asia have been met with exceptional public interest, with recitals frequently selling out in a short time. Recent highlights include a performance on 1 April 2026 at the Seoul Arts Center with the Korean National Symphony Orchestra (KNSO) under the baton of Roberto Abbado; as well as solo appearances at the Taipei National Concert Hall and Tokyo’s Hamarikyu Asahi Hall. In 2025, he was also invited to perform at the Nohant Festival Chopin in France.
His upcoming engagements include an appearance in the 2026 recital season of the Vancouver Chopin Society in May, followed by tours in China and Japan in June and July. Further appearances include a recital at the Festival International de Piano de La Roque d’Anthéron in August, as well as the Chopin and His Europe Festival in September.
With a repertoire spanning from Bach and Brahms to Ligeti, Vincent’s playing is characterised by a distinctive artistic voice that combines poetic imagination with structural clarity. He has worked with musicians including Elisabeth Leonskaja, Elisso Virsaladze, Natalia Trull, Marc Laforêt, Piotr Anderszewski, and Kirill Gerstein. He is a scholarship recipient of the Lucia-Loeser Foundation and Fondation Clavarte, and an active participant in the Lieven International Piano Foundation in Vienna.
