Why are we not able to name any Ukrainian composers despite the existence of high-quality music? Pianist Keng Siong Sim tells stories and plays works of Mykola Lysenko, Sergei Bortkiewicz, Vasyl Barvinsky, and more. A celebration of solo piano music by Ukrainian composers! The artist is donating his portion of the proceeds to UNICEF Children in Ukraine Fund.
Winner of the 2012 Washington International Piano Artists Competition (WIPAC), Keng Siong Sim was born in Singapore and started playing the piano at 11. He was awarded a scholarship to the University of York (UK) and studied piano with Kaoru Bingham and Ka-Kit Tam. Keng has also studied with Nadine Shank and Estela Olevsky at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where he obtained his Master of Music. In addition, he is an Associate of Royal College of Music (UK) and Licentiate of Trinity College of Music (London) in piano performance.
He has played in the masterclass of several pedagogues, such as Paul Roberts, David Dolan, Pierre Jasmin, Marian Lapsansky, Nelly Ben-Or, Nancy Weems and Susan Starr. He was awarded a scholarship to attend “Music at LaDevie” in France in 1993, and was a prizewinner in the 1996 Ragusa-Ibla Competition in Italy. He also won the second prize at Music Appassionata in 2011 and the prize for the best performance of an American work at WIPAC in 2012.
Keng also has extensive teaching experience, having taught music and instrumental lessons privately and in classrooms. A chamber music enthusiast, Keng has been awarded the Advanced Certificate in Cello Performance by the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music. He enjoys ensemble playing and is a current member of the Friday Morning Music Club and Capital City Symphony. In his spare time, he enjoys computer games and weight-lifting. He is an actuary by training.
