Piano

Guest Artist

Born in Taiwan, pianist Amy I-Lin Cheng has appeared on concert stages in the United States, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, Taiwan, Brazil, Canada, France and Israel. She has been described by the New York Concert Review as a pianist whose “control of the keyboard is complete, technique easy and relaxed, with a wide range of touch.”  Late pianist Claude Frank described her as “a brilliant, sensitive, imaginative and most beguiling pianist.” Amy’s performances have been heard on WGBH, KCSC, WHYY, La Radio Suisse Romande-Espace 2, WFMT and NPR. Amy has presented recitals at venues such as the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Merkin Concert Hall in New York City, Weill Recital Hall in Carnegie Hall, and National Concert Hall in Taipei, as well as on concert series across the United States. Amy made her Boston concerto debut at the age of 17 in Jordan Hall under the direction of Benjamin Zander. Since then, she has appeared as a concerto soloist with the 'Musica Viva' Moscow Chamber Orchestra, Taichung Philharmonic, Orchestra of the Pines in Texas, University Symphony Orchestra (University of Michigan) and the Oklahoma City Philharmonic, among others. In 2015, she gave the North American premiere of the Kaprálová Piano Concerto at the Hill Auditorium in Ann Arbor as part of the week long Kaprálová Festival, hosted by the University of Michigan’s School of Music, Theatre & Dance.  In Summer 2017, she  gave the US premiere of Improvisation on Misirlou, a single movement piano concerto by Israeli-American composer Daniel Rein, with the Sewanee Symphony Orchestra during the Sewanee Summer Music Festival. In 2019, she gave the world premiere of the Double Concerto for YangQin and Piano by Taiwanese composer Chun-Da Huang, collaborating with the National Chinese Orchestra Taiwan (NCO), at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Her recording of the Kaprálová piano concert was released in Summer 2021 on Naxos, with outstanding reviews. Her recent video recordings include solo piano works by French composer Fernande Decruck, released on the Éditions Billaudot’s youtube channel in fall 2022.

A dedicated chamber musician, Amy is the co-Artistic Director of the Brightmusic Society of Oklahoma in Oklahoma City, a non-profit organization commissioning and presenting chamber music concerts since 2003. Formed in 1999, Duo Clarion (with clarinetist Chad Burrow) has performed in venues such as Zankel Hall in Carnegie Hall and National Concert Hall in Taipei, as well as venues across the US and Asia. Duo Clarion has released recordings through CDBaby, Albany and WeiStudio. Violinist Sean Yung-Hsiang Wang joined the duo to form Trio Solari in 2006. Trio Solari released its debut CD on Centaur Record in 2016.  Amy has been part of many commissioning and premiering initiatives and has recorded chamber music works by composers such as Edward Knight, Laura Schwendinger, Stephen Rush and Adolphus Hailstork. Amy was Pianist in Residence for the International Double Reed Society Convention in 2010 and 2011, and International Woodwind Festival in 2012, 2001, and 2002, performing at venues such as Jordan Hall in Boston. Other festival chamber music appearances include the Maui Classical Music Festival, Interharmony International Music Festival in Germany, Sewanee Summer Music Festival since 2014, Brightmusic Chamber Music Festival since 2012, Quartz Mountain Music Festival, Taos School of Music, LaJolla SummerFest, OKMozart International Music Festival, Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, and Jerusalem Chamber Music Encounter.

A graduate of The Curtis Institute of Music (BM), Yale University School of Music (MM and Artist Diploma), and the New England Conservatory (DMA), Amy holds degrees in Piano Performance. Her principal teachers were Claude Frank, Wha-Kyung Byun, Rolf-Peter Wille and Yi-Hsien Chang. She is currently on faculty at the University of Michigan, School of Music, Theatre & Dance as an Assistant Professor of Music in the Piano Department and Piano Chamber Music Coordinator.