Michael Chong, age 12, is a 6th grader at Fortis Academy in Texas. He started playing piano at the age of 6. After less than a year of learning piano, he was awarded All-State Musician by Texas Federation of Music Clubs and was chosen to receive the Heinatz Award by the Wednesday Morning Music Club. Currently, he is under the instruction of Professor Patti Wolf at the University of Texas Austin.
Michael loves music and enjoys improvisation since he was little. He is the recipient of numerous prizes locally and internationally. Michael's musical highlights of 2019 & 2020 include winning the Austin Youth Music Ambassador award, performing both piano and violin at Wiener Musikverein in Vienna, Austria during September 2019, as well as performing twice at Carnegie Hall in 2020 after winning two international music competitions.
In addition to piano, Michael has been studying violin for 4 years, previously with violinist Sandy Yamamoto and Esther Sanders and currently with violinist Yi Ching Fong. Last summer, he won the Rising Star Competition by Texas Strings Festival and was selected to be the only participant in the Young Artist Division to perform at the winners' concert.
When Michael is not practicing, you'll find him playing video games, biking, playing basketball, swimming, building robot models, and recording video games and the music he created for his YouTube channel. He also volunteers regularly to play piano and violin at senior centers and charitable organizations. His plans for the future include attending a prestigious music school, studying robotics engineering, and becoming a successful YouTuber and musician.
