Playing the piano wasn’t always Kristian Chong’s dream, but little did his younger self know that he would become one of Australia’s leading musicians.
When his parents made him take piano lessons as a kid, he would have preferred to be outside rather than inside hitting musical keys.
“I wanted to play sports, and I was really into basketball, but I actually happened to be very good at the piano, so I kept it going,” Kristian said.
“I gave up when I was about 16, but then fell in love with piano when I was 19 and came back to it and have been one of the lucky ones that haven’t looked back.”
Kristian has since gone on to become a respected and sought-after pianist who has performed extensively throughout Australia, America, Asia, China and the United Kingdom.
“There’s been so many influences in my life, whether it be in other concerts or orchestras or even other forms of music,” he said.
“Just seeing people going crazy or having a reaction to music is great and…it’s one of those things that there are so many different influences in your life.”
With a career that spans concerto, chamber and solo performance, Kristian will showcase his talents for the Barwon Heads community during Kristian’s Rhapsody, a one-hour intimate recital.
“It doesn’t matter whether you’re an experienced musician, piano player, piano lover, or you just want to hear music; there should be something for everyone,” he said.
“It’s a show that has really good music in it…and every piece has a good storyline, and there’s a narrative through each piece of music that you can connect with.”
Kristian’s Rhapsody marks one of the first performances held by Bellarine Classics, which aims to bring world-class musicians to the Bellarine in an intimate regional venue.
Tickets for the performance at Barwon Heads Arts Hub from 11am on 5 February are available at the Bellarine Classics website.
