Mischa Cheung wins Allround Piano Contest
Zurich pianist Mischa Cheung has been awarded the 15,000 Swiss franc scholarship from the Nico Kaufmann Foundation at the Allround Piano Contest at Kaufleuten Zurich.
Cheung prevailed against twelve competitors in two rounds. The scholarship was awarded for the first time in the form of a public competition. The competition was looking for pianists who are able to react spontaneously to unprepared tasks as all-round musicians with a wide variety of styles, imagination and improvisational skills.
In two rounds, which took place on May 25, the candidates had to accompany silent films, be musically inspired by images or vary jazz standards and pop songs.
Mischa Cheung was born in 1984 to Swiss-Chinese parents and began playing the piano at the age of three. He obtained his concert diploma with distinction in Konstantin Scherbakov's master class at the Zurich University of the Arts in 2009 and graduated two years later with a Master of Arts in Specialized Music Performance.
The Nico Kaufmann Foundation, which is administered by the Department of the President of the City of Zurich, awards an annual scholarship to musicians who have not yet reached the age of 35 in the year of the competition and are resident in Switzerland. This year's jury consisted of the Director of the Music Department at Zurich University of the Arts, Michael Eidenbenz, pianist André Desponds and pianist Vera Kappeler.
