Short biography
Wai Tung (Iris) Choi is a pianist, educator, and collaborative musician active in solo performance, chamber music, collaborative piano, contemporary music, and piano pedagogy. She recently completed the Doctor of Musical Arts in Piano Performance at the University of Missouri–Kansas City Conservatory.
She previously earned both her Master of Music, with distinction, and Bachelor of Music, with first-class honors, from The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts. Her performance experience includes appearances in the United States, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Europe, as well as live broadcasts on Kansas Public Radio and Radio Television Hong Kong Radio 4.
She was named a semifinalist in the American International Paderewski Piano Competition and received second Prize in the Artist Presentation Society Concerto Competition. In addition to her solo work, Choi is active as a collaborative pianist and has worked with instrumentalists across a wide range of repertoire.
Full biography in English
Wai Tung (Iris) Choi is a pianist, educator, and collaborative musician whose work spans solo performance, chamber music, collaborative piano, contemporary music, and piano pedagogy. She recently completed the Doctor of Musical Arts in Piano Performance at the University of Missouri–Kansas City Conservatory, where she studied with Prof. Sean Chen, Dr. Robert Weirich, and Dr. Thomas Rosenkranz. She previously earned both her Master of Music, with distinction, and Bachelor of Music, with first-class honors, from The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, where she studied with Prof. Gabriel Kwok. Having trained in both Hong Kong and the United States, Choi brings an international perspective to her work as a performer and teacher. As a pianist, Choi has developed a versatile performance profile encompassing solo recital, concerto, chamber music, collaborative piano, and contemporary music. Her recent achievements include being named a semifinalist in the American International Paderewski Piano Competition and receiving Second Prize in the Artist Presentation Society Concerto Competition. She was also selected as one of the winners of the Concerto Competition at The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts. Her performance experience has taken her to venues across the United States, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, and she has appeared in live broadcasts on Kansas Public Radio and Radio Television Hong Kong Radio 4. In addition, she participated in the Mozarteum Summer Academy and was selected to perform in a masterclass with Dang Thai Son at the Borromeo Music Festival. Choi’s doctoral studies further deepened her artistic and scholarly engagement with the music of Johannes Brahms. As part of her doctoral projects, she performed Brahms’s late piano works, Opp. 116–119, and wrote a recital support paper exploring Brahms’s late style, reflecting her longstanding and profound interest in his music. She also conducted research on the use of the Golden Ratio and Fibonacci sequence in music, examining mathematical structures and proportions in musical composition. Choi is equally active as a collaborative pianist. At UMKC Conservatory, she served as a studio accompanist and graduate assistant, working with instrumentalists in studio classes, recitals, and juries. Her collaborative engagements have included performances with violinists, cellists, violists, oboists, trumpeters, and other musicians. She has also demonstrated flexibility and responsiveness as a collaborative musician, including stepping in on very short notice to perform with oboe professor Prof. Celeste Johnson in a trio performance. In addition, she has participated in community and outreach performances, including UMKC’s Harmony and Healing Outreach Performance series. In addition to standard solo and chamber repertoire, Choi has a strong interest in contemporary music and historically informed performance. She has performed works by living composers through the KU Asian Classical Music Initiative Conference, the UMKC Composers’ Guild Concert, and contemporary ensemble projects at HKAPA. Her experience with harpsichord, organ, basso continuo, and Baroque ensemble playing further informs her understanding of touch, articulation, phrasing, ornamentation, and stylistic interpretation across a wide range of musical styles. As a teacher, Choi’s approach is grounded in technical clarity, artistic imagination, and student-centered growth. She has taught piano and music theory in private lessons, group settings, and institutional contexts, working with students of different ages, levels, and musical goals. Her teaching emphasizes the connection between technique, listening, score study, stylistic understanding, and expressive intention, helping students develop not only pianistic ability but also independence, curiosity, and artistic confidence. Through her combined background in performance, pedagogy, collaboration, and cross-cultural musical training, Choi is committed to helping students become thoughtful, versatile, and imaginative musicians.
簡介
蔡瑋潼是一位來自香港的鋼琴家及音樂教育者，活躍於獨奏、室內樂、協奏鋼琴、當代音樂及鋼琴教學等多個領域。她最近完成了美國密蘇里大學堪薩斯城分校音樂學院的鋼琴演奏音樂藝術博士學位，師從 Sean Chen 教授、Dr. Robert Weirich 及 Dr. Thomas Rosenkranz。此前，她在香港演藝學院師從郭嘉特教授，完成音樂學士學位並獲授一級榮譽，隨後又取得音樂碩士學位並以優異成績畢業。她在香港及美國兩地接受專業音樂訓練，拓展了她在演奏與教學方面的視野。 蔡瑋潼擁有豐富的演奏經驗，近年曾入選美國帕德雷夫斯基國際鋼琴比賽準決賽，並在美國 Artist Presentation Society 舉辦的協奏曲比賽中獲得第二名。她亦曾在香港演藝學院協奏曲比賽中脫穎而出。她的演出足跡遍及美國、香港、台灣及歐洲，並曾在堪薩斯電台及香港電台第四台播出。此外，她曾參加薩爾茨堡莫札特夏季音樂學院，並於瑞士 Borromeo 音樂節中獲選參加鄧泰山大師班演奏。 蔡瑋潼涉獵廣泛，專注於晚期布拉姆斯音樂的研究。作為博士研究項目的一部分，她演奏了布拉姆斯作品號116至119，並撰寫文章探討布拉姆斯的晚期風格，展現出她對布拉姆斯音樂的濃厚興趣。她亦曾研究黃金比例與費波那契數列在音樂中的應用，探討數學結構與比例如何體現在音樂創作中。 蔡氏同時活躍於協奏鋼琴領域。在攻讀博士期間，她獲得全額獎學金資助，並被聘為學校伴奏，與不同樂器演奏家合作。她亦曾在短時間內頂替學校老師，與雙簧管教授 Celeste Johnson 合作演出 Rheinberger 四重奏，展現出卓越的應變能力及專業素養。除了校內演出外，蔡氏亦積極參與社區及外展音樂活動，包括密蘇里大學堪薩斯城分校的 Harmony and Healing Outreach Performance 系列，並曾獲邀至醫院及療養機構演出。 除了獨奏及室內樂外，蔡氏對當代音樂與歷史演奏實踐抱有濃厚興趣。她曾於 KU Asian Classical Music Initiative Conference、UMKC Composers’ Guild Concert 及香港演藝學院當代音樂項目中演奏現代作曲家的作品，並參與多個跨文化及新音樂相關的演出。另一方面，她在古鍵琴、管風琴、數字低音及巴洛克樂團方面的訓練，使她對不同時期音樂的聲音語言有更細緻的理解。這些經驗不僅豐富了她對觸鍵、發音、樂句、裝飾音及風格詮釋的掌握，也使她在面對不同曲目時，能以更開放且靈活的角度理解作品。 作為教師，蔡氏重視技術與音樂表達，會根據學生的年齡、程度及學習目標因材施教。她強調聆聽能力、樂譜研讀、風格理解及表達意圖，幫助學生在建立穩固基礎的同時，培養獨立思考與藝術想像力。憑藉其演奏、教學及跨文化音樂訓練的背景，蔡氏致力於引導學生成為具備思辨能力、音樂敏感度及多元視野的音樂人才。
