16 year old Gregory Cheong wins 4th Steinway Youth Piano Competition

Athena Justina Elizaga, Gregory Cheong,
and Selina Lim Go

Showing his mastery of the keyboard, 16 year old Gregory Cheong emerged as the Grand Champion at the recently concluded 4^th Steinway Youth Piano Competition held recently at the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium, RCBC Plaza.

Cheong’s win makes him the Philippines’ representative at the Regional competition in Taiwan. The winner of the Regionals will then represent South East Asia at the International Steinway Festival in Hamburg, Germany. His win also serves as a back to back victory for his teacher Chit Arambulo, who also taught Hansel Ang, the winner back in 2016.

Performing pieces by Haydn, Beethoven and Chopin, Cheong showed precision, clarity, fluidity and command that made him come out on top. I wasn’t able to catch the morning sessions so I couldn’t comment on how the competition was for Categories 1 and 2.

The 4^th Steinway Youth Piano Competition saw a total of 16 young pianists, split into three categories according to age, competing for the top prize. Benjamin Loh from Singapore, Albert Tiu from the Philippines, and Dr. Eleanor Wong from Hong Kong served as the adjudicators.

Here is the complete list of winners:

Overall Champion – Gregory Cheong (Category 3)

Category 1

Champion – Selina Lim Go

1^st Runner Up – Angelmay Tsai

2^nd Runner Up – William Matthew Lim

Category 2

Champion – Athena Justina Elizaga

1^st Runner Up – Nathan Lim Go

2^nd Runner Up – Catherine Wang Li

Category 3

Champion – Gregory Cheong

1^st Runner Up – Irene Jaemin Lee

2^nd Runner Up – Andrea Verzosa

imagin.Asia Winner – Sophia Sumulong (Category 2)