Nathan Cheung is visiting assistant professor of music in chamber and collaborative music at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music.
A native of the San Francisco Bay Area, he is known for his versatility as a soloist, collaborator, composer, and improviser. He maintains a deep interest in music outside of the classical canon and meaningful ways in which different styles of music can inform each other.
Cheung claimed first prize at the 2019 Los Angeles International Piano Competition and won top prizes in the Wideman International Piano Competition, Seattle International Piano Competition, and Lewisville Lake Symphony International Competition. He is also a winner of the Aspen Concerto Competition, American Prize concerto division, Kaunas Piano Fest Competition (Lithuania), Music Teachers’ Association of California Solo Competition, and concerto competitions at both the Eastman School of Music and Stanford University.
In solo recitals, he enjoys producing themed programs and showcasing underrepresented works.
Cheung’s achievements in the collaborative realm include fellowships to the Music Academy of the West, SongFest, and the Aspen Music Festival. Frequently appearing in concert with instrumentalists and vocalists, he has been distinguished by Eastman’s Excellence in Accompanying Award. In summer 2022, he was appointed to the collaborative piano staff at the renowned Bowdoin International Music Festival.
As a composer, Cheung has had his miniatures featured in the United States Open Music Competition and his string quartet premiered by the St. Lawrence String Quartet. His output consists also of works for non-Western instruments, such as the Chinese liuqin and Korean samulnori percussion. In this vein, his improvisations also draw from an eclectic array of styles. He received Eastman’s Advanced Diploma in the Art of Improvisation.
He is also a member of Happy Dog Duo with his longtime piano partner and friend, Eric Tran. Together, they won the 2017 Ellis Duo Piano Competition, 2018 inaugural Music Teachers National Association Stecher-Horowitz Two Piano Competition, and Ohio International Piano Duet and Duo Competition. They are known for their innovative programming, fully memorized performances, and unabashed humor, bringing a fresh perspective to the four-hands repertoire.
Cheung earned a B.A. in Music with honors and concentrations in Piano Performance and Composition from Stanford University. He holds a D.M.A. and an M.M. in Piano Performance and Literature, and a second M.M. in Accompanying and Chamber Music from the Eastman School of Music. Throughout his studies, his primary teachers were Natalya Antonova, Jean Barr, Nelita True, and Thomas Schultz.
