11. Jake Cheong

Jake Cheong was born in South Korea and started to learn the piano at the age of 5. Jake began his studies with Professor Gerard Willems in 2015, and currently studies with Dr. Paul Rickard-Ford. He has competed in numerous eisteddfods and achieved many prestigious awards. Jake was chosen as a finalist for the Sydney Eisteddfod Kawai Scholarship in 2019. His performance was broadcasted on Fine Music FM. Through his successful achievements, he was invited to perform solo recitals around New South Wales. He was awarded first place in an international music competition, earning himself an invitation to perform in Vienna. Jake was awarded grants of four years from the Bouddi Foundation for the Arts since 2017. He performed in Youth in Performing Arts and was a representative for performing in Central Coast Showcase. Jake achieved full marks in HSC music extension and was nominated for encore. He attended a masterclass with Alexander Gavrylyuk hosted by the Theme and Variations Foundation. Jake currently studies Bachelor of Music (Performance) at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music and was awarded the John and Dorothy Vimpani Pianoforte Scholarship. In 2020, he was awarded the Clarence Addison Turill Scholarship from The University of Sydney. He was recently a finalist in the 2020 Ettlingen International Piano Competition.