About
Canadian Pianist, Vivid Ma, has a Master’s Degree in Piano Performance from the Butler School of Music (Austin, Texas) and a Bachelor’s Degree in Piano Performance from the University of Toronto (Toronto, Ontario) with a certificate in Piano Pedagogy. After starting her musical journey at the age of 8 with Susan Chemm, she fell in love with the expressive possibilities of the piano and is now a professional classical pianist, teacher, and content creator.
Known for her captivating stage presence and temperament, Vivid draws in her audience with convincing yet personalized interpretations of her repertoire. Her favourite classical composers are the late romantics, including Robert Schumann, Franz Liszt, and Sergei Rachmaninoff. In addition to being a soloist, she is passionate about collaborating in a variety of chamber settings ranging from playing with large symphony ensembles, small chamber groups, to eight-hand piano works.
Vivid has performed in numerous venues including CBC’s Glenn Gould Studio, Massey Hall, Casa Loma, and has played in masterclasses for pianists such as Marietta Orlov, Ilya Poletaev, Ronan O'Hora, André Laplante, Evelyne Brancart, Jean Saulnier, Sara Davis Buechner, Jarred Dunn, Alexander Panizza, Joseph Ferretti, and James Parker of the Gryphon Trio.
Past and Current Teachers
Susan Chemm (2008-2018)
After completion of an eight year education program in the Gnessin School of Music (school for gifted children), Susan continued her studies in the Tchaikovsky’s Conservatory, Moscow, and have received a Bachelor’s degree in Piano and Music Theory. She has also received a degree of Master of Music Education from the University of Daugavpils, Latvia. Susan has taught, for 13 years, college students specializing in piano and music education at the Music College of J. Medina. In 1994, she taught in the private School of Music “Kadans” in Riga, Latvia, and was a founding member of this school. Susan and her students performed with the Kadans Orchestra in several European countries, including France, Monaco, Germany, and Russia, and competed in International Music Competitions. In 2004 Susan moved to Toronto and started a private practice and in 2007 joined a faculty of University of Settlement. She encourages students to participate in Music Competitions and sign up for Royal Conservatory of Music (RCM) exams. She teaches children of all ages and at different levels, including teaching piano to children with disabilities, such as autism and hearing impairment. Many of her students have received prestigious awards at national and international competitions.
Lydia Wong (2018-2022)
One of Canada’s most sought after collaborative pianists, acclaimed for her ‘vivacious playing’ (Daily Telegraph) and ‘sparkling clarity’ (The Strad) Lydia Wong appears regularly with the world’s pre-eminent performers in venues across the globe from Carnegie Recital Hall in New York City to London’s Wigmore Hall.
Following her successful Banff Centre collaboration with Krzystof Penderecki on the North American premiere of his Sextet, Ms. Wong has enjoyed a particular association with the composer. She was invited to perform the Sextet and other works at the Festival Casals in Puerto Rico and at the “Making Music” series in New York City by Carnegie Hall. In 2003, with violinist Erika Raum, she gave the North American premiere of Penderecki’s Violin Sonata No.2 in Toronto; she also performed at Maestro Penderecki’s 70th birthday celebration in Warsaw, Poland and served as a member of the jury for the Seventh Annual International Contemporary Chamber Music Competition in Krakow, Poland.
Active in New Music, Ms. Wong has appeared as soloist and was a regular member with the Esprit Orchestra. She can be heard on CentreDiscs, Naxos, Marquis Classics, Phoenix Records and has performed for networks in North America, Africa and Europe besides broadcasting regularly for the CBC. Her CD, American Flute Masterpieces with flutist Susan Hoeppner was nominated for a 2012 Juno Award.
A graduate of the University of Toronto and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Ms. Wong was artistic co-ordinator of the summer Collaborative Piano Internship program at the Banff Centre from 2008-2016 where she had been on faculty since 1993 and has been on faculty at the University of Toronto since 2000. She was appointed Head of the Piano Department in 2016 and was recipient of the Faculty of Music Teaching Award in 2018.
Anton Nel (2022-2024)
Winner of the 1987 Naumburg International Piano Competition at Carnegie Hall, Anton Nel continues to tour internationally as recitalist, concerto soloist, chamber musician and teacher. Highlights in the U.S. include performances with the Cleveland Orchestra, and the Chicago, San Francisco, Dallas, Seattle, and Detroit Symphonies as well as recitals coast to coast. Overseas he has appeared at the Wigmore Hall in London, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Suntory Hall in Tokyo, major venues in China and Korea and undertakes regular tours to South Africa. Much sought after as a chamber musician he regularly appears with some of the world’s finest instrumentalists at festivals on four continents. He holds the Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long Endowed Chair at the University of Texas at Austin, is currently also a Visiting Professor at the Manhattan School of Music and annually presents masterclasses at the Glenn Gould School in Toronto. During the summers he is on the artist-faculties at the Aspen Music Festival and School, the Orford Music Academy in Quebec and at the Steans Institute at the Ravinia Festival. Mr. Nel also frequently performs as harpsichordist and fortepianist. His recordings include four solo CDs, several chamber music recordings, and works for piano and orchestra by Franck, Faure, Saint-Saens and Edward Burlingame Hill. The Johannesburg-born Mr. Nel is a graduate of the University of the Witwatersrand, where he studied with Adolph Hallis, and the University of Cincinnati where he worked with Bela Siki and Frank Weinstock.