Williamsburg’s resident pianist extraordinaire, Vicky Chow

by alice forstead

Described as “brilliant” (New York Times), “a monster pianist” (Time Out New York) “virtuosic” (New Jersey Star Ledger), “sparkling” with a “feisty technique” (MIT Tech) and “new star of new music” (Los Angeles Times), Vicky Chow is the pianist for the award-winning Brooklyn ensemble Bang on a Can All-Stars, as well as for the Grand Band, The Virgil Moorefield
Pocket Orchestra, and New Music Detroit, and has collaborated with other organizations such as ICE, Wet Ink Ensemble, and the Wordless Music Orchestra.

Originally from Vancouver Canada, Chow studied at The Juilliard School with Yoheved Kaplinsky and Julian Martin before continuing studies at Manhattan School of Music with Christopher Oldfather. Starting the piano at age five, she was invited to perform at the age of 9 at the International Gilmore Music Keyboard Festival, then made her orchestral debut at 10 with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and a NY orchestral debut at Alice Tully Hall with the Juilliard Symphony, performing Bartok’s Piano Concerto No. 1.

The four-year Williamsburg resident has also performed internationally at venues such as Carnegie Hall, The Barbican Center in London, the Muziekgebouw in Amsterdam, the Tonhalle in Zurich, and South Korea’s Tongyeong Concert Hall. Most recently, she gave the North American premiere of Steve Reich’s Piano Counterpoint, the world premiere of John Zorn’s new piano trio The Aristos, and an evening-length work by artist/composer Tristan Perich for piano and 40 channel 1-bit electronics, titled Surface Image (written for Chow).

Her recording of Piano Counterpoint was released in September 2014 on the Nonesuch label, alongside Alarm Will Sound’s Radio Rewrite and Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood’s Electric Counterpoint. Her work is frequently broadcast on WNYC’s Q2 radio, and recorded work can be found on the Nonesuch, New Amsterdam, Tzadik, Cantaloupe, Innova, Hinterzimmer, and AltaVoz labels.

“I’ve recorded and performed a lot of American music,” Chow said. “The most recent was Surface Image, but another recording, Julia Wolfe’s Anthracite Fields, released late September, won the Pulitzer Prize in music. I am so fortunate to be working with these movers and shakers in the contemporary music world. I’ve only lived here four years—moved to New York in 2001 to attend Juilliard and lived in Manhattan for most of that time. I’ve basically spent an equal amount of time in Vancouver and here in the city, but this is home. It is a big part of my identity, and everyone I’ve met here, it seems, has been a part of my musical activity. Most of them live in Brooklyn; one of my friends who’s editing my next album lives four blocks away from me. You can feel the creativity in the air.”

Given the length and breadth of her schedule, one might have to be patient in catching a glimpse of the pianist strolling down Union Avenue, however.

“I play here quite a bit though,” she added. “I’ll be performing with Bang on a Can and the SITI Company [based in Manhattan] and in November and December will be doing Julia Wolfe’s Steel Hammer…performing it in several places, but it will be exciting to do a run at BAM the first week of December.”

Asked to compare Manhattan life to that of ironic beards and even higher rents, Chow offered simply that, “Oh, the choice was a happy one….there’s delicious food and restaurants all around, and small shops you can’t find anywhere else. In the 14 years I’ve been in the city, this is where I feel most at home. None of the places in Manhattan felt this way to me. I could never breathe a sigh of relief there, but I can do that here.”

Chow’s next solo album on New Amsterdam Records is titled AORTA and will be released in June. It features music for piano and electronics written by a younger generation of American composers, including Andy Akiho, Jakub Ciupinski, Molly Joyce, and Daniel Wohl. She will also be releasing an EP of work for solo piano by Michael Gordon, one of the artist directors and founders of Bang on a Can. Titled Sonatra, it was recorded at EMPAC in Troy, NY.

Vicky Chow
vickychow.com / bangonacan.org