Dr Nicholas Ong is the recipient of numerous international prizes, including First Prize at the Yvonne Lefébure International Piano Competition in France and a finalist position at the Clara Haskil International Piano Competition in Switzerland. The New York Times praised him for his “firm rubber-ball touch and bounce,” while Le Figaro commended his “astonishing virtuosity.” He has performed in prestigious concert halls across the United States, Europe, and Asia — including Alice Tully Hall and Miller Theatre in New York, Salle Gaveau and Salle Cortot in Paris, Seoul Arts Center, and Tainan Cultural Centre — and at festivals such as the Castleton Festival, Focus! Festival, Chopin Festival in Paris, Festival de l’Orangerie, Jeunes Pianistes Virtuoses in Lyon, “Piano en Saintonge” in Cognac, and the Villa Medici Festival in Rome.

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He has appeared as a soloist with the NAFA Orchestra, The Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Penang Symphony Orchestra. A versatile chamber musician, he has collaborated in chamber concerts with musicians from the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra, participated in faculty chamber concerts at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, and undertaken concert tours with principals of major orchestras and rising young talents.

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Dr Ong earned his Doctorate in Piano Performance from the Juilliard School in New York. He previously studied at the École Normale de Musique de Paris on a French Government Scholarship, and received his Master of Music degree from the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University. He is currently Head of Keyboard at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA), University of the Arts Singapore. He has served on the jury of the Singapore International Young Pianist Competition 2024, Steinway Youth Piano Competition, Ananda Sukarlan Award International Piano Competition, Singapore Raffles International Music Festival, and the Music Singapore International Piano and Violin Competition. He is in high demand for masterclasses and is a frequent guest faculty member at the Asia International Piano Academy & Festival (AIPAF) in South Korea.