Music

Crystal Lam has performed as a soloist and collaborative pianist in major concert halls in Hong Kong and the United States.  She studied piano at The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (HKAPA) Junior Programme at the age of five.  She was awarded Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Scholarship for Outstanding Merit and completed her bachelor degree with first class honours at the HKAPA.  Upon graduation, she was awarded the Bernard van Zuidan Music Scholarship to further her study in the United States.  Lam earned her Master of Music degree at the Texas Christian University and Doctoral of Musical Arts degree at the University of Kansas (KU) with full scholarship and Graduate Teaching Assistantship (GTA). She was the Piano Coordinator under the GTA scheme and the Vice-President of the Collegiate Chapter of the Music Teacher National Association at KU.  She was also a recipient of a number of scholarships, including Asian Cultural Council Lady Fung Memorial Music Fellowship, Sigma Alpha Iota International Music Fraternity Scholarship, the Kansas City Musical Club Scholarship, the Coutts Bank Scholarship, Hong Kong Music Scholarship, and Yamaha Music Scholarship.  Among her distinguished teachers included Shirley Ip, Gabriel Kwok, Tamás Ungár, Jack Winerock and Scott McBride Smith.;As a soloist, Lam has won prizes and awards in international and local music competitions, including the Grand Prize at the Naftzger Young Artist Competition, First Prize (Kansas State & West Central Division) and National Third Prize at the Music Teacher National Association Young Artist Piano Competition, First prize at the 65th Steinway and Sons International Youth Piano Competition in Hong Kong Region, First Prize at the Asian Youth Music Competition in Shanghai, Second Prize at the Toyama Asian Youth Music Competition, Second Prize at the International Chopin Piano Competition in Tokyo, Winner of the HKAPA and KU Concerto Competitions, Second Prize in the United Kingdom Eisteddfod International Youth Music Competition; First-runner up of The South China Morning Post Student Musician of the Year Award and many prizes at The Hong Kong Schools Music Festival, including the Best Western Instrumentalist of the year in 2001.  Lam has been featured as a soloist with the KU Symphony Orchestra and the HKAPA Academy Orchestra, working with conductors Francois- Xavier Roth, Takuo Yuasa and David Neely.;Lam has played in piano master classes for Barry Douglas, Claude Frank, Jerome Lowenthal, Yoheved Kaplinsky, Yundi Li, John Perry, and Krystian Zimerman.  She has performed in the HKAPA ‘Best Pianist Fund-Raising Concert’, the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra’s ‘Nodame Cantabile-Classical Hits for the Young Hearts Concert’, the Ten Pianos Performance in ‘Dragon Jamboree’ for the celebration of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region 10th Anniversary and Juilliard School International Master Class and Piano Showcase Concert.  Lam has performed in venues such as Hong Kong Government House in 1997, Hong Kong Cultural Centre, Hong Kong City Hall, HKAPA, Queen Elizabeth Stadium, Hong Kong Coliseum, RTHK Radio 4, Kansas Public Radio, Kauffman Center Concert Hall in Kansas City and Lied Center in Lawrence Kansas.;As a collaborative pianist, Lam is actively engaged in chamber music.  She was a guest performer at the Contemporary Chamber Music programme organized by the Cultural Institute of the Government of the Macao Special Administrative Region.  She was the recipient of the 2010 Judith Soloman Piano Award in Chamber Music.  Lam has appeared on international chamber music competitions with Wakarusa Trio.  The Trio won top prizes in national and international chamber competitions, including the Coleman-Barstow Prize for Strings at the Coleman Chamber Competition in 2014, the First Place at the American Protégé International Piano and Strings Competition, and the 2013 Music Teachers National Association Chamber Ensemble National Championship.  The Trio performances have been broadcasted by the Kansas Public Radio.  They have performed for Michael Stern in the masterclass series organized by the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts.  They gave their Weill Hall at Carnegie debut in May 2014.