David Oei

David Oei
Chinese: 黃吉霖; pinyin: Huáng Jílín
Born1950 (age 73–74)[citation needed]
Hong Kong Occupied Territory
InstrumentPiano
SpouseEriko Sato

David Oei (Chinese: 黃吉霖; pinyin: Huáng Jílín; surname pronounced "Wee" in Hokkien, born 1950) is a Hong Kong-born American classical pianist.

Early life and education

Oei was born in Hong Kong and started performing aged four.[1] By the age of nine he had performed with the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra.[2] He was awarded eleven first prizes at the Hong Kong Music Festival.[1] He attended the Interlochen Center for the Arts music camp for five years and won five concerto competitions there.[1][2]

In 1964, aged 13, he performed Piano Concerto No. 20 (Mozart) with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra; a reviewer wrote:[3]

"Considering the age of the soloist, it was an outstanding performance and perhaps the critic should stop right there. Young David, however, is a musician, performing at an adult technical level in a world of adult artists. The critic, therefore, must consider his performance in that light also and then he was not quite so outstanding. ... Basically, Master David Oei has just not lived long enough to have acquired the emotional experience and understanding so necessary for superior interpretation of this work. It would be fortunate if we could hear him again in fifteen years. The comparison in the performances would undoubtedly be astounding."

Oei attended the Peabody Institute and the Juilliard School.[1][3][4]

Other awards include WQXR Young Artists, Young Musicians Foundation (1972), and Paul Ulanowsky Chamber Pianists competitions.[2][5]

He was a soloist in one of the Young People's Concerts conducted by Leonard Bernstein.[6][1][4]

Career

Oei has been a soloist with the New York Philharmonic, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra.[1][2] He has performed at Carnegie Hall.[7]

He performed with Peter Schickele in The Intimate P. D. Q. Bach stage show.[2][4][8]

In 2015, he was teaching at Mannes School of Music in the preparatory section.[9]

Sexual assault

In 2015, Oei was accused of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old music student.[9][10] He accepted his guilt and agreed a plea deal.[10]

Personal life

Oei lives in New York City with his wife, the violinist Eriko Sato.[1][10][11]

Discography

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g "Community Concert Season". The News and Advance. 1 May 1983. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d e "String quartet to close the anniversary season". The Daily News (Lebanon, PA). 31 August 1995. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
  3. ^ a b "An Impressive Final Concert". Salisbury Daily Times. 20 March 1964. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
  4. ^ a b c Dunn, Bernice (18 October 1973). "David Oei Produces Electric Fireworks of Sound". The Napa Valley Register. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
  5. ^ "Getting a break". Music Educators Journal. 59 (6). 1973. JSTOR 3400456. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
  6. ^ Kopfstein-Penk, A. (2015). Leonard Bernstein and His Young People's Concerts. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. p. 32. ISBN 978-0-8108-8850-0. Retrieved 14 Aug 2024. When a clarinetist auditioned and brought his own accompanist (David Oei), the clarinetist was rejected, but Bernstein and the audition committee gave a contract to the accompanist since they were enchanted by [Oei's] "superb musicianship" and "charm" ("Young Performers No. 7," 22 February 1966, 20)
  7. ^ Rockwell, John (27 November 1977). "Music in Review". The Napa Valley Register. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
  8. ^ Leroux, Janice A (1983). "Two Shots That Changed My Life: An Interview with Peter Schickele". Music Educators Journal. 70 (3): 48–51. doi:10.2307/3401159. JSTOR 3401159. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
  9. ^ a b "Renowned Concert Pianist David Oei Accused Of Fondling 15-Year-Old Student". CBS News. 13 April 2015. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
  10. ^ a b c Rosenberg, Rebecca (19 November 2015). "Renowned classical pianist avoids jail for groping teen student". New York Post. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
  11. ^ Sherman, Robert (11 October 1998). "MUSIC; Dawn Upshaw in Recital at Sarah Lawrence". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 27 May 2015. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
  12. ^ Edwards, J. Michele. "Miriam Gideon Retrospective". Perspectives of New Music. 34 (2): 244-247. doi:10.2307/3052365. JSTOR 3052365. Retrieved 14 August 2024.