Biography

A leader in the making, to make the world a better place, Alyssa Kok, an award-winning Singaporean classical pianist and historical keyboardist, has demonstrated extreme stability, maturity and wisdom from a young age. At age 18 in 2021, she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in piano performance with full distinctions both artistically and academically from the Mozarteum University of Salzburg, becoming one of its youngest graduates. She was also the youngest to be admitted to the Bachelor programme at age 14. At age 12, she studied at the Leopold Mozart Institute for Highly Talented Students at the same university. From 2016 to 2018, she was also enrolled in the young talent programme Młoda Muzyczna Akademia at the Karol Szymanowski Academy of Music in Katowice, Poland, where she later did an Erasmus+ year. Currently, she is doing her Master of Arts in piano performance at the university.

Alyssa Kok has won some top prizes in international piano competitions. In 2022, she won the following competition prizes:

Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli prize, 25^th International Piano Competition “Mauro Paolo Monopoli Prize”, Italy
2^nd prize, VI International Chopin Piano Competition 2022 in Turzno, Poland
2^nd prize, 27^th International Piano Competition “Giulio Rospigliosi” (“Premio Rospigliosi”), Italy
2^nd prize, 6^th International Piano Competition “Città di Minerbio”, Italy
3^rd prize, 3^rd International Piano Competition “Recondite Armonie”, Italy
2^nd prize, International Bthvn Wien Competition 2022 (online), Austria, Chamber Music
1^st prize, Medici International Music Competition 2022 (online), UK, Chamber Music
2^nd prize, 1^st Lugano International Music Competition (online), Switzerland, Chamber Music

Her previous piano competition achievements include:

3^rd prize, 3^rd Forum Per Tasti International Piano Competition, Slovakia
Youngest Participant Prize, 3^rd Forum Per Tasti International Piano Competition, Slovakia
2^nd prize, XIV Interpretation of Chopin for the Young, Poland
Special prize for a Promising Future, 10^th International Balys Dvarionas Piano Competition, Lithuania
2^nd prize, Cesar Franck International Piano Competition (2015), Belgium
1^st prize (ex aequo), 3^rd Hanoi International Piano Competition, Vietnam
1^st prize, 5^th Piano Talents Milan International Piano Competition, Italy
1^st prize absolute, XVIII Pietro Argento International Piano Competition, Italy
Critic’s prize, XVIII Pietro Argento International Piano Competition, Italy
1^st prize absolute, 25^th “Città di Barletta” Young Musician International Piano Competition, Italy
Best Asian Music prize, 25^th “Città di Barletta” Young Musician International Piano Competition, Italy
1^st prize absolute, 7^th “Città di Treviso” International Piano Competition, Italy
1^st prize, Asia-International Piano Festival and Competition (2014), South Korea
Platinum prize and scholarship award, 5^th Singapore Performers’ Festival and Chamber Music Competition
2^nd prize, Debut International Piano Competition (2014), USA
2^nd prize, 2^nd Singapore Steinway Youth Piano Competition
3^rd prize, 5^th All Japan Piano Competition
1^st prize, Asia Music Competition (2013), Chinese Taipei
2^nd prize, 1^st Kawai Singapore Piano Competition
1^st prize, Taiwan-Asia Open Piano Competition (2012), Junior
2^nd prize, Taiwan-Asia Open Piano Competition (2012), Open
1^st prize, 1^st Ars Nova International Piano Competition, Singapore

Alyssa Kok has performed in concert in Austria (Salzburg, Mattsee, Innsbruck, Vienna), Canada (Ottawa, London, Kenora, Winnipeg, Swift Current, Calgary), China (Shenzhen, Chengdu), Germany (Passau), Hungary (Pomaz), Israel (Jerusalem, Pardes-Hanna), Italy (Treviso, Bari, Brescia, Pistoia, Minerbio), Indonesia (Bali), Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur), Poland (Warsaw, Toruń, Chełmno, Katowice, Duszniki-Zdrój, Łańcut, Radziejowice), Singapore, South Korea (Seoul) and the USA (New York City). Highlights of her recent performances include her solo charity recitals in Israel and her concert tour in Canada in 2022, comprising of eight solo concerts in the provinces of Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta accompanied by a broadcasting of her music on the Alberta radio. She also performed two solo recitals at the fortepiano in Pistoia, Italy and was also selected to perform with the Master Orchestra of the Artematica Organisation in Brescia, Italy.

Other notable events include her solo recitals in Treviso and Bari, Italy from 2016 to 2019, where during the same period she performed in four concerts with the Toruń Symphony Orchestra, Poland. She also performed at Fryderyk Chopin’s Manor House in Duszniki-Zdrój, Poland. Together with the Salzburg Chamber Soloists, she recorded the first movement of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 12 in A Major K. 414 as well as music by Franz Liszt for Mozarteum University’s “Wir Wunderkinder” DVD production in 2016. At age 13, she was the only pianist selected to represent Mozarteum University in the first edition of “Take Five: Lange Nacht der Österreichischen Universitäten”, an annual joint concert of the five Austrian universities. In 2014 and 2016, she went on tour at the Mozart Festival in China performing in venues including the Shenzhen Concert Hall, where the first edition included her concerto debut with the Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra playing the first movement of Ludwig van Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in C Major Op. 15 at age 12. It was followed by a performance with the Sándor Végh Institute Chamber Orchestra in Salzburg, Austria, where she performed the first movement of Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 23 in A Major K. 488. Her music was broadcasted on the Austrian national radio ORF shortly after she arrived in Salzburg. Alyssa Kok made her debut recital at Carnegie Hall (Weill Recital Hall) in New York City at age 11 in 2014, and became the youngest scholarship recipient of the Singapore International Foundation to represent Singapore as Cultural Ambassador to promote cross-cultural relations between Singapore and world communities.

Alyssa Kok is versatile with historical keyboard instruments including the fortepiano, harpsichord and clavichord. She is pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree in harpsichord at the Mozarteum University and has taken lessons at the clavichord, the fortepiano and the organ. She has performed on the harpsichord at the Pistoia Musica Antica 2022, Barockfest 2019 in Salzburg and Innsbruck Barock Festival 2018. She recently staged two solo recitals on an original Carl Bowitz fortepiano (ca. 1825) in 2022, one of which included an all-Chopin programme.

Alyssa Kok has sung in numerous choir performances, especially in Salzburg, Austria. She holds a deep interest in vocal music and enjoys singing art songs and operatic arias in her leisure.

Alyssa Kok has a deep passion for people. She has initiated charity projects through classical music and arts. Recently, in an ongoing project in collaboration with World Emunah and Emunah Israel, she performed two recitals in Israel and visited the Teenage Girls Emergency Shelter and their High School as well as the Crisis Center for Children. The funds raised from her Jerusalem recital went to help these children in need. In her solo recital in 2022 at The Bentley in Swift Current, Canada, she raised funds for World Emunah to support the study of arts for children in crisis while at the same time promoting classical music as entertainment for the elderly in their retirement home. She has encouraged classical music as a form of relaxation and therapy by giving six solo piano recitals at the Mount Elizabeth Hospital in Singapore and took part in a joint concert in Malaysia organised by ChildAid Asia KL to raise funds and encourage the learning of music for underprivileged children.

Apart from charity work through classical music, Alyssa also volunteers and initiates projects to encourage literacy, reading and public speaking. She was involved in numerous public speaking and storytelling projects between the years 2010 and 2014. She was a regular stand-up storyteller at the National Libraries of Singapore from 2012 to 2014. As a guest storyteller, she was repeatedly invited to the Singapore Arts Festival (Kids Art Village), The Little Arts Academy (a charity organisation providing arts learning for the underprivileged) and the Art Fresco Event (jointly organised by the National Arts Council and the Woodlands Regional Library). She was a two-time 1st prize winner of the Story Alive! Competition in Singapore as well as the 1st prize winner of the National Library Talent Time Contest. She has taught public speaking and storytelling to children, and has hosted numerous music and public speaking events.

Alyssa speaks English, German, Chinese and Polish.

Acknowledgements