David Oei

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David Oei. (Photo by Henry Grossman)

David Oei (surname pronounced "Wee") is a classical pianist (b. 1950 in Hong Kong).

Oei was born in Hong Kong, where he began studying piano at an early age. At the age of nine, after winning numerous 1st prizes at the Hong Kong Music Festival, he was a soloist with the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra. At the age of ten he immigrated to the United States by winning a full scholarship to study piano at the Peabody Conservatory and later accepted a full scholarship to study at the Juilliard School from 1964 to 1972, leaving a year short of graduation. He attended the Interlochen Music Camp from 1963 to 1967 and won the concerto competition in each of those five years. He also won the Concert Artists Guild, WQXR Young Artists, Young Musicians Foundation and Paul Ulanowsky Chamber Pianists competitions.

He has performed with such major orchestras as the New York Philharmonic, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestra of St. Luke's, and the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. In addition, he has performed with The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and is also noted as a performer of the works of P. D. Q. Bach. He appeared on television in Leonard Bernstein's Young People's Concerts, as well as on The Today Show and CBS News Sunday Morning. He has recorded for the ADDA, Arabesque, CRI, Delos, Albany, Grenadilla, New World, Pro Arte, and Vanguard labels. He is the founding director of the Salon Chamber Soloists and a member of the Aspen Soloists, Festival Chamber Music, Friends Of Mozart and the Elysium and Ecliptica Chamber Ensembles.

In addition to a busy schedule as a chamber musician and soloist, he teaches at Hoff-Barthelson Music School in Scarsdale, New York and in the Preparatory Division at Mannes College of Music. During the summer he teaches at Summertrios and the Bennington Chamber Music Conference. A former regular fixture at Chamber Music Northwest and BargeMusic he performs at various festivals including Sitka, Caramoor, OK Mozart, Washington Square and Kuhmo. He has served as an affiliated teacher at the State University of New York at Purchase and he was the Volunteers Coordinator and Head Coach for the Manhattan Special Olympics.

Oei lives in New York City with his wife, the violinist Eriko Sato. He was the owner of Carlyle Wines, a wine shop located on Manhattan's Upper East Side, selected by Cadogan Publishing as among The Best One Thousand Establishments In America.[1]