Iris Hung

Iris Hung, MMus in Piano Performance and Pedagogy at U of T, BMus in Piano Performance at UVic, ACCM Performer’s Diploma from Conservatory Canada Iris Hung began studying piano at the age of five, after learning “Hot Cross Buns” (for two fingers) from her older sister. Since then, she has learned to use all her fingers and greatly expanded her repertoire, performing as a soloist and chamber musician across Canada and in the United States and Austria. Iris made her orchestral debut with the Victoria Conservatory of Music Orchestra and Pacific Opera conductor Timothy Vernon, performing Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 17. She received her Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance (with distinction) from the University of Victoria on a full tuition scholarship and her Master of Music in Piano Performance and Pedagogy from the University of Toronto. Born and raised in the suburban woods of Vancouver, British Columbia, Iris received many awards at local festivals and competitions, as well as recognition for piano, theory, and history exams. At the age of seven, she won her first Provincial Medal of Excellence from Conservatory Canada (awarded for the highest exam mark for grade one) and later won the National Medal of Excellence for grades 9 and 10 piano. While studying at the University of Victoria, under the dedicated care and expertise of Professor May Ling Kwok, Iris competed at the highest level at the BC Provincial Festival, for Senior and National Piano. In March 2018, as a winner of the University of Victoria Concerto Competition, Iris performed Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G major with the UVic Orchestra. Coupled with her love for travel and exploring, Iris has participated in summer programs at the Universität Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria, the Adamant Music School in Vermont, and many others, and premiered new works and performed for underserved communities. While in Victoria and Austria, Iris delved into her lifelong love for Baroque music and historically informed performance, studying briefly with harpsichordist Colin Tilney, Steven Devine, and Florian Birsak. Iris believes that making music is a powerful act of self-discovery and expression, and strives to instill a high level of integrity and a deep love for music in her students. With nearly a decade of teaching experience, Iris has nurtured students of all ages, levels, and abilities, from beginners as young as three years old, to undergraduate piano majors, many of whom received awards at local festivals, prizes at international competitions, and distinction for Royal Conservatory of Music (RCM) exams. While at U of T, Iris studied the effectiveness of mind-body teaching methods, including Alexander Technique, on advanced pianists, and more recently, developed multi-modal listening activities for young piano students, drawing inspiration from the pedagogical schools of Kodaly, Dalcroze, Orff, and Yamaha. Recently, Iris began studies on Dispokenesis and neurophysiology in musician performance, health, and learning.