Owen Chun Ho Mok

An artist embodying a restless creative spirit, Owen Mok is among Canada’s most promising young pianists. His performances strive chiefly for a sense of inventiveness and unyielding expressive honesty. Based in Montreal, he enjoys an active career of concert performance and music teaching. Owen enjoyed a diverse upbringing; originally born in Hong Kong, he would immigrated to Canada to spend his teenage years in Toronto. Raised in a non-musical family, he describes his musical journey as "organically inevitable": despite not receiving any particular push into classical music, the physicality of piano playing attracted him from a young age, leading to a fascination with art music and a firm desire to become a concert pianist of the highest level. His studies at McGill University's Schulich School of Music proved pivotal in his career. He earned a Bachelor's degree in Piano Performance under the tutelage of Ilya Poletav, during which he achieved notable accolades such as semi-finalist in the Concour Prix d’Europe, finalist in the McGill Classical Piano Competition and McGill Romantic Piano Concerto Competition, and second prize winner in the Canadian Music Competition. At McGill, he also pursued minors in Theory and Composition, receiving awards such as the Paul-Marcel Gélinas et Verna-Marie Parr Gélinas Piano Award, the Edward C Wood Scholarship, the Anna Paull Gertler Scholarship, and Outstanding Achievement in Piano Performance. Prior to McGill, he won first prizes in multiple categories at the Peel Music Festival, was a finalist in the Ontario Provincial Competition, and won the Hong Kong Schools Music Festival. Currently, he is pursuing a Master’s degree in Piano Performance under Prof. Poletaev at McGill, sponsored by the Graduate Excellence Fellowship. His primary musical interests lie in the works of Rachmaninoff, Ravel, and Beethoven. He is also a strong advocate for Canadian music, having performed works by Jean Coulthard, Oskar Morawetz, and others. In 2025, he will perform a solo program featuring pieces by Chopin, Prokofiev, and Scriabin in the United States, as well as Rachmaninoff’s Third Piano Concerto in Montreal. Owen has studied under teachers including Eitan Globerson, Marina Mdivani, and Joy Tappenden. He has participated in masterclasses with renowned pianists such as Louis Lortie, Ronan O'Hora, Robert Levin, Carlson Becke, Megan Milatz, and others. In addition to his solo work, Owen is an active collaborative pianist for singers, strings, and wind ensembles. Recently, he recorded cycles of art songs by Poulenc, Strauss, and Respighi. Owen is proud to maintain a thriving private studio of promising students, offering lessons in piano, theory, and composition to students of various backgrounds—from children and teenagers to busy adults and retirees. His teaching enriches the lives of many in his community, with his students noted for their refined musicality and high scores in RCM examinations. He frequently travels between Montreal and Toronto to meet the demands of his students in-person, and maintains a robust online teaching program with state-of-the-art technology.