For Ottawa-born cellist Bryan Cheng, winning the Grand Prize in the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal Competition (OSM Competition) was a true homecoming victory.
“Although I was born and raised in Ottawa, I spent eight years studying in Montréal as a teenager to study with Yuli Turovsky, the cellist and conductor. Montréal is really my second Canadian home because I spent so much of my childhood there, going every other weekend for lessons. Every time I come back, even in stressful situations like competitions, the familiarity and comfort really touch me,” Cheng remarks.
The Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal organises its prestigious competition annually, alternating between instrument categories and boasting a list of laureates that includes Angela Hewitt, James Ehnes, and Jan Lisiecki. Cheng was selected by an impressive jury headed by David Pickard, the Director of the BBC Proms, and also including OSM musical director Kent Nagano and cellist Johannes Moser.
“Bryan Cheng is an outstanding young artist and worthy winner of the OSM Competition,” comments Pickard. “All the judges were incredibly impressed with the beauty of his playing, the confidence of his performance and his innate musicality. When looking for the winner of the competition we sought not just a performer with a solid technique, but also somebody who had something to say about the music and a real connection with the audience. Bryan impressed on every level.”
As Cheng recalls, “when they were listing the laureates onstage, it’s really a hall of fame of musicians not just within Canada, but on the world stage. It’s a real privilege to be part of that, and I hope I can live up to the standards that have been set by my forbearers. I hope I’ll have the chance to collaborate with these artists – actually, I’m playing at Angela Hewitt’s festival next summer in Italy, so I’m already starting to connect with those other winners. It creates this family, where you’re connected by this singular event and you’re all part of this same lineage.”
This wasn’t Cheng’s first experience with the OSM Competition, having competed in 2013 and 2016 and winning third and second place respectively. “Competing again this time was a bit of a risk!” Cheng laughs. “But having won the grand prize this time was a nice linear progression. To be honest, it was really surreal – I don’t think it really sunk in until my plane ride home the next day. When you’re caught up in the moment with all these photographers and people to meet, I was just really happy. It felt like a really nice way to be recognized for all the hard work that I had put in. To go out onto that stage, put on display what you’ve been working on and then be recognized for that was really special.”
As part of the prize, Cheng will appear with the orchestra under the baton of Matthias Pintscher in February 2020. “I’m really looking forward to that! It’s an orchestra I’ve admired for so long and it’s one of the top orchestras in Canada and the world,” he comments. The Dvořák concerto, which he will be performing, is a piece that he has had a long association with. “My teacher in Montréal always had the philosophy of giving me pieces that were a little bit out of my comfort range, a little bit too difficult. The Dvořák was a piece I started when I was ten years old and I played it with a few orchestras around Canada shortly after that. I definitely have a long history with it, I am so excited about playing it next season and I am looking forward to see how I play it ten years from now!”
Alongside the Dvořák concerto, Cheng’s competition repertoire included Schumann’s Adagio and Allegro and Poulenc’s demanding Sonata. How does he pick his competition repertoire? “Usually I play pieces that I’ve done for at least a few years,” he explains, “because going into a competition setting is like putting all of your skills into battle. It reveals all your vulnerabilities and flaws, like putting yourself under a microscope. In order to withstand that kind of stress, every single fibre of your body needs to know the music. I’ve also toured with these pieces a lot in the past few years. When you play these pieces in concert and on tour, in different cities and venues, when you’re tired and jet-lagged, it prepares you for these kinds of competition situations. They’re not the easiest pieces, especially the Poulenc!”
In addition to the grand prize, Cheng also received the prize for the best performance of a Canadian work, by composer Ana Sokolovic. “I’m a big proponent of playing as much new music as possible, especially Canadian music, as we have such a wealth of talent and really distinct voice that deserves to be heard,” he explains. “Having had a lot of experience with contemporary music was great in preparing for this competition – it also helped that it was a great piece. I’m also familiar with Ana’s work, both chamber and orchestral and I did get in touch with her before the competition. It was such a rewarding experience for me and I think I’ll continue to perform it!”