Fou Ts’ong – born March 10, 1934 in Shanghai, China – was the first Chinese-born classical pianist to receive international attention. Throughout his career, he was mostly associated with playing the music of Chopin. As a child, he studied piano with Mario Paci, the founder of the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra. Once he received authorization to study and perform in Europe from the Chinese government, he trained at the Warsaw Conservatory with Zbigniew Drzewiecki. In 1955, Ts’ong won third prize and a special prize for his performance in mazurkas at the 5th Frederic Chopin International Piano Competition. Relocating to London in the late 1950s, Ts'ong made impressive debuts in Europe and the United States. Hailed for his interpretations of works by Chopin, the pianist was nominated for Grammy Award in 1963 for the album Scarlatti: Sonatas. In 1967, he performed Grieg's Piano Concerto at the first Night of the Proms, under the direction of Colin Davis. Alongside Vladimir Ashkenazy and Daniel Barenboim, he recorded Concerto for Two Pianos, K.365, Concerto for Three Pianos, K.242 with the English Chamber Orchestra in 1975. Ts’ong was a member of the Queen Elisabeth Competition of Belgium jury in 1991, 1999, 2003, 2007 and 2010. In addition, he served on the jury at the Paloma O'Shea Competition in Santander in 2002. His catalog of recordings includes Fou Ts’ong Plays Mozart (1960), Fou Ts’ong Plays Chopin (1960), Chopin: Favorites (1962), Mozart: Piano Concertos Nos. 9 & 12 (1968), Chopin Nocturnes Vols. 1 & 2 (1978), 4 Ballades (1985), and more. Fou Ts’ong died on December 28, 2020 from COVID-19. He was 86 years old.
