Hin-Sing
(James) Au

Biography

Born in Hong Kong in 2001, Hin-Sing (James) Au emerged as a promising talent when he was selected for the Young Pianist Program at Hong Kong GMC Music Academy in 2016 under Principal Rizzo Chung. During this period, he established his presence through numerous solo and duo performances at prominent venues, including the Tsuen Wan Town Hall. His artistic journey gained momentum in 2019 with a sold-out solo recital at the Chinese Christian Church Concert Hall. That same year marked his acceptance into the Cleveland Institute of Music with distinguished scholarship recognition. There, he completed a rigorous five-year dual degree program under Antonio Pompa-Baldi, graduating in 2024 with both bachelor’s and master’s degrees. Following this achievement, Au embarked on doctoral studies at Indiana University Jacobs School of Music with a full scholarship and teaching assistantship under Arnaldo Cohen. While pursuing his Doctor of Music in Piano Performance with double minors in Music Education and Computer Science, Au serves as a Piano Instructor at the institution, teaching private students and group piano classes.

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Praised by legendary Portuguese pianist Maria João Pires for his “exquisite artistry and nuanced performance,” Au has established an international career spanning performances across the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Spain, Serbia, Japan, Vietnam, and Singapore. In 2024, his artistic excellence was highlighted through a victory at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music Concerto Competition, culminating in a performance with the school’s orchestra under renowned French conductor Mélisse Brunet. That same year, he served as a featured artist in the Rebecca Penneys Piano Festival (RPPF) Satellite Concert Series, presenting an acclaimed recital at the historic First United Church of Middlebury. His competition achievements include a bronze medal at the 19th Asian International Chopin Piano Competition; first prizes at both the Vanke Meisha Music Academy Steinway Youth Piano Competition and the 8th Shenzhen Piano Open Competition (Concerto Division); and second prize at the New Orleans International Piano Festival Concerto Competition.

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Between 2020 and 2024, he was invited to give multiple solo online recitals by GMC Music Academy under the concert series “Soirée Musique,” achieving great success. In 2022, he participated in RPPF, followed by a performance with the TIMM orchestra at the Todi International Music Masters in Italy. he next year, he reached the finals of the Singapore International Piano Competition and the Weatherford College International Piano Competition, earning the Jury Discretion Prize. The following year, 2023, brought acclaim as he was selected as a finalist in both the Singapore International Piano Competition and the James Mottram International Piano Competition. His masterful interpretation of Bach’s works earned him the Golden Hand Award and Best Bach Performance Prize at the 2023 Carles and Sophia International Piano Competition. Additionally, he received Special Mention at the WPTA International Piano Competition and won the Gold Prize at the Euterpe Music Awards. His artistic journey continued with a featured performance at the Gijón International Piano Festival in Spain, held at the historic Church of San Juan Bautista.

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Concurrently, he founded HKFIMM (HongKong Fantasia Music Management Ltd.) and serves as its Executive Director.The organization offers international and local concert tour management as well as professional CD recording opportunities for outstanding participants and competition winners by directly signing them as FIMM’s featured artists. To date, HKFIMM has signed over fifteen young pianists and works closely with them to provide career development support, performance opportunities, and social media promotion. He is also the founder of Fantasia Music Space, a collaborative music studio in Hong Kong. With his father’s expertise as an architectural engineer, this studio provides professionally designed acoustically insulated grand piano practice rooms of recording studio quality that caters to a community of passionate professional and amateur musicians and educators. His creative pursuits include photography, website design, graphic design, music production, recording engineering, and vlogging -all culminating in forming his own media studio Fantasia Studio in the USA. This studio offers assistance with music recording, recital live streaming and event photography.

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With a commitment to uncovering synergies between sports and music, he aspires to empower his piano students to excel in both disciplines. He has a keen understanding of challenges faced by athletes and musicians alike, particularly injury risks and peak performance stress, and explored these themes through his literature review titled “Building Better Performance Routines: Adapting Pre-Performance Protocols from Sports Psychology for Music Education,” published in IJSRET.