Martin Leung

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MARTIN LEUNG Video Game Pianist

Martin Leungis an award-winning, globally-recognized pianist and musical pioneer for the 21st century. Trained classically, he performs standard repertoire. Leung's alter ego, Video Game Pianist, performs the emergent music of video games, a successful specialization that has established him early as a soloist trailblazer in the industry.

At San Francisco’s Sony Metreon on 8 March 2005, Martin made his first public appearance interpreting the tune-stories of Super Mario, Sonic, Zelda, Earthworm Jim, and Halo 2 as a performing art. Two days later he performed at Moscone Center for the Game Audio Network Guild (G.A.N.G.) Audio Awards. Continuing to discover new audiences for his bold “gold standard” (East Bay Express) musical explorations, Martin is in the vanguard of efforts to introduce video game music as a respectable component of universal music-making.

Martin has worked with Tommy Tallarico and Jack Wall, visionaries of the world tour Video Games Live, premiering his piano arrangements at the 2005 Hollywood Bowl inaugural show before 11,000 people and at a sold-out San Jose Civic Auditorium, the Philadelphia Merriam Theatre, the Indianapolis Hilbert Circle Theatre, Toronto's Massey Hall, a second performance at the Hollywood Bowl, Claro Hall in Rio de Janeiro, Via Funchal in São Paulo, the Hammersmith Apollo in London in 2006, Mesa Arts Center in Arizona, TSB Arena in Wellington, New Zealand, Nob Hill Masonic Center in San Francisco, Woolsey Hall at Yale University, Mershon Auditorium at Ohio State University, Meyerson Symphony Hall in Dallas Texas, Kennedy Center Millenium Stage in Washington, D.C., Orchestra Hall in Detroit, Michigan, Jones Hall in Houston, Texas, second performances at Citibank Hall and Via Funchal, Centro de Convencoes in Brasilia in 2007, Kleinhans Music Hall in Buffalo, New York, Nokia Theatre L.A. Live, Royal Festival Hall in London, England, and Jessie Auditorium in Columbia, Missouri in 2007. Return engagements in 2006 include Brady Games at Electronic Entertainment Exposition and G.A.N.G. Audio Awards at the Game Developers Conference, both in California, and Penny Arcade Exposition in Washington. Martin performed at the 4Players.de booth at the German Games Convention in Leipzig, Germany in 2007.

The first video-game-music solo recital VGP performed publicly was in 2005 at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema in Austin, Texas—replete with 21 encores. His success was initially speed-launched by a popular internet video of then-seventeen-year-old Video Game Pianist’s blindfolded performance of the classic Super Mario Brothers theme, and a spirited Mario medley. This landmark clip debuted on top-trafficked eBaum’s World on 2 July 2004.

In recent years Martin has been featured diversely, to name some: U.S. television appearances on ABC News, CBS News, FOX News, "Game Head" on Spike TV, Brazil television appearances on Globo News, "Nada Haver" on TV Record, "Atitude.com" on TVE Brasil, and PlayTV, MTV Overdrive, MTV Obsessed, Cleveland Plain Dealer, East Bay Express, San Diego Union-Tribune, Austin Chronicle, the Observer, la Prensa Newspaper, CIM Notes,Nintendo Power (USA), Cube (England), PS Extreme (Poland), Just-Cubed (Germany), Gameworld (Brazil), Night Life Montreal (Canada), Advanced Media Network, Excite (Japan), Coverville, Game Music Radio, All Games Radio, MMORadio, WNYC 93.9 FM Soundcheck, Z103 FM Idaho, HOT104.7 FM California, MSN video, and myriad websites.

Notably in 2006, Leung was invited to play cutting-edge programs of classical and video game music at Shiloh Middle School’s Career Education Day, at CIM Uncorked, and in solo recital at the historic Union Club of Cleveland. Other highlights in 2005-06 recall the performances of classical music at Pianofest in the Hamptons; the American Liszt Society Festival; concerts in Ohio, such as those for the Darius Milhaud Society, Youngstown Music Teachers’ Association, and Pianofest; and Pacific Symphony-Chinese American League and Arts Orange County celebrations, along with solo recitals in California.

Leung studies with Paul Schenly and Daniel Shapiro at the Cleveland Institute of Music. Previous teachers include Myong-joo Lee, Ory Shihor, Scott McBride Smith, and Marilyn Shields. A 2002 Oberlin International Piano Competition prizewinner, he later soloed at 16 at Carnegie Hall’s New York Youth Orchestra Festival and with the Pittsburgh Symphony on From the Top. He is the First Prize winner at the 2004 Los Angeles Philharmonic Kaper Awards and 2004 Southern California High School Chess Championship, among other competitions. Leung is a National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts’ ARTS 2004 laureate in Classical Piano. His accomplishments in classical music, video game music, and chess have been mentioned in the Los Angeles Times since 1997.