Marimbist Pius Cheung entertained students and faculty at Washington Wilkes Primary School last week. Once a year the children at the Washington-Wilkes Primary School are exposed to a renowned musician who comes to us through the University of Georgia (UGA) outreach program of the UGA Performing Arts Center.

In the past we have heard artists on violin, cello, and piano. On Thursday, January 8, the students and faculty were entertained by Pius Cheung on the marimba. The acclaimed Chinese-Canadian musician won the University of Georgia Performing Arts Center Prize at the Young Concert Artists International Auditions in New York.

He played a couple of selections including his own version of "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star." The students enjoyed hearing music and watching the technique of a marimbist. After performing alone, Pius invited several students to join him and perform background beat on the marimba as he played. Needless to say, they were excited.

Born in Hong Kong, Pius Cheung started to learn piano at age five and marimba at age nine at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts. At age 10, he made his solo debut as a marimbist in Hong Kong in 1993. In his teenage years, Pius was a member of the Vancouver Youth Symphony Orchestra and Vancouver Academy of Music Orchestra.

Pius is a rising marimba artist and composer. His repertoire features largely compositions by himself and arrangements of music by Bach and Chopin. He has appeared as a marimba soloist around the world including Canada, the United States, Russia, China, Australia, Holland, and Mexico. In 2006 he released his debut CD album of J.S. Bach's Complete Goldberg Variations for solo marimba which he arranged himself.

Pius is a Yamaha Performing Artist and Vic Firth endorser. He received his Bachelor of Music from Curtis Institute of Music and His Artist Diploma from The Bos- ton Conservatory. He is currently attending the University of Michigan School of Music, Theater, and Dance in pursuit of a doctorate in music.