Sonny Chua (2 November 1967 – 9 September 2020) was an Australian composer, pianist, and music educator. He taught at Melbourne High School and was Director of Music at the Mac.Robertson Girls' High School.
Early life and education Chua was born on 2 November 1967 in Penang, Malaysia. to Richard and Jenny Chua. The eldest of four children, he also lived in Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Malacca, before the family emigrated to Melbourne, Australia.
Chua started piano lessons in Malacca at age eight, and continued his piano studies in Melbourne with Julie Zelman, who encouraged him to explore a range of modern music styles. It was at this point that his creative journey began. He attended the Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School (VCASS), studying piano under Stephen McIntyre. He completed a Bachelor of Music degree at the Conservatorium of Music of the University of Melbourne, specialising in piano performance, with Ronald Farren-Price, Alexander Semetsky and Max Cooke; and also studied composition with Peter Tahourdin, Barry Conyngham and Brenton Broadstock.
Career From 2002 to 2007 Chua taught at Melbourne High School. Chua's contributions at Melbourne High School are of broader notability in light of his development of the Massed Singing culture and his direction of the Chorale, which serves as a model for use of singing as a developmental and educational tool.
He left Melbourne High School to become the Director of Music at the Mac.Robertson Girls' High School, a sister school whose musical activities were closely coordinated with Melbourne High School, including the annual winter concert. He was later the Coordinator of Keyboard Studies at Carey Baptist Grammar School, in Melbourne.
Works Sonny Chua composed a myriad of piano compositions. His music is listed in all Australian examination syllabuses and in competitions around the world. As an educationalist, Chua was regularly invited to present masterclasses and talks on piano technique and musicianship and he has spoken in music conferences including the International Society of Music Education world conferences in Malaysia and Brazil, and at the Australasian Piano Pedagogy Conferences on piano teaching and composition.
Chua's music is characterised by its "playfulness with styles and musical techniques". His piece "Theme and 12 Deviations" exemplifies this playfulness, using the motif from Chopsticks (music) to highlight musical features of major eras of music.
Alongside his contributions to classical piano, Chua composed works at a variety of difficulty levels for use in the Australian Music Examinations Board examinations system. His music has proved popular among the variety of qualifying pieces, and was featured in the winning performance for the 2016 Foster's Music Award - awarded to the top music examinee in North-West Tasmania.
Solo Piano Music +No.Title, keyCompositionPublicationDedication, remarksGANAv1.012-finger piece — solo pianov1.02Cockroach stomp — solo pianov1.03Cuckoo fairy — solo pianov1.04It wasn't me — solo pianov1.05Jive turkey — solo pianov1.06Lonely fairy — solo pianov1.07Out of my way — solo pianov1.08T-rex awake (1993) — solo pianov1.09Two finger piece — solo pianov1.10Waltz it all about II — solo pianov1.11Waltz it all about I — solo pianov2.01Dizzy fairy — solo pianov2.02Dog awake — solo pianov2.03Dog hungry — solo pianov2.04Dripping fairy — solo pianov2.05Funky fairy — solo pianov2.06T-rex asleep (1993) — solo pianov2.07Twinkling fairy — solo pianov2.08Waltz it all about V — solo pianov2.09Zeitgeist 4 — solo pianov3.01Bedtime stomp — solo pianov3.02Flapping fairy — solo pianov3.03Hot and sassy — solo pianov3.04Lonesome blues — solo pianov3.05Waltz it all about VIII — solo pianov3.06Waltz it all about VI — solo pianov3.07Zeitgeist 22 — solo pianov3.08Zeitgeist 7 — solo pianov3.09Zeitgeist 8 — solo pianov4.01Jig is up — solo pianov4.02Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair — solo pianov4.03Siesta (1997) — solo pianov4.04Sonatina (1998) — solo piano This edition: 1998v4.05Struttin' it around (2003) — solo piano This edition: 2003v.4.06Transylvanian romp (1997) — solo pianov.4.07Twirling fairy — solo piano
Death Chua died on 9 September 2020 following a stroke.
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