Pianist.
Recording artist.
Born in Nanjing, Chinese pianist Jiarui Cheng performs as a soloist and concerto artist across China, the United States, and Europe.
He began his training at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music Affiliated Music School, later studied with Kathryn Brown, and currently studies with Stanislav Ioudenitch.
A 2025 Hilton Head medalist and recipient of the Sascha Gorodnitzki Memorial Prize, Cheng also received fourth prize at the 2023 Isang Yun International Piano Competition. In October 2026 he won Second Prize and the “Exceptional Virtuosity” special prize at the VIII Tbilisi International Piano Competition.
His concerto repertoire includes Beethoven’s Fourth, Grieg’s Concerto in A minor, and Rachmaninoff’s Third.
Jiarui Cheng
Solo · Concerto · Recital
Piano Sonata No. 2
in B-flat minor, Op. 36
About the work
Written in 1913 and substantially revised in 1931, the Second Sonata joins three movements through returning musical ideas. The opening’s turbulence gives way to a slower central movement before the music returns to the brilliance of the finale.
The revision cuts and thins the original’s dense piano writing. Both versions are composer-authorized; the edition represented by this recording artwork has not been confirmed.
Work notes · G. Henle Verlag (opens in a new tab) / PTNA (opens in a new tab)
Jiarui Cheng / Piano
Release details forthcoming
Coming soon exclusively on Apple Music Classical
Selected performances & awards
Second Prize (US$10,000) and the “Exceptional Virtuosity” special prize, awarded by the Embassy of the State of Israel in Georgia, at the VIII Tbilisi International Piano Competition, Tbilisi State Conservatoire, 5–16 October 2026.
Source: Tbilisi International Piano Competition (opens in a new tab) / Musical America (opens in a new tab) / The Piano League (opens in a new tab) / Yonhap News (opens in a new tab)
Boulder Symphony announced Jiarui Cheng as soloist in Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3 for its Rite and Rach program.
The Seventeenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition lists Jiarui Cheng among its 2025 competitors in Fort Worth.
Named a medalist and recipient of the Sascha Gorodnitzki Memorial Prize at the 2025 Hilton Head International Piano Competition.
Source: Hilton Head International Piano Competition (opens in a new tab)
The Queen Elisabeth Competition’s artist profile records Jiarui Cheng’s fourth prize at the 2023 Isang Yun International Piano Competition.
Aspen’s 2023 season calendar lists Cheng with the Aspen Conducting Academy Orchestra in Grieg’s Piano Concerto at Benedict Music Tent.
Source: Aspen Music Festival and School (opens in a new tab)
