Hailed for his “palpable musical instinct and intelligence” (Catanduanes Tribune) and for “producing a distinct sound” (Charles Castleman), Adrian Nicolas Ong had his orchestral debut at the age of 17 with the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Yoshikazu Fukumura, performing Saint-Saëns’ Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso. Adrian was also invited by the Philippine Suzuki Association to be one of the soloists for their concert in which he performed Saint-Saëns’ Havanaise with the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Herminigildo Ranera. In 2019, he performed Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto with the ABS-CBN Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Gerard Salonga. In July of 2022, he was invited by the French Embassy to perform with the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Michael Cousteau.
Adrian has collaborated with esteemed musicians Mary Anne Espina, Victor Asuncion, and Raul Sunico. He has performed and given recitals at the Cultural Center of the Philippines, the National Arts Center (Laguna), Maybank Performing Arts Center, and Areté Ateneo. He has held concertmaster and principal positions in the Interlochen Arts Academy Orchestra and the Curtis Summerfest Orchestra.
Born to dentists Jeanne and Alan Ong, Adrian started the violin at the age of nine. He is currently in his senior year at the Mannes School of Music under the tutelage of Stefan Jackiw. His previous teachers include Mellissa Esguerra, Gina Medina-Perez, Paul Sonner, Lewis Kaplan, and Yibin Li. He studied at the Philippine High School for the Arts and graduated at the Interlochen Arts Academy. He is part of the young artists roster of the FilAm Music Foundation. Adrian has been a Friends for Cultural Concerns of the Philippines (FCCP) scholar since 2019.
Adrian is the guest violinist of Dishman + Co. Choreography in their upcoming premiere of the work “Belly” where he will be performing Bach’s Solo Violin Sonata no. 2 in A Minor with dancers.
He is also the first recipient of FilAm Music Foundation’s New York City Recital Debut Award. Adrian will be having his solo debut at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall on May 12, 2023 with his mentor Victor Asuncion as his collaborative pianist.
