An afternoon of Harmonies with Alton Wong

Have an afternoon matinee show of classical to jazz solo piano works with the brilliant Alton Wong, Sabah's homegrown award winning pianist.

For reservations, please contact 012-828 5111.

Who is Alton Wong?

Alton Wong is a Malaysian pianist from Sabah, composer, and aspiring educator currently pursuing a Master's degree in Jazz Pedagogy at West Virginia University, under the tutelage of Dr. Alton Merrell and Dr. Jared Sims. As a graduate teaching assistant with the jazz department in WVU, he holds responsibilities that include mentoring a number of jazz combos each semester, leading the jazz ensemble, and teaching improvisational skills to undergraduate students on various instruments.

Outside school sessions, he performs as a solo artist, and has made appearances at the Malaysian Jazz Piano Festival, Penang International Jazz Festival, Borneo Jazz Festival and Kota Kinabalu Jazz Festival. He frequently performs as Kangkung Belacan – a duo with his brother, Adriel Wong on drums. In September 2022, they co-released “Time and Tune,” a debut album which features his arrangements of Malaysian folk tunes, jazz standards, and original compositions informed by his Sabahan roots.

Alton's journey with the improvisational art form has brought him to different places, and has given him countless opportunities to collaborate with jazz musicians from all around the world. He emerged as the youngest winner of the 2017 Malaysian Jazz Piano Competition, and has represented his country in both the Singapore International Jazz Battle and Thailand Jazz Competition in both 2018 and 2019, and was a performer for One People Project, an initiative by Artist Green that brought jazz musicians across the Asia-Pacific region for a week of performances in Tokyo.

Alton is a 2023 co-winner in the Downbeat Student Awards for the Graduate Jazz Soloist category and is a U.S. Department of State international exchange alumni. In the fall, he will be pursuing a second Master's degree in Classical Performance while completing his degree in Jazz Pedagogy.