Biography

Hi, I'm Gaoyuan (Thomas) Cheng, a 14-year-old music student with a strong passion for composition.

In music competitions, I’ve had the honor of earning 27 scholarships at various levels. Recent achievements include composing an original piece for my school band recital, winning the 2023 Oscar Bookbinder Composition Competition (Emerging Composers aged 28 and under, in the Computer Music Category), and receiving the 2023 national Louise MacPherson Memorial Composition Award from the Alliance for Canadian New Music Projects (ACNMP) and the Canadian Music Center. One of my compositions, Sunset over Spain: A Spanish Rhapsody, was selected for publication in 2023 by the Canadian National Conservatory of Music. I earned national First Place in the 2022 Canadian Federal Music Teachers’ Associations (CFMTA) Student Composer Competition, Second in 2024, and Third in 2023. At the 2023 Saskatchewan Provincial Music Festival, I was fortunate to win all classes and scholarships for my age group and in the RCM Level 8 piano performance category. I also reached the semi-finals of the 2023 North American RCM Music Lights the Way piano competition. In 2024, I had the opportunity to showcase my compositions at the Calgary Contemporary Showcase, where I received the Alberta Registered Music Teachers' Award and Scholarship. Additionally, I was grateful to attain the Grand Absolute Winner award, gold trophies, and gold and silver medals at several international composition and piano competitions in Canada, the USA, and the UK.

In my piano exams, I was honored to receive the 2023 National Gold Medal at RCM Level 8 for achieving the highest mark in Canada, as well as the RCM national Patricia McLean Memorial Scholarship for the 2022–2023 academic year. I also earned three provincial gold medals at RCM Levels 7–9, and the RCM Esme Rose Crichton Memorial Scholarship. My results in RCM music theory exams include 100% from Levels 5 through 8, 95% in Level 9, and 94% in Level 10.

Community involvement is important to me, and I was awarded the provincial Saskatchewan Registered Music Teachers' Association (SRMTA) Community Music Award Gold in 2023 for 62 hours of musical volunteering.

In addition to music, I've also worked hard and achieved success in academics. I won a national gold medal in the 2024 Canadian Math Kangaroo Competition for Grade 8, appeared on the Honor Rolls of the University of Waterloo Beaver Computing Competitions with a perfect score, and received provincial Second and Third Place in the Saskatchewan Chess Championship in my grade/age groups from 2022 to 2024. I was also a former member of the St. Timothy School Student Representative Council and technical team. In my first Model United Nations conference in October 2024, I won the Most Outstanding Small Delegation award as part of the Springbank Community High School team.

My experiences across various fields have contributed to my growth and fueled my passion, especially in music composition. I’m grateful for the opportunities I’ve had so far and look forward to continuing my journey of development and exploration.