Bio:
Happy Dog Duo—pianists Eric Tran and Nathan Cheung—have performed four-hands classics, originals, and transcriptions for two decades, with a focus on bringing humor and joy to the classical music world. Their performances have taken them to Canada, Korea, China, and 20 US states, and they have appeared on Aspen Public Radio, WQXR, and NPR. They won the 1st prize and Abild American Music Award at the Ellis Duo-Piano Competition, hosted by the National Federation of Music Clubs; 1st prize at the MTNA-Stecher and Horowitz Two Piano Competition; and 1st prize at the Ohio International Duet and Duo Piano Competition. In their youth, they won a record-setting 13 gold medals in piano duo events at the US Open Music Competition. They have performed with the Stanford Symphony Orchestra, Diablo Symphony Orchestra, Vallejo Symphony, and the Pittsburg Piano Festival Orchestra.
The name Happy Dog comes from their eponymously titled 30-second compositional “masterpiece,” Happy Dog. Neither Nathan nor Eric has any dogs.
History:
January 2011, on a spectacularly long plane ride, Eric Tran and Nathan Cheung decided to compose a piano duet that would change the course of music forever. Armed with nothing but manuscript paper and their years of piano duo experience, they composed the eponymously titled 30-second masterpiece, Happy Dog.
NB: Not *The* Happy Dog, just… Happy Dog.
Happy Dog Duo has been performing piano 4-hands and 2 piano repertoire together for two decades, since they were in middle school. They have won 13 gold medals in piano duo/4-hands events at the US Open Music Competition (USOMC). They collaborated with the Vallejo Symphony Orchestra in Saint-Saëns’ The Carnival of the Animals. Unfortunately, there were not nearly enough happy dogs involved, as Saint-Saëns neglected to put man’s best friend into the composition.
In the summer of 2011, Happy Dog Duo toured with the internationally-acclaimed, award-winning Pawn: The Musical, in Korea, China, Canada, and New York. They also performed at the Pan-Asian Music Festival at Stanford under the direction of Marie-Louise Catsalis. In addition to their recitals, they also perform free concerts in college dorms and senior homes, seeking to share music to underserved audiences. Their own compositions have been premiered by Stanford faculty, including the St. Lawrence String Quartet, and their sets of children’s music have been featured on the competition syllabus of the USOMC. They enjoy performing memorized concerts, premiering original works, and amusing audiences with their improvisatory, notoriously ridiculous concert interruptus talks.
Eric and Nathan both attended Stanford University and majored in music with concentrations in piano performance and composition. Eric earned his MM at the San Francisco Conservatory, and DMA at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Nathan earned his MM and DMA from the Eastman School of Music.
Happy Dog Duo 