Performance Portfolio

As a pianist, Hong Xiang's extensive performance portfolio includes chamber music, solo recitals, and concerto performances.

Concerto Performances

​​He made his debut at 16, playing Beethoven’s Piano Concerto no.3 (Op.37) with the Braddell Heights Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Mr. Yan at Victoria Concert Hall. ​Subsequently, he also performed Mozart’s Piano Concerto no.23 (K488) at the School of the Arts Concert Hall during the inaugural Singapore Piano Concerto Festival.

Solo playing

In 2023, he gave two solo recitals, featuring Prokofiev's Piano Sonata no.8 (Op.84), Chopin's Andante Spianato und Grand Polonaise (Op.22), Brahms’ Drei Intermezzi (Op.117) and Kapustin's Concert Etude no.6 "Pastoral" (Op.40). Other significant solo works that Hong Xiang has performed include:

• Schumann's Carnaval (Op.9)

• Beethoven’s Piano Sonata no.17, “The Tempest” (Op.31, no.2)

• Schubert’s Wanderer Fantasy (Op.15)

• Albeniz's Iberia: El Abaicin and Corpus Christi en Sevilla

Piano Duo

Performing solo is immensely important to him, but Hong Xiang also believes that a variety of ensembles within concerts make for more diverse and engaging programs. Since 2018, he has frequently played concerts with his long-time friend and piano duet partner, Chien Tat. In 2018, they did “Brillante” at the Steinway Gallery, playing Mendelssohn’s Allegro Brillante (Op.92) together and other solo pieces. In 2022, they performed “Music from Turmoil” at Steinway’s production studio, playing Grieg’s Peer Gynt’s Suite for 4 hands and other solo repertoire. In 2023 they gave a "Russian Recital" at the Singapore Raffles Music College Recital Studio, playing 4 hands music by Glazunov such as his Carnaval (Op.45) and Serenades (Op.7 & 11) and other solo works. Till now, they still have not decided on a name as a piano duo.

Piano Trio

Hong Xiang is also involved with the award winning Oceanus Piano Trio, which consists of the acclaimed violinist Gabriel Ng, the cellist Hong Tzin, and himself as the pianist. The Oceanus Trio has won prizes in several competitions such as:

• the silver prize in the professional category of the Amadeus International Music Awards,

• the second prize in the professional category of the Berlin International Music Competition,

• the first prize in the professional/virtuoso category of the Medici International Music Competition, and

• the platinum prize in the professional category of the Couperin International Music Competition

They debuted as a chamber group in July 2024 performing “Concert in C” featuring Beethoven’s Piano Trio in No.3 in C minor, (Op.1, no.3) and other solo works. In June 2025, they played at the Esplanade Recital Studio, performing Faure's Piano Trio (Op.120) and Schubert's Piano Trio No.1 (Op. 99). Subsequently in 2025 they also signed with the SJmusicmondiale music label, where a recording of their Faure Piano Trio is now available for purchase.

Alternative performances

Beyond traditional formal concerts, Hong Xiang has also experimented with other performance formats such as lecture recitals and classical outreach concerts. In 2019, together with Chien Tat, he performed “Anime & Classical on Piano” at the Esplanade Recital Studio featuring a hybrid selection of classical music and arrangements for piano based on anime OSTs (original sound tracks). The idea there was to blend diverse musical genres so as to share classical music with a wider community of music enthusiasts.

In May 2024, upon the invitation of Bechstein, he gave a performance-presentation where he alternated between performing and discussing a selection of pieces he curated, and in a later segment, he was also engaged in deliberating with Ralf Dewor (Bechstein's director) on the character and qualities of pianos and how that affects musical expression.

Thoughts on performing

When he first met his mentor, Tedd Joselson described Music as “a way of life”. He found it poetic but overly dramatic at first, however he now appreciates what that means. Aside from his busy teaching schedule, Hong Xiang continues to expend considerable effort in working on music and organizing concerts as he believes that a musician’s artistic identity really only starts taking shape when they become independent and fully responsible for their own playing and performances. As such, for him, performances serve as working goals that demand a sense of direction when expanding his repertoire and programming his pieces.

Hong Xiang also believes that as a teacher, it is important for students to see their mentor on stage as it sets a good example and can serve as a form of inspiration or encouragement to them. In his experience, after attending his performances, students tend to show marked improvement and begin developing a personal interest in piano playing.