Longjui (Roger) Cui, 29 years old from Queensland

I love many composers. I like to play music from W. A. Mozart and F. Liszt, because I find that their music speaks to me the most.

Roger Cui

Where were your born? I was born in Shanghai, in P.R. China.    

Where do you live this year when in Australia: I live with my wife, my father and his partner in Manly, Queensland, the bayside area of Brisbane.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaFLGRifTTtLzWrXh0xH9eQ?view_as=subscriber

 Do you still study & where – when will you finish?  I have just started my PhD at the Queensland Conservatorium of Music, Griffith University in Brisbane, Australia.

Are you a full-time professional musician? Yes I am.

What drew you to become a musician?  I wanted to become a musician, because with music, one can express what is inexpressible, one can inspire another, and through music, there is no border between countries or cultures.

Do you sometimes perform in an ensemble? Yes I do.

What is so special about the piano and its music?  Piano is an instrument where one can maximise the possibilities from playing a musical instrument due to its extensive pitch range and the sheer power that one can draw out from it.

What else can you play?  I can play the double bass, I can play the harmonica.

Do you sing?  Yes I do.

What are your hobbies and why are you passionate about them?

I like DJ, I like composing music (Film scoring, feature song writing). I like sports (tennis, football, swimming, fitness training, basketball). There are many things in life that one can get inspirations from. It would be a shame not to enjoy them all.

Do you do a lot of travel?  Where have you been overseas in the past few years?  I like to travel. I have been living in Germany for the past 8 years. I did my Masters of Music degree in the south of Germany. Thereafter I moved to the north and Germany and worked there until 2018.

What are your goals over the next two years? I would like to finish my PhD in 2021, and thereafter see where life takes me. Either find a job in Australia, or overseas.

Who inspires you and why? There are many people who inspire me. Sportman, artists, my wife, my parents, my teachers and friends. The list goes on.

Which musician inspires you any why?  There are many musicians who inspire me. Mostly because of their personalities and their music making. Their dedication to their craft is also very inspiring.  

Do you play sports? Yes, as much sports as possible.

Name 4 of your favourite things to do to chill out/have fun: I like mountain hiking, travelling, taking the dog for a walk, eating and sleeping.

What’s your idea of fashion/what do you prefer to wear? A good body fits all clothings. I wear mostly simple stuff. Skinny jeans and a good shirt.

How do you relax and unwind from rehearsing? I listen to music from all sorts of periods.

How do you care for your back etc. (to stop injuries etc)? Playing sports.

Do you love the movies? Yes.

List at least three bars / favourite spaces to hang out in Australia and why? I am not sure about bars in Australia. As we were living in Germany, in Hamburg, there were certain areas close to where we lived that we loved to hang out with friends at. Sternschanze, Hafencity and Neustadt.

What is your favourite alcoholic drink? I love single malt Whisky.

Favourite meal / food / fruit and why? Meat and seafood, or anything that is not vegetarian or vegan.

Do you compose your own music? Yes. 

What do you hope to get out of this Australian National Piano Award?  I hope to be able to play to the best of my abilities, and hopefully winning the Award.

How long have you been rehearsing for this event?  I had a bad injury to my wrist in 2017 via a bike accident, so I have only just came back to piano practicing around about February this year after we came to Australia.