Martin Leung

Video Game Pianist
Martin Leung, the Video Game Pianist, in San Diego, CA, 2009
Background information
Genres	Video game music, classical music
Occupation(s)	Pianist
Instruments	Piano
Years active	2004-present
Website	videogamepianist.com

Martin Leung (IPA: [/ˈmɑɹ.tn̩ lúːŋ/]; born 1986), is a Hong Kong-born American pianist, music transcriber, and chess player. He is known as the Video Game Pianist and is the first pianist to gain worldwide recognition for playing video game music on the piano, both in concert venues and in online videos.

Unlike many recognized musicians, Leung's breakthrough occurred almost entirely online when, on 2 July 2004, a video of him playing the Super Mario Bros. theme blindfolded debuted on eBaum's World and later appeared on numerous viral video websites. Leung makes YouTube videos, and as of 14 December 2015, has over 66,000 subscribers and 13.4 million total views. Leung has been featured in The Plain Dealer, National Public Radio, Steinway & Sons – Owners' Magazine, Nintendo Power, Slashdot, GAME Magazine, CUBE Magazine, Night Life Montreal, MTV, 1UP.com, GameSpot, and Advanced Media Network.

Born in Hong Kong to Chinese and Japanese parents, Leung moved to California when he was three years old and began taking interest in the piano at the age of 4 when, after hearing his sister play, he began imitating songs. His parents noticed his potential and enrolled him in piano lessons.

By the late 1990s, Leung had developed into a talented musician, placing first two times at the Los Angeles International Liszt Competition, once in 1998 and once in 2000, and placing third at the Eighth Annual Oberlin International Piano Competition in 2002. Leung made his Carnegie Hall debut in 2003 at the age of 16 in the Isaac Stern Auditorium, performing Mendelssohn's Concerto No. 1 - Presto.