Mentor Spotlight: Teriver Cheung

Spotlight
Written By Nicholas lin

Playing the Long Game: Curiosity, Craft, and a Life in Music

In a musical landscape often driven by speed and visibility, Teriver Cheung represents something rarer: patience, depth, and long-range artistic thinking.

Hailing from Hong Kong, Cheung is an award-winning jazz guitarist, composer, and curator whose career has been shaped not only by virtuosity, but by vision. Described by JazzTimes as a musician who “demonstrates an impressive command of his instrument and reveals a mature, composerly approach,” Cheung’s work moves fluidly between performance, composition, education, and large-scale artistic curation.

At Lion City Jazz Festival 2026, he joins the mentor lineup as a voice of perspective—one that speaks to sustainability, adaptability, and the many ways a life in music can unfold.

A Composer’s Mind, A Guitarist’s Voice

Cheung’s musical journey is defined by breadth. As a guitarist and composer, he has collaborated with internationally acclaimed musicians including Grammy Award winners Billy Childs, Eddie Gomez, Keita Ogawa, and Eric Marienthal. Leading his own ensemble, he has performed at major festivals across Asia and Europe, including Jazz Marathon for International Jazz Day, Jazz W Ruunach Festival in Poland, and the Taichung Jazz Festival.

What distinguishes Cheung is not only where he performs, but how he thinks about music—often approaching it as a composer first, guitarist second, and storyteller always.

Curating Experiences, Not Just Concerts

Beyond the bandstand, Cheung has established himself as one of Hong Kong’s most forward-thinking curators. In 2015, he co-created the multimedia concert “Hong Kong Episodes” with classical composer Fung Lam. Commissioned by the World Cultures Festival, the project received critical acclaim and went on to tour internationally, including performances in London, Taipei, and six major cities across Mainland China.

In 2017, he founded Ensemble Transience, supported by Hong Kong’s Arts Capacity Development Funding Scheme. The initiative explored creative intersections between jazz and classical music while placing strong emphasis on education and cross-generational exchange—values that align closely with the ethos of the Lion City Jazz Festival.

Education, Inclusion, and the Inner Journey

Cheung’s commitment to education runs parallel to his creative output. He has served as a guest tutor and lecturer at the Chinese University of Hong Kong and the Education University of Hong Kong, while conducting workshops and guided concerts for students across universities and secondary schools.

In recent years, his work has expanded into questions of mindfulness and accessibility. Inspired by the spiritual teachings of Herbie Hancock, Cheung curated “The Present – Jazz Festival of an Inward Journey”, a festival exploring the relationship between improvisation and awareness.

His 2022 project “Sunrise for All”, an expansion of his Golden Melody Award–nominated album Sunrise, further reflected this ethos—combining spatial design, interactive art technology, and inclusive programming to create meaningful artistic experiences for special needs communities.

Teriver Cheung at Lion City Jazz Festival 2026

At LCJF 2026, Cheung appears as both performer and mentor, bringing his long-view perspective to musicians navigating today’s evolving creative landscape.

Masterclass

Playing the Long Game: Sustaining a Life in Music
by Teriver Cheung (HK)
Hosted by Chok Kerong

This session focuses on career sustainability—addressing artistic growth, adaptability, and how musicians can build meaningful, long-term practices beyond trends and algorithms.

Finale Concert

Finale Concert – The Brecker Brothers & Beyond
Our Sound, Our Stories

Cheung joins an international ensemble of artists led by Randy Brecker, reflecting the festival’s emphasis on cross-cultural dialogue and shared musical language.

The Long View

Teriver Cheung’s career offers a compelling reminder that success in music is rarely linear. It is built through curiosity, resilience, and a willingness to evolve—not just as a performer, but as a thinker, educator, and cultural contributor.

At Lion City Jazz Festival 2026, his presence invites musicians and audiences alike to step back, look further ahead, and consider what it truly means to sustain a life in music.

Plan Your Festival Experience

Nicholas lin

I own Restaurants. I enjoy Photography. I make Videos. I am a Hungry Asian

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