Sonny Chua was an Australian composer, educator and pianist, known for his characterful and energetic musical style, who sadly passed away earlier this year. Today, on what would have been his 53rd birthday, we are honoured to announced that we will be publishing his 'Cool Keys' books for solo piano later this month.

Due out on 18 November 2020, Sonny Chua’s Cool Keys 1 and 2 explore a wealth of genres and styles and make for impressive performance pieces. Accompanied throughout by notes from the composer, both books also include audio of all the pieces to download. Cool Keys 1 was recorded by Sonny himself, providing an invaluable insight into the energy that Sonny’s playing exhibits.

It is hoped that these imaginative piano solos will be a fitting tribute to Sonny and inspire pianists of all ages to perform, for many years to come.

Born in Malaysia, Sonny lived in Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Malacca before immigrating to Australia. He studied at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music specialising in piano performance, but his heart was in composing piano music. Sonny composed numerous pieces for his own piano students, taking into account their interests, such as dinosaurs and fairies, but with a pedagogical focus to address various techniques. His music delights in a spirited playfulness and he will undoubtedly be remembered by many for the sheer joy his compositions brought to their playing.

Sonny was a devoted advocate and spokesperson for music education, resulting in him becoming President of the Association of Music Educators (Victoria). This led to countless workshops, festivals and conferences all over the world, including presenting at the ISME World Conference in Malaysia and Brazil. His piano works are regularly heard at competitions for young musicians and have become standard repertoire in Australian examination syllabuses.