About
Randy Martono-Chai
Bio
Randy MC is a keyboardist-vocalist-songwriter, music educator, music producer, and actor whose career reflects a genre-bending presence built through versatility and real-world experiences. Born in Taiwan while his immigrant parents were doing missionary work, he was raised in SoCal, where early exposure to discipline, spirituality, and academic rigor shaped the roots of his artistry. Gifted with musicality from his mother, he began piano studies at age three and later expanded into flute, voice, organ, and conducting. A Performer’s Associate Diploma from The Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto marked his first formal credential. He later earned dual Bachelor of Music degrees in Performance and Jazz Studies at Shenandoah Conservatory. Grounded in Western art music, jazz, and musical theatre, his technical prowess underlies every choice he makes onstage.
Randy has worked professionally for over a decade as a collaborative keyboardist, church musician, and private instructor online and across California, the DMV, and the Deep South. Over five years as a keyboardist and vocalist with the Souled Out band, he performed across Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, and D.C., playing R&B, funk, Motown, and pop music across a myriad of venues and festivals. He also held positions as music director and pit pianist for several theatre productions, including The Addams Family, Thoroughly Modern Millie, and The Wedding Singer. He performed as Monastatos and served as understudy for Tamino in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte at the Bethesda Summer Music Festival. Life as a modern-day bard pushed him to pivot toward online teaching, allowing him to continue mentoring students while performing and producing across the country. While traversing Nashville, Atlanta, Orlando, Memphis, New Orleans, and Austin, Randy immersed himself in the culture and musical spirit of each city, which deepened the foundation built through his formal studies. Consequently, he completed his debut EP #StartAsianLove in California as an artistic statement to reclaim and celebrate his heritage and visibility through music.
Randy later claimed New Orleans as his second home, drawn to the city’s legacy and its air of creativity. He debuted with New Orleans Opera in Saint-Saëns’s Samson et Dalila and returned that same season in Donizetti’s L’elisir d’amore. Other recent performance credits also include the role of Henry in Next to Normal, serving as music director and pit pianist and keyboardist for The Christmas Schooner, and a guest appearance as a dancer on Sony’s The Corps. As a keytarist with Bamboula 2000, an Afrobeat band formed through the Congo Square Preservation Society, he contributes to festival performances throughout the year as a featured collaborator, engaging with the city’s deeply rooted heritage.
Randy continues to build a multi-dimensional career as an entertainer, music producer, music director, and educator. Through his company, he is developing an immersive virtual platform that enhances online music learning, remote music production, and livestream performances. His work aims to foster a vibrant global community of artists and learners grounded in creative collaboration and musical exchange.
