Haochen Zhang

Haochen Zhang

Zhang at a rehearsal
Born June 3, 1990
Shanghai, China
Occupation Classical pianist
Awards 2009 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, First Prize


Haochen Zhang (Chinese: 张昊辰; pinyin: zhāng hàochén) (born June 3, 1990) is a Chinese pianist from Shanghai, China. Along with Japanese pianist Nobuyuki Tsujii, he was the Gold Medalist / First Prize winner of the Thirteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in 2009.[1] He studied with Gary Graffman, who was also the teacher of Lang Lang and Yuja Wang.

Biography

"Zhang . . . demonstrated a musical maturity almost unimaginable in one so young." "Zhang impressed with depth of musical understanding and subtle expressive nuance . . . at the competition's end, he was the musician I'd walk across town to hear." - Scott Cantrell, Dallas Morning News[2]

In June 2009, Haochen Zhang became the youngest and the first Chinese competitor to be awarded the prestigious Nancy Lee and Perry R. Bass Gold Medal at the Thirteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. As part of his prize package, Haochen Zhang received commission-free artist management from the Van Cliburn Foundation for three seasons following the competition.[3] Immediately after his Gold Medal win, Haochen Zhang embarked on an extensive three-year tour across the United States and abroad.[4]

Haochen Zhang gave his debut recital at the Shanghai Music Hall at the age of five, performing all of Bach’s two-part inventions, as well as sonatas by Haydn and Mozart. His orchestral debut was made at the age of six and he was awarded first prize at the Shanghai Piano Competition at the age of seven and nine. Following this success, at the age of eleven, he gave tours in all the major cities in China performing the complete Chopin Etudes op.10, Beethoven and Mozart Sonatas. At age twelve, Haochen Zhang won the 4th International Tchaikovsky Competition for Young Musicians,[5] becoming the youngest winner in the history of the competition. In 2004, he made his debut at the 49th International Chopin Festival in Duszniki, Poland, performing the complete Chopin Etudes op.25. Mr. Zhang has performed with the China National Symphony Orchestra, Krakow State Philharmonic, New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra and the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, and has concertized throughout Asia, Europe, and the United States.[6] In 2005, Haochen Zhang moved to the United States to attend the Curtis Institute of Music and to study under the world renowned Gary Graffman. The year following, he made his debut with the Philadelphia Orchestra performing Rachmaninov's Second Piano Concerto. Haochen Zhang was the youngest winner of the China International Piano Competition[7] and in 2008 at the age of eighteen, he made his Carnegie Hall debut with the New York Youth Symphony performing Mozart's D minor Concerto (K.466) and the world premiere of a commissioned work by Ryan Gallagher.[8] He also has broad interests in many other fields, including history, literature, etc. He is currently managed by KAJIMOTO.[9]

References

  1. ↑ Cantrell, Scott. "Van Cliburn 2009: Two youngest contestants take piano competition's first prizes". Retrieved 2009-06-08.
  2. ↑ http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/060809dngdcliburn.5b0977b7.html
  3. ↑ Thirteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition Prizes
  4. ↑ http://www.cliburn.org/index.php?page=zhang_tour
  5. ↑ http://www.ggac.or.kr/tcha/eng/in03.htm
  6. ↑ http://www.cliburn.org/index.php?page=winner_detail&compID=146
  7. ↑ http://www.cipc.cc/news_detail.asp?id=43
  8. ↑ Kozinn, Allan (December 2, 2008). "Young Hands in the Center of an Unforgiving Spotlight". The New York Times. Retrieved May 4, 2010.
  9. ↑ http://www.kajimotomusic.com/en/artists/k=104/

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