Haochen Zhang
Since his gold medal win at the Thirteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in 2009, Haochen Zhang has captivated audiences in the United States, Europe, and Asia with a unique combination of deep musical sensitivity, fearless imagination, and spectacular virtuosity. In 2017, Haochen received the prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant, which recognizes talented musicians with the potential for a major career in music.
 
Haochen has already appeared with many of the world’s leading festivals and orchestras including the BBC Proms with Long Yu and the China Philharmonic; the Munich Philharmonic with the late Lorin Maazel in a sold-out tour in Munich and China; the Easter Festival in Moscow by special invitation of Maestro Valery Gergiev; the Sydney Symphony and David Robertson in a China tour; and the NDR Hamburg and Thomas Hengelbrock in a tour of Tokyo, Beijing, and Shanghai.
 
In the 2019-20 season, Haochen continued his ongoing collaboration with The Philadelphia Orchestra and Yannick Nézet-Séguin with concerts in Philadelphia and a tour in Japan. Additional highlights included the collaboration with Singapore Symphony and NCPA Orchestra, and performances of the complete Beethoven concertos with Shanghai Opera House Symphony Orchestra. He also gave solo recitals across China.
 
In July 2019, Haochen released his debut concerto album on BIS Records performing Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No.2 and Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No.1 with the Lahti Symphony Orchestra under Dima Slobodeniouk. His debut solo album was released by BIS in February 2017, which includes works by Schumann, Brahms, Janacek, and Liszt.
 
In recent seasons, Haochen debuted with the Lucerne Festival Orchestra and toured Asia with The Philadelphia Orchestra. He has given extensive recital and concerto tours in Asia with performances in China, Hong Kong (China), and Japan. In October 2017, Haochen gave a concerto performance at Carnegie Hall with the China NCPA Orchestra, which was followed by his recital debut at Carnegie’s Zankel Hall.
 
Haochen has already appeared with many of the world’s leading orchestras including the Lucerne Festival Orchestra, Munich Philharmonic, London Symphony, New York Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, hr-Sinfonieorchester, WDR Sinfonieorchester, Orchestre Philharmonic de Radio France, Mariinsky Orchestra, China Philharmonic, Shanghai Symphony, Israel Philharmonic , Hong Kong Philharmonic, Singapore Symphony and among others. The conductors he has worked with including Lorin Maazel, Riccardo Chailly, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Michael Tilson Thomas, Valery Gergiev, Long Yu, Andrés Orozco-Estrada, Mikko Franck, Gianandrea Noseda and many others. In recital, he has performed at Spivey Hall, La Jolla Music Society, Celebrity Series of Boston, CU Artist Series, Cliburn Concerts, Krannert Center, Wolf Trap Discovery Series, Lied Center of Kansas, and UVM Lane Series, among others.
 
Haochen is also an avid chamber musician, collaborating with colleagues such as the Shanghai, Tokyo, and Brentano Quartets. He is frequently invited by chamber music festivals in the United States including the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival and La Jolla Summerfest.
 
Haochen’s performances at the Cliburn Competition were released to critical acclaim by Harmonia Mundi in 2009. He is featured in Peter Rosen’s award-winning documentary chronicling the 2009 Cliburn Competition, A Surprise in Texas.
 
Haochen is a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia where he studied under Gary Graffman. He has also been studying periodically with Andreas Haefliger in Vienna. He was previously trained at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music and the Shenzhen Arts School, where he was admitted in 2001 at the age of 11 to study with Professor Zhaoyi Dan. In January 2019, Zhang was hired as Artist-in-Residency of Southern University of Science and Technology.
 
Program
Schubert: Allegretto in c minor, D.915
Schubert: Piano Sonata in G Major, D.894
I.          Molto moderato e cantabile
II.       Andante
III.     Menuetto
IV.     Allegretto
Intermission
Liszt: Transcendental Études, S.139
I.          Preludio
II.       Fusées
III.     Paysage
IV.     Mazeppa
V.       Feux follets
VI.     Vision
VII.  Eroica
VIII.              Wilde Jagd
IX.     Ricordanza
X.       Appassionata
XI.     Harmonies du soir
XII.  Chasse-neige
 
(Please check program updates at the concert.)