You-You Zhang, Piano
Internationally respected pianist Rudolf Buchbinder claimed, “You-You
Zhang is an absolutely enormous talent with a brilliant technique
and great musical abilities. She has a great future.”
After a jaw-dropping performance of Rachmaninoff’s Third
Piano Concerto during the Helena Symphony’s
opening night performance of the 2004-2005 Season, Ms.
Zhang returned to Helena for a performance of Tchaikovsky’s
equally demanding and enormous Piano Concerto No. 1 for
opening night of our 2005-2006 Season.
Recognized as one of the most outstanding young pianists
today, 20-year-old You-You Zhang has been studying in the
United States since 1998. Born and raised in Shanghai,
China, Ms. Zhang began her piano studies at the age of five
in China with professors from the Shanghai Conservatory of
Music. Since the age of five, Ms. Zhang began performing
recitals throughout China and eventually enrolled at the
Shanghai Conservatory during her middle school years.
In China Ms. Zhang was awarded numerous scholarships and
the Tang Educational Foundation Award for Music. She
competed for an opening to attend the world-renowned Curtis
Institute of Music in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. There
she was accepted as one of a few prized students of the legendary
pianist, Seymour Lipkin.
During her years at Curtis, she presented concerts and recitals
throughout Europe and China, including the International
Music Festival in Zurich, Switzerland, the International
Music Academy in Leipzig, Germany, the Mendelssohn Concert
Hall, and the Franz Liszt Concert Hall in Weimar, Germany. At
graduation from Curtis, she was honored as the best student
in the piano department. She is currently enrolled
at The Juilliard School for her Master’s Degree studying
with Dr. Veda Kaplinsky. Ms. Zhang has had master classes
with world renowned pianists including Gary Graffman, Leon
Fleisher, Claude Frank, Richard Goode, Yefim Bronfman, Emanual
Ax, Marcello Abbado, and Guangren Zhou.
In 2002, she met Conductor Allan R. Scott, who, as
president of the Philadelphia Young Artists Competition jury,
awarded her first prize and the opportunity to perform with
Maestro Scott. Since then, they have collaborated
several times, including her debut performance with the New
Artists Philharmonic in Colorado performing Tchaikovsky’s
enormous Piano Concerto No. 1 and a performance of Tchaikovsky’s First
Piano Concerto for the 2004-2005 Opening Night of the
North Penn Symphony Orchestra in Lansdale, Pennsylvania.
During the 2003-2004 Season, Ms. Zhang performed the Tchaikovsky
Piano Concerto No. 1 with the Eastern Connecticut Symphony
Orchestra and Beethoven’s Emperor Concerto
with the Dallas-Fort Worth Symphony. Ms. Zhang won
first prize in the Concerto Competition of the Eastern
Connecticut Symphony, was a winner of the TCU / Cliburn Piano
Institute International Concerto Competition in 2004, and
was one of only a few pianists chosen world-wide to participate
in the Busoni International Piano Competition. Due
to her wonderful performances in the Busoni International
Competition in Italy in both 2002 and 2003, Ms. Zhang was
selected as a featured artist by one of the best classical
music websites in the world, www.onclassical.com, of Italy,
which promotes excellent young artists.
The German press has praised You-You stating that her “charisma
is amazing; her talent deserves great promotion. The
Helena Symphony is proud to once again bring this talented
virtuoso pianist to the people of Helena.
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