Muzi Zhao

Country – Republic of China
Age– 22

Muzi Zhao began studying piano at the age of four under the tutelage of Ying Zheng. He studied with Gabriel Kwok from 2008 to 2016 in the Junior Music Program at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, and with Alan Chow and James Giles at Northwestern University from 2016 to 2021. In 2021, he was accepted to the Master of Music program in Piano at the Yale School of Music with a full scholarship and is currently studying with Boris Berman.

Muzi has won awards at numerous competitions including fourth prize at the Gina Bachauer International Junior Piano Competition (2012), gold prize at the 14th Chopin International Piano Competition in Asia (2013), first prize at the Kawai Asian Piano Competition (2013), fifth prize at the Ettlingen International Competition for Young Pianists (2014), third prize at the PianoArts North American Competition (2018), Prize Atena 2/ACIM (2019, Portugal), second prize at the Brancaleoni International Online Piano Competition (2020), third prize at the 2021 MTNA (Music Teachers National Association) Young Artist Piano Competition and second prize at the Weatherford College International Piano Competition (2021, Texas).

He was awarded the 2021 Luminarts Classical Piano Fellowship from the Luminarts Cultural Foundation. Recent musical activities include performances with the Torun Symphony Orchestra (Poland), Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and Sichuan Philharmonic Orchestra as resident artist. As a solo artist, he has performed recitals at venues including Chicago Arts Club, Shenzhen Concert Hall, Poli Theatre, Galvin Recital Hall, Alkek Fine Arts Center, and Carnegie Hall.

Repertoire

Round I

Mozart                       Rondo No. 1 in D major, K. 485

Chopin                       Fantasy No. 1 in F minor, Op. 49

Albéniz                      Triana from Iberia Suite Book 2, No. 3

Round II

Beethoven                Sonata No. 30 in E major, Op. 109

Messiaen                  Regard de l’esprit de joie from Vingt regards sur l’enfant Jésus, No. 10

Round III

Scriabin                     Sonata No. 6, Op. 62

Schumann                Kreisleriana, Op. 16

Round IV

Prokofiev                   Concerto No. 3 in C major, Op. 26