Hao Rao
Country—China
Age –16
Host Family—Jan and Bill Raisch

Hao Rao’s family is from Xiangxi, an autonomous prefecture of Hunan province, where he first started his piano study at age four. At age eight he began studying with Chinese-Canadian pianist Dr. Vivian Li (Suirong), who is on the piano faculty at Xinghai Conservatory of Music in Guangzhou. Hao is now a third-year student at the Middle School attached to Xinghai Conservatory, where he continues to study with Dr. Li.

At the age of 15, Hao was already a veteran of several influential national and international piano competitions, having taken first prize in Steinway, Kaysurburg, and Hsinghai—three major national competitions in China, and top prizes at international competitions including Ettlingen in Germany (2018), Aahrus in Denmark (2019), and he was a quarter-finalist at the 2^nd Cliburn Junior International in Dallas. Most recently in the fall of 2019, Hao took third prize plus the Youth Jury’s Prize at the 3^rd Zhuhai International Mozart Competition for Young Musicians, and took fifth prize at the 2^nd Beijing International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition for Young Artists.

Hao has been awarded full scholarships by several influential music festivals, including the Morningside Music Bridge and Baltimore International Piano Festival, and has had the opportunity to play for numerous renowned artists in master classes, including Gary Graffman, Leon Fleischer, Jerry Lowenthal, Piotr Paleczny, Dina Yoffe, John Perry, Wha Kyung Byun, Krzysztof Jablonski, Hae-Sun Paik, Meng-Chieh Liu, Robert Shannon, Lev Natochenny, Antonio Pompa-Baldi, Stanislav Ioudenitch, and Alessio Bax.

Hao’s solo recital of the complete Chopin Études Op. 10 and Op. 25, given at the Steinway Concert Hall of the Guangzhou Opera House when he was 13, launched him on a successful concert tour as a young pianist. Since then, Hao has performed in major cities in China, the US, Germany and Denmark. He has appeared as a soloist with the Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra, the Salzburg Soloist Chamber Orchestra and the Beijing Central Conservatory Symphony Orchestra.

In his spare time, Hao enjoys watching operas and ballet, riding rollercoasters, reading fiction, and sampling desserts.

ROUND I

Chopin – Nocturne No. 2 in D-flat major, Op. 27
Chopin – Étude No. 8 in F major, Op. 10
Chopin – Étude No. 6 in G-sharp minor, Op. 25
Chopin – Ballade No. 3 in A-flat major, Op. 37
Zhao – Saxue Huan’ge (“Joyous Dance Amidst Snow”)

ROUND II

Bach – Prelude and Fugue in C major, BWV 870, WTC II
Beethoven – Sonata No. 14 in C-sharp minor, Op. 27 No. 2
Liszt – Valse de l’opéra de Faust (after Gounod), S. 407

ROUND III       

Tchaikovsky – Concerto No. 1 in B-flat minor, Op. 23