In June 2009, at the age of 19, Haochen Zhang won the Gold Medal in the Thirteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, the first Asian to win such an honor and one of the youngest Gold Medalists in the history of this competition.

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Be sure to hear all of Haochen Zhang’s 2012 Festival performances listed below

Sunday, July 15, 2012, 6:00 PM at St. Francis Auditorium
Helen Grime / Dohnányi / Brahms

Monday, July 16, 2012, 6:00 PM at St. Francis Auditorium
Helen Grime / Dohnányi / Brahms

Wednesday, July 18, 2012, 7:30 PM at Simms Auditorium/Albuquerque Academy
Fauré / Schubert

Thursday, July 19, 2012, 12:00 PM at St. Francis Auditorium
Beethoven / Franck

Thursday, July 19, 2012, 6:00 PM at St. Francis Auditorium
Fauré / Schubert

Pianist Haochen Zhang was born in June 1990, in Shanghai. He showed an extraordinary talent in music from childhood. When he was three and a half years old, he began to study the piano.

In 1996, at the age of five, Haochen Zhang successfully made his debut at the Shanghai Concert Hall, under the auspices of BaoSteel Classical Arts Award Foundation. His recital consisted of difficult works such as Bach’s complete two-part Inventions, Mozart’s Sonata K.545 and Haydn’s Sonata Hob.XVI/356, and though such a young performer he made a big stir in the pianistic circles.

In 1997, at the age of six he successfully performed Mozart’s Piano Concerto K.467 with Shanghai Symphony Orchestra.

In 1997 and again in 1999, he took first prize in the Shanghai Piano Competition.

In October 2002, at the age of 12, he participated in his first international piano competition ―The Fourth International Tchaikovsky Competition for Young Musicians, and became the youngest champion in the history of this prestigious competition.

In March 2005, at the age of 14, as one of the 115 international contestants he won unanimous approval from all six faculty members with his audition at Curtis Institute of Music and has been receiving training under  famous pianist and former director of Curtis, Mr. Gary Graffman since then, on a full-tuition scholarship.

In March 2006, at the age of 15, he became a winner of the 2006 Albert M.Greenfield Student Competition, organized by the Philadelphia Orchestra. An additional special prize was awarded to him for his remarkable interpretation of Rachmaninoff’s Second Piano Concerto.

In October 2007, at age 17, he participated as one of the youngest competitors in The Fourth China International Piano Competition and became the youngest champion in the history of this competition.

In June 2009, at the age of 19, he won the Gold Medal in the Thirteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, the first Asian to win such an honor and one of the youngest Gold Medalists in the history of this competition.