Yangmingtian Zhao- Piano
Northwestern University, Doctoral Candidate
24-year-old Yangmingtian Zhao has been hailed as 'an elegant and sincere artist with a sensitive… magic touch designed for an international career'. He has been slated to appear in several concerts in various countries including USA, France, Hungary, Singapore and China. The prestigious venues such as the Carnegie Hall in New York, Galvin Hall in Chicago, Kauffman Center in Kansas City, Chateau de Fontainebleau in France, Esplanade in Singapore, Culture Centre in Hongkong and Grand Opera House in Hainan. In 2011, after his solo recital at the Esplanade Recital Hall, a local newspaper carried the following comment: "Ever wondered what celebrity pianists Lang Lang and Li Yundi were like before they became really famous? In this season, Mingtian will be giving performances in Italy, Hungary, New York, Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia.
Since taking part in the Hong Kong Mozart Competition in 2003, where he was the Second Prizewinner, Ming Tian has received numerous international accolades. He won the Gold Award at the China Central Television's Youth Piano Competition in 2004, as well as the "Kadenza" Youth Competition in China three years later, where he was also the First Prizewinner. In 2010, at the inaugural International Chopin Piano Competition held in Singapore, Ming Tian charmed a local audience and an international jury to sweep both the Audience Prize as well as the Second Prize. A local reviewer praised the "vast palette of sound and emotions" displayed in his "awe-inspiring" performance. A year later, Ming Tian again won the Audience Prize and was placed Second in The International Institute for Young Musicians International Piano Competition 2011 held in
Lawrence, Kansas. In 2012, he was second runner-up at the World International Piano Competition; at the Golden Era of Romantic Music International Competition, held in celebration of the bicentenary of Franz Liszt, he won the First Prize – this led to a successful debut at Carnegie Hall in May 2012. In 2015, Mingtian won the audience prize in Ravel Competition in Fontainebleau, France.
Despite his youth, Mingtian’s sensation is also active in piano pedagogy, with a particular focus on the technical aspects of performance. In the summer of 2011, he held a lecture on piano technique at the University of Hainan in China. Subsequently, he was then invited to conduct a series of masterclasses and lectures in Singapore. In 2016, Mingtian successfully gave a series of masterclass in Sichuan Conservatory. In 2017 summer , Mingtian was invited as a guest artist to teach masterclass in Adam Gyorgy Academy in Hungary. This season, Mingtian will be invited to give masterclass in Chicago, Hungary , Italy, Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia.
Mingtian started college at the age of sixteen at Nanyang academy of Fine Arts in Singapore, honing his performance skills under Mr. Benjamin Loh. In 2014, Mingtian received his bachelor degree at the University of Kansas with honor, under mentorship of Steinway Artist Steven Spooner. Subsequently, Mingtian received a full-scholarship for doing Master degree at Rice University under distinctive American pianist Dr. Robert Roux. Currently, Mingtian is a Doctoral student double majoring in piano performance under Dr. James Giles and pedagogy under Dr. Marcia Bosits in Northwestern University.