Pianist Ji to Play Bach, Schumann, Stravinsky at Tannery Pond Concerts

Ji

(NEW LEBANON, N.Y.) – Pianist Ji will play works by Bach-Busoni, Schumann, Prokofiev, Mendelssohn and Stravinsky at Tannery Pond Concerts in the Tannery on the grounds of the Darrow School on Saturday, September 6, 2014, at 8pm. Ji is this year’s winner of the Tannery Pond Concerts Award, an honor going to select winners of the Young Concert Artists audition, as chosen by Tannery Pond artistic director Christian Steiner.

At 10 years old, Ji was the youngest pianist to win the New York Philharmonic’s Young Artists Competition, resulting in a performance at Avery Fisher Hall under Maestro Kurt Masur. He is hailed by the Chicago Tribune as “a gifted young pianist who is clearly going places,” and the Washington Post had “nothing but praise” for Ji’s Kennedy Center 2013 debut, which the Washington Times referred to as “extraordinary.”

Ji began his musical training at the age of 3 and made his Carnegie Hall Recital Début when he was 13. Since then, he has given recitals at some of the most prestigious venues and festivals across 5 continents. Ji has performed at 92nd Street Y in New York City; Wigmore Hall, Royal Festival Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Purcell Room, Barbican Centre, St. John’s Smith Square and St. Martin-in-the-fields in London; Auditorium du Louvre and Salle Cortot in Paris; Concertgebouw in Amsterdam; Salle Garnier Opéra in Monte-Carlo; Théâtre de Champ Fleuri in La Réunion; Rachmaninoff Hall at Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow; Hong Kong Town Hall and Shanghai Oriental Art Centre and among others. Also Ji has appeared at Gstaad Festival in Switzerland playing Bach Goldberg Variations; Tongyeong Music Festival in South Korea performing Isang Yun’s complete piano music; Newbury Spring Festival in UK; International Stavanger Chamber Music Festival in Norway; Solo Piano Festival in Italy and the third International Music Festival of Asian-Pacific Region in Russia.

Following his youthful début in New York City, at the age of 14, he performed Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G Major with the French Republic Guard Orchestra and François Boulanger in Canada. In the same year, he also collaborated with Eric Lederhandler performing both of Ravel’s piano concertos with the Xiamen Philharmonic Orchestra in China. In 2008 he performed Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No.2 with Academy Concert Orchestra and Mr. Tadaaki Otaka in London. In 2010 he played Chopin’s Piano Concerto No.2 at Drapers Hall and Hatfield House; Mozart’s Piano Concerto K. 488 with the London String Ensemble. His CD of Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue with James Watson and the Royal Academy of Music’s Symphonic Brass Ensemble on the Academy’s own label was released in November 2010 and received great acclaim. In 2011, he performed Mozart and Beethoven piano concertos with Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra in China and in 2012, the Beethoven Piano Concerto No.3 with Lavenham Sinfonia in Suffolk. In 2014, Ji will make his début with the Philharmonia Orchestra.

Ji has received many awards. In 2005 and 2006, he took part in the Verbier Festival & Academy in Switzerland, where he received the Tabor Piano Award and CUBS Prize from UBS Bank. From 2008 to 2012, he was the recipient of the Martin Musical Award from the Philharmonia Orchestra. In 2010, he was awarded the Audience Prize of the Friends of RAM Wigmore Award, and was selected by the International Holland Music Session in the Netherlands for their prestigious “New Master on Tour” Series. In 2011, he was the recipient of the award from the Yamaha Music Foundation of Europe, the Hattori Foundation’s Début Prize and the Royal Academy of Music’s Club Prize. He was selected by Young Classical Artists Trust (YCAT) in 2013.

Ji’s competition successes include First Prize in the 6th Pinault International Piano Competition in New York City in 2003, and in 2004 Second Prize in the 11th International Music Competition Jeunesses Musicales in Bucharest and First Prize in the Ludmila Knezkova-Hussey International Piano Competition in Canada. In 2010, he won First Prize in the Sheepdrove Piano Competition in the UK. Later he became the youngest ever first prize winner at Brant International Pianoforte Competition in Birmingham.

Ji has received invaluable guidance from Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Leif Ove Andsnes, Boris Berman, Paul Badura-Skoda, Imogen Cooper, Barry Douglas, Claude Frank, Richard Goode, Stephen Hough, Zoltán Kocsis, Fou Ts’ong, Lilya Zilberstein, Ida Kavafian, Pamela Frank, Yuri Bashmet and Salvatore Accardo among others.

He initially studied piano and conducting at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, after which he studied under Dmitri Bashkirov at the Escuela Superior de Musica Reina Sofia in Madrid. He is now completing Master of Music degree at the Royal Academy of Music focusing on Piano Performance with Christopher Elton and Composition with Ruth Byrchmore.

Doors open at 7:30. Concert: 8pm General Seating

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