The Lancaster Performing Arts Center will host Van Cliburn International Piano Competition gold medalist Haochen Zhang Oct. 14. For tickets, visit lpac.org or call (661) 723-5950.
Since 1962, the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition has been the most visible expression of the Van Cliburn Foundation's commitment to the highest standards of musical achievement. The Foundation promotes classical music worldwide, as well as launching and nurturing young artists' careers through the quadrennial Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. Medalist winners are then engaged with international concert tours, award-winning television documentaries and internationally syndicated radio series dedicated to the Competition and its most memorable performances. By making the Competition available in its entirety on the internet, the Foundation has extended its outreach to listeners in every corner of the globe.
Thirty finalists from around the world participated in the 13th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in May and June of 2009. The jury selected six pianists to advance to the Final Round of the competition: Evgeni Bozhanov (Bulgaria); Yeol Eum Son (South Korea); Nobuyuki Tsujii (Japan); Mariangela Vacatello (Italy); Di Wu (China); and Haochen Zhang (China).
The LPAC is privileged to be one of the first venues in the world to present, in a solo concert, the esteemed winner of the gold medal, Mr. Haochen Zhang (19) of China. The youngest participant in the 2009 Van Cliburn Competition, Zhang gave his debut recital at the Shanghai Music Hall at the age of five, performing all of Bach’s two-part inventions, as well as sonatas by Haydn and Mozart. He performed with orchestras at age six, and moved to the United States at 15 to attend the Curtis Institute of Music. First-prize winner of the 2007 China International Piano Competition, Zhang has performed with the China National Symphony Orchestra, Krakow State Philharmonic, New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra, and the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, and has concertized throughout Asia, Europe, and the United States. He also excels at ping pong and enjoys writing poetry.
