Conrad Tao

Biography

Pianist and composer Conrad Tao has been dubbed "the kind of musician who is shaping the future of classical music" by New York Magazine, and an artist of "probing intellect and open-hearted vision" by The New York Times.

Conrad's 2024/25 season included a return to Carnegie Hall in recital performing Debussy's 12 Études, alongside Keyed In, a work arranged and improvised by Tao on the Lumatone. He also returned to the San Francisco Symphony to perform Tchaikovsky with Nicholas Collon, the Dallas Symphony to perform Mozart with Jaap van Zweden, the St Louis Symphony to perform Saint-Saëns with David Danzmayr, and the Baltimore Symphony to perform Mozart with Jonathon Heyward. Further appearances included the Indianapolis Symphony's opening Gala, as well as performances with the Seoul Philharmonic, and NDR Hannover with Ingo Metzmacher. He also continued his collaboration with award-winning dancer Caleb Teicher in a nationwide US tour.

In the 2023/24 season, Conrad made his subscription debut with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and re-united with the New York Philharmonic following summer appearances and his specially curated programme for their Artist Spotlight series. Meanwhile, he celebrated Rachmaninov's 150th anniversary with recitals presented by the Cleveland Orchestra and Klavierfestival Ruhr. The season also saw performances with the Philadelphia Orchestra and Marin Alsop, and the Boston Symphony and Dima Slobodeniouk, as well as performances celebrating the 100th anniversary of Rhapsody in Blue at the Philharmonie Berlin, Elbphillharmonie Hamburg, and the Concertgebouw Amsterdam with Matthias Pintscher and the Kansas City Symphony. His companion piece to Gershwin’s Rhapsody, Flung Out, was commissioned by the Santa Rosa Symphony, Aspen Music Festival, and Omaha Symphony.

In recent years, Conrad has been the subject of a special focus with the Finnish Radio Symphony and the Swedish Radio Symphony, both of whom have presented him over multiple concerts. He has also performed with the Orchestra Nazionale di Santa Cecilia under both Orozco-Estrada and Antonio Pappano. As a composer, his work has been performed by orchestras throughout the world; his first large scale orchestral work, Everything Must Go, received its world premiere with the New York Philharmonic and its European premiere with the Antwerp Symphony.

Conrad was the recipient of a New York Dance and Performance "Bessie" Award for Outstanding Sound Design / Music Composition for his work on More Forever, in collaboration with dancer and choreographer Caleb Teicher. He is also the recipient of the prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant and was named a Gilmore Young Artist.
 

Photo Credit: Brantley Gutierrez