Photo by Brantley Gutierrez
Conrad Tao, piano
Conrad Tao has appeared worldwide as a pianist and composer. He has performed as soloist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, and Boston Symphony Orchestra. 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. He is the recipient of the prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant and was named a Gilmore Young Artist.
In the 2023–24 season, Mr. Tao made his subscription debut with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra performing Gershwin’s Concerto in F major with James Gaffigan. He also reunited with the New York Philharmonic to perform Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 17, following his curated program for them the previous season as part of the Artist Spotlight series. Meanwhile, he is celebrating the 100th anniversary of Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue with multiple performances of the work and a new companion piece. His return engagements included performances with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Oregon Symphony, and the Seattle Symphony. As part of the celebration of Rachmaninoff's 150th birthday, Mr. Tao brought Rachmaninoff Songbook to New York’s 92nd Street Y and Germany’s Klavierfestival Ruhr, combining Rachmaninoff, jazz, and musical theater. This season has also included performances with UK-based new-music collective Distractfold, tap dancer Caleb Teicher, and the Junction Trio, among many others.
Conrad Tao was born in Urbana, Illinois in 1994. He has studied piano with Emilio del Rosario in Chicago and Yoheved Kaplinsky in New York, and composition with Christopher Theofanidis.