Yichu Zhao

A seemingly quiet young teenager with a colorful and exciting inner world, Yichu Zhao began studying piano at the age of six with Ms. Bella Ye, shortly after moving to Toronto. Over the following four years, he received attentive and professional training, quickly demonstrating his talent and musical ability through success in competitions and concert performances. He won Second Prize at the Grand Prize Virtuoso International Music Competition in Rome (2017) and performed at Parco della Musica, Second Prize at the New York Golden Classical Music Awards International Competition (2018) with a performance at Carnegie Hall, Second Prize in the Concerto Group of the Toronto CCC Music Festival (2018), and both the Platinum Award and First Prize in the Classical Concerto Group of the Kiwanis Music Festival of Greater Toronto (2019).

Since September 2019, Yichu has been enrolled in the Affiliated High School of the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, where he has received formal and comprehensive training not only in piano performance but also in music theory, chamber music, and solfège/ear training. In March 2023, he gave his first solo recital at Shanghai Music Hall, performing a wide-ranging program that included Baroque works by Bach, a Classical sonata, and etudes by Chopin and Liszt. Now in the eighth grade, Yichu continues to broaden his musical experience by actively participating in masterclasses, seminars, and other performance opportunities both within and beyond his school.