13-Year-Old Pianist Harmony Zhu Opens New York Youth Symphony's 57th Season, Led By Music Director Michael Repper
Joan Tower; prodigy pianist Harmony Zhu; Marco-Adrián Ramos
The 57th Season Opener Marks Harmony Zhu’s Carnegie Hall Debut and the World Premiere of a New Work By Marco-Adrián Ramos and Joan Tower's Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman No. 1
The New York Youth Symphony’s 57th season is set to kick off with a performance by the NYYS Orchestra on Sunday, November 17, 2019, at 2 PM at Carnegie Halls’ Stern Auditorium/ Perelman Stage.
The orchestra, led by Music Director Michael Repper, will feature 13-year-old prodigy pianist Harmony Zhu in her Carnegie Hall debut. The performance comes as part of the Roy & Shirley Durst Debut Artist Series performing Beethoven’s Piano Concert No. 1 in celebration of Beethoven’s 250th birthday year.
Zhu became the youngest “Young Steinway Artist” at the humble age of 10 years old and has since been featured several times on CBS News, NPR’s From the Top, NBC’s The Ellen DeGeneres Show, CBS, and much more. Zhu has performed with conductor greats like Leonard Slatkin, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, and John Giordano, among others and is revered for her exceptional talent in piano, composition, and more.
In 2018, Zhu toured with the Israel Philharmonic and made appearances with the Detroit Symphony for three concerts. Her soloist debut was made at the Ravinia Festival and the Aspen Music Festival. Before that, in 2017, she opened The Philadelphia Orchestra Season. Zhu, a student of Yoheved Kaplinsky at Juilliard Pre-College since 2014, also won the Concerto Competition in her first year of studying there.
The orchestra’s opening performance, led by Marco-Adrián Ramos and punctuated by Zhu’s exceptional talents, will also include in the program the world premiere of the First Music commission Rehén de tus labios, o Escena de telenovela (Hostage of your lips or Telenovela scene) by Marco-Adrián Ramos, the first performance of Joan Tower’s Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman No. 1 at Carnegie Hall, and Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade.
The New York Youth Symphony was founded to both inspire and educate young musicians through its myriad of programs, including Orchestra, Jazz, Composition, Chamber Music, Musical Theater Competition, Apprenticeship, Conduction, and First Music commissioning programs. Founded in 1963, the NYYS is recognized internationally for its innovative (and award-winning) educational programs for young, talented musicians.
Tickets for the NYYS Orchestra are now available with season subscription options—ticket prices range per performance.