MinyiZhang

Minyi Zhang is a pianist based in New York. She earned both her Bachelor's and Master's degrees at The Juilliard School and is currently pursuing her doctoral degree at Stony Brook University under Gilbert Kalish.

Born in Shenzhen, China, Minyi began studying piano at age six and started performing throughout China shortly thereafter, with a notable appearance at the XXVI Summer Universiade in Shenzhen. At twelve, she made her concerto debut with Shostakovich's Piano Concerto No. 2 after winning the Gold and Grand Prizes at the Third "Changjiang Cup" National Piano Tournament. She also won First Prize three times at the Shenzhen Piano Open Competition. At fifteen, Minyi moved to the United States to attend Interlochen Arts Academy, where she was awarded the Edward P. Frohlich and George and Joyce Kempton Academy Piano Scholarship. Her later competition honors include First Prize at the American International Music Competition and the Gold Prize at the Carles and Sofia International Piano Competition. She is also the winner of the Lauren V. Ackerman Memorial Chamber Music Competition and the Stony Brook Concerto Competition. Most recently, she received Second Prize and the prize for Best Performance of a Contemporary Work at the Franz Liszt International Piano Competition, through which she became a member of the American Liszt Society.

Her teachers have included Mei Xiao, Zhaoyi Dan, Mingqiang Li, Thomas J. Lymenstull, Jerome Lowenthal, Matti Raekallio, Joseph Kalichstein, and Julian Martin. She has also worked with Arie Vardi, Richard Goode, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, and Emanuel Ax in masterclasses.

Recent highlights of Minyi's performance career include appearing as a semifinalist in the Liszt Utrecht International Competition at TivoliVredenburg; performing Brahms' Piano Concerto No. 1 with the Stony Brook Symphony Orchestra, Schumann's Piano Concerto in A minor with the Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra, and Ravel's Piano Concerto in G major with the Fort Worth Symphony. She has also performed for the Humans of New York installation at Grand Central Terminal, as well as at other venues and events including The New York Times, New York Fashion Week, and major concert halls across China, Japan, and the United States.

Since the age of eleven, Minyi has been involved in community performance and has participated in various fundraising events. In addition to her performing career, she teaches at The Juilliard School and has recently joined Steinway as an Educational Partner.

Beyond her role as a pianist, Minyi is also an actress. She made her New York theater debut at the Jeffrey and Paula Gural Theater, and in 2026 appeared at the Players Theatre in a short play festival, where she was cast in the role of Google in The Google Affair and performed original piano music for the production.