MinyiZhang

Born in Shenzhen, 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.

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 a semifinalist appearance in the Liszt Utrecht International Competition at TivoliVredenburg, and performances of 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. During her years in New York, she has performed at major venues and events including Steinway Hall, Carnegie Hall, New York Fashion Week, and the Humans of New York installation at Grand Central Terminal, and has been invited multiple times for solo performances at The New York Times.

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.