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The Louisiana International Pian
The Louisiana International Piano Competition and Festival (LIPC), is pleased
to present Dizhou Zhao, China, as the Grand Prize winner of the 2007 event. From
an initial group of over 100 pianists from 21 countries, Zhao, demonstrating
exceptional skill and artistry, established himself as the clear winner. This
recording by Classical Records, Moscow, Russia, stands as a testament to his
talent and effort.
Professor Nikita Fitenko envisioned a piano competition in Louisiana, USA, to
bring world class music to Louisiana. With the help of local support and a
partnership with the Rapides Symphony, the LIPC was born. It's mission remains
to identify, reward, and promote young talented pianists from all over the world,
and Zhao certainly met these criteria.
We hope that you will enjoy this recording and be reminded that pianists are, in
many ways, the keepers of music. They are living repositories of the
extraordinary richness of classical music, which remains to be savored by the
listening public now and in the future.
David J. Holcombe, MD
Committee Chairman
Louisiana International Piano Competition
Born and raised in China, Dizhou Zhao started piano study at age four in his
hometown of Shanghai. His talent was evident at a young age with his winning
first prize at competition in Shanghai as well as performing his first public
concert at age seven. One year later Dizhou was invited to record five piano
sonatas by Mozart. At the age of eleven he enrolled in the preparatory Music
School of the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, where he studied for six years.
In 1996 Dizhou was invited as the youngest competitor of the Cong-A
International Piano Competition in Seoul, South Korea. One year later he
performed the Prokofiev Piano Concerto, No. 3 in C major with the Shanghai
Symphony Orchestra with only ten days' notice. In 1999 Dizhou received a full
scholarship award from New England Conservatory in Boston, MA. He came to study
with Russell Sherman and later on with Patricia Zander for his Bachelor Degree
in Piano Performance.
During the summer of 2000 he participated in the Music Academy of the West in
Santa Barbara, California, where he studied with Jerome Lowenthal and performed
solo repertoire and chamber music. In 2001 Dizhou won the New England
Conservatory Competition and in the same year he performed Schumann's Piano
Concerto in A minor with the NEC Honor orchestra in Jordan Hall in Boston,
Massachusetts.
In spring 2003 Dizhou completed his Bachelor Degree with a distinguished
performance award, and in May 2005 he finished his Master Degree, again with a
distinguished performance honor, under the guidance of Alexander Korsantia. In
September he won third prize in the Tbilisi International Piano Competition in
Tbilisi, Georgia.
In January 2006 he won the Special Chopin Award in the first USASU Piano
Competition in Arizona. In the same year he was invited to give two solo
recitals in the Newport Music Festival and received great reviews by Channing
Gray from the Providence Journal.
In 2007 Dizhou won the first prize in the Louisiana International Competition, a
prize that included concerts in France, Russia, and USA and a solo performace at
Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall in November, 2007. The same year he won first prize
in the Southern Highland International Competition in Australia, the Dorothy
Mackenzie first prize award and the third prize in the Viardo Competition in
Dallas, TX.
In 2009, Dizhou was invited to play Stravinsky piano concerto with Queensland
orchestra, the critics acclaimed concert was recorded for the ABC radio for
broadcasting.
© Classical
Records
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