Pianist Tian-Yu Zhou was born into a family of musicians and learned to play the piano with her mother at the age of four. Ms. Zhou had her first public performance at age five. At the age of nine, she received a scholarship to study with Marina Geringas at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto. When she was ten, she was named “Wonder Kid” by Toronto CCTV and was featured in a broadcasted interview.
Now 19 years old, she is a 3rd year Bachelor of music scholarship student at the Vancouver Academy of Music studying with Prof. Lee Kum-Sing, who has been her teacher since she was thirteen.
Tian-Yu has toured in Asia successfully on four occasions between 2010-2013, performing in provinces and cities including Hong Kong, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Xiamen, Nanning, Guilin, SiChuan, and WuHan. In 2012, She was featured in RTHK live radio broadcast. Tian-Yu has also performed in the U.S, at Casalmaggoire International Festival in Italy, the Holland International Music Session, the CBC Glenn Gould Studio, the Orford Arts Centre, Barrie International Colour of Music Festival, and at the Niagara International Chamber Music Festival.
Tian-Yu has performed 12 concertos with orchestra including Beethoven Concerto No. 2 & 4, Mozart Piano Concertos, Mendelssohn Piano Concerto No. 1 & Double Concerto for Piano and Violin, Chopin Concerto No. 1 & 2, Liszt Concerto No. 1, Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No. 2 & Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Schumann Piano Concerto and etc. Tian-Yu has performed in many prestigious concert halls both inside and outside of Canada including Orpheum Theatre, Massey Theatre, KayMeek Theatre, JianFa Concert Hall, BianZhong Concert Hall and more.
During season 2013-2014, Tian-Yu is invited to perform couple concert tours in Asia including Japan, Hong Kong and China giving solo recitals with 3 different recital programs including Bach Goldberg Variations which she first performed at age of 18 and concerto performances with orchestra including Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1 & Prokofiev Piano Concerto No. 3. She will also hold regular recitals in Vancouver.
Tian-Yu has won numerous awards including; First Prize in the Toyama Asian Youth Music Competition “Concours Mido” Piano Competition held jointly by China and France; a National Finalist in the Canadian Music Competition; the Academy Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition in Toronto; the Kiwanis Music Festival of Greater Toronto; Phyllis E. Salter Competition Recital; Eva Bene Scholarship of Kay Meek competition; and in 2006, she won the prize for the best interpretation of a Canadian work in the OSM Standard Life Competition.