„The B minor Sonata of Liszt, in music once considered technically unplayable and musically incomprehensible, Haiou Zhang recreates a visionary masterpiece and a landmark in the history of music with exceptional grandeur and lucidity(…)Haiou Zhang is a most serious artist.”
Gramophone Magazine
„His technique is nothing short of awe-inspiring. Zhang is, without a doubt, on the cusp of a great career.”
The Toronto Star
„Haiou Zhang gives a true bang-up performance that I’m sure both Liszt and Horowitz would smile at .”
American Record Guide
Only in his mid-20’s,Haiou Zhang has received wide recognition by critics and audiences in Europe, North and South America and the Far East.
For the Franz Liszt 200 anniversary in 2011, his new album – Liszt Piano Works under the German label Hänssler CLASSIC is now on the market worldwide. Both Lufthansa and KLM have selected it in the official board music programs. Reviews have been raves throughout Europe, the United States, Canada, and South America. Future recording plans include W. A. Mozart’s Piano concertos KV466 and KV467, Beethoven’s complete works for piano and orchestra with ”Grammy” nominated Mannheim Mozart Orchestra.
Haiou Zhang conquered thousands of his concert goers throughout the 2010 Canadian Tour with the Slovak State Symphony Orchestra, with Beethoven’s Emperor piano concerto. Ten concerts, almost all sold out and each concert ended up with standing ovations. He subsequently recorded for the label ACR Beethoven’s ”Emperor” piano concerto at the Glenn Gould Studio of CBC.
Engagements as a soloist have included with the Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra, Ukraine National Symphony Orchestra, Beijing Symphony Orchestra, Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, Warsaw Symphony Orchestra, Toronto Philharmonic Orchestra, Bochum Symphony Orchestra, Mannheim Mozart Orchestra, Brandenburg Symphony Orchestra, Polish Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra, Amadeus Chamber Orchestra of Polish Radio, KlassikPhilharmonie Hamburg, Württembergisches Kammerorchester Heilbronn.
Piano recital débuts include Toronto Centre for the Arts in Canada, Sala Sao Paulo in Brazil and the most prestiges venues in Germany: Konzerthaus Berlin, Philharmonie Berlin, Laeiszhalle Hamburg, Gasteig in Munich, Tonhalle Düsseldorf, Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival, Kissinger Sommer, Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Braunschweig Classix Festival, Würzburg Bach Festival, Augsburg Mozart Festival, Festival ”Best of NRW”, the Festival International de Musique de Besançon in France and the Casalmaggiore International Festival in Italy. His chamber music partner includes the Faust Quartet, the Ensemble of Central Conversatory of Music Beijing, young shooting star violinists such as Feng Ning, Christoph Seybold, Solenne Paidassi and Liv Migdal.
Haiou is heard regularly in concerts and interviews for various radio stations and television, such as CCTV China, SF1 Switzerland, NPR, CBC, Classical FM96.3, Ontario TV Canada, Radio 4 Netherland, ORF 1 Austria, Radio New Zealand, France télévision 3, Bavarian Radio 4, NDR, WDR, Deutschlandradio Kultur and the Deutsche Welle TV.
Haiou Zhang received his very first piano lesson at the age of eight, somehow quite late compare to other Chinese kids. Two years later he stands out as the one of the only 4 (150 in total) candidates get accepted into the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing and graduated in 2002 with special honors. 2011, he graduated with the best note in the soloist-class at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hannover with Prof. Bernd Goetzke, the last pupil of the legendary pianist Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli.
His great success at the Fifth International Vladimir Horowitz Piano Competition in Kiev followed a CD production at the North German Radio. In 2005 he won the prestiges Gundlach Music Award in Hanover and has been Fellow of Theodor Lessing Foundation, the Yehudi Menuhin Foundation, the Ottilie-Selbach-Redslob Foundation and the Vera-Ritter Foundation. In 2007 he was awarded the Audience Prize at the Bad Kissingen Piano Olympics. As a keen chamber musician, he also won the 1st Prize at the China National Piano Duo Competition.
Beside his concert career, he is also founder and artistic director of International Music Festival Buxtehude in Germany, supporting talented young musicians. The festival became the most successful music institution in the Region during the last three seasons.
Upcoming engagements includes debut with the Ontario Philharmonic Orchestra under Marco Parisotto, Russian Chamber Philharmonic St. Petersburg under Juri Gilbo, Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra under Kerry Stratton, Heidelberg Symphony Orchestra under Thomas Fey, Philharmonie Festiva under Gerd Schaller, as well the prestiges festival appearances such as the Weilburg Schlosskonzerte, the Ebracher Musiksommer and Lübeck International Chamber Music Festival in Germany, Festival des Rencontres Musicales de Cassis in France and a recital debut at the China National Centre for the perfroming arts NCPA.