Conrad Tao, piano

Pianist and composer Conrad Tao is widely celebrated for his boundary-defying artistry as well as his powerful performances of traditional repertoire. Described by New York Magazine as “the kind of musician who is shaping the future of classical music,” and praised by The New York Times for his “probing intellect and open-hearted vision,” Tao appears regularly as a soloist with leading orchestras and at major venues across the world. Known to Twin Cities audiences for his recent appearances with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra and Minnesota Orchestra, we are delighted to welcome Tao to the Ordway for his International Artist Series debut. His wide-ranging program features Franz Schubert’s Sonata in B-flat Major, composed only two months before the composer’s death in 1828, as well as music by Ethiopian nun and pianist Emahoy Tsegué-Maryam Guèbrou, revered Cuban-born American composer Tania León, French impressionist composer Maurice Ravel, and some of Tao’s own improvisations and compositions.