ChaoJun Yang in Concert

The Music House Museum is thrilled to host ChaoJun Yang in concert. ChaoJun was born in May of 1995, in Shanghai China. She is a recent graduate of the Interlochen Arts Academy in Interlochen, Michigan, where she studied with Dr. Michael Coonrod and was awarded Interlochen’s most prestigious Young Artist Award on May 24, 2013. Currently studying on full scholarship at Bard College in New York, majoring in both Piano and French, she is on a tour of Northern Michigan.

When she was four years old, ChaoJun began studying piano under Lin Eryang and Ding Chengzi. In 2004, she was admitted to the Music Primary School affiliated with the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, studying under Professor Minduo Li, Zhe Tan, and Natalia Filippova (Russia). She was the only pianist to be cited as an outstanding student in the school for six consecutive years.
At the age of 5, ChaoJun attended the “House Garden Cup” Young Artist Piano Competition in Shanghai and won first prize. At the age of 6, as a member of the Shanghai Expo Delegation, ChaoJun was admitted to perform a solo concert for 300 honored guests of governments from 88 countries in Paris, France, where she was dubbed “The Little Expo Angel” and “The Supernatural Child of Music”.
From 2001 to 2004, ChaoJun received outstanding ratings for her piano exams, and at age 8, she passed Piano Level 10 with all excellent performances. During this time, she attended the Shanghai Young Artist Piano Competition, winning the first prize more than sixteen times. In 2002, 2003, and 2004, ChaoJun took part in the Shanghai Student Arts Festival Young Artists Competition, where she won successive awards.
From 2002 to 2008, ChaoJun was invited to France, Australia, Hong Kong, the Philippines, North Korea, Poland, Croatia, Britain, the USA, Canada, and Germany where her performances consistently received a warm welcome. Further accomplishments include:
∙ In Poland, she was invited to play the piano in Chopin’s former residence. This was the first time in history, that a Chinese child had a chance to play a Chopin favorite classic in such a special place.
∙ In North Korea, during a banquet in her honor sponsored by Chairman Kim Jong II, he announced that ChaoJun was the model for children’s piano study in their country.
∙ In school, ChaoJun participated in master classes given by internationally renowned pianists and teachers, including Fou T’song, Volker Banfield (Hamburg Conservatory of Music in Germany), Robert McDonald (The Juilliard School of Music in New York), Mack McCray (San Francisco Conservatory), and Vladimir Ashkenazy.
∙ In May, of 2006, ChaoJun won first prize in the Chamber Music Competition of The Music Primary of Shanghai Conservatory. In April of 2006, she performed a piano concerto with orchestra under Miss Zheng Xiaoying at the concert of Mozart 250tth anniversary in Xiamen.
∙ In February of 2007, ChaoJun was invited to perform at the Haikou People’s Great Hall, and was met with a warm reception from the entire audience.
∙ In March in 2008, she attended the Piano Concerto Competition of Shanghai Conservatory of Music and won the Dean’s Prize.
∙ In May of 2008, she was invited to perform a solo concert for the Braunschweig Classics Festival in Germany, and won a top prize.
∙ In December of 2008, she attended the CCTV Piano and Violin Competition and received high honors.
∙ In May of 2009, she attended the China Youth Piano Competition and won third place.
∙ In November of 2009, she attended the Pearl River Kayserburg National Youth Piano Competition, winning first place. She also received the “Pearl River Kayserb Burg” Award.
∙ From June to July in 2009, 2010, and 2011, ChaoJun was accepted to attend the 13th, and 14th and 15th annual Morningside Music Bridge International Training Program held in Poland and Canada. She participated in the Concerto Competition in 2010 , won third prize and participated in the chamber music competition winning first prize.
∙ In September 2012, she won a full scholarship to attend the Interlochen Arts Academy in Interlochen, Michigan as a high school junior, to study under Dr. Michael Coonrod.
∙ In October 2011, she was a winner in the Academy’s concerto competition and performed Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini with the Interlochen Arts Academy Orchestra in February of 2012.
∙ In May of 2012, she and her piano trio went to Notre Dame University in Indiana to compete in the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition, the biggest chamber music competition in the United States. Her piano trio won the silver medal in the Junior Division.
∙ In that year, ChaoJun was awarded a Fine Arts Award for outstanding accomplishments.
∙ In February 2013, she was one of two high school students invited to perform in Orchestra Hall in Detroit, where she performed Beethoven’s “Waldstein” Sonata. She was part of the complete Beethoven piano sonatas being performed in one day. Out of 32 college and high school participants, she was one of two high school students whose performances were later aired on the classical radio station WRCJ.
ChaoJun graduated from Interlochen Arts Academy on May 25, 2013 and was awarded their most prestigious, Young Artist Award, which is voted on by the entire music faculty.
• Chaojun has just returned from attending the Indiana University Summer Camp, where she was selected to perform a complete recital live on the radio. She is currently on a tour in northern Michigan playing two different programs including Schubert’s Wanderer Fantasy and four Impromptus Op.90, Beethoven’s Sonata Op.109, Liszt’s Sonata in B minor, Ravel’s La Valse, and Chopin’s 12 etudes, Op.25.