Ziyi Tao
Ziyi Tao (2002) strives to write music capable of its own self-conscious reflection. He is privileged to have received mentorship from Nina C. Young, Andrew Norman, Beat Furrer, Marco Momi, Dmitri Kourliandski, Max Grafe, and Reiko Füting. Ziyi is deeply committed to the ability of music to access both the dimension of sensation and thought. In his work, Ziyi investigates music and thought not as a mere result of each other, but each as their respective movement that at once manifests in and through each other. With a deep awareness of the irreducibility of both music and thought, as well as their idiomaticity, Ziyi explores their mutuality and seeks to render this movement transparent.
Ziyi is fortunate to have worked with, and have had his works performed by prominent artists and ensembles, including pianist and composer Conrad Tao, pianist Peter Dugan, the Arxis Ensemble, the mdi Ensemble, FontanaMIX Ensemble, the Moscow Contemporary Ensemble, the Kenari Quartet, the Isosceles Trio, the Julius Quartet, the Hypercube Ensemble, the Juilliard Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Pacific Chamber Orchestra, and the St. Petersburg Philharmonic. Ziyi’s works have also been conducted by outstanding conductors, including Thomas Wilkins, Jeffrey Milarsky, Beat Furrer, and Fedor Lednev.
Ziyi has received numerous scholarships and awards, including the 2023 “Pablo Sorozabal” International String Quartet Composition Competition, 2023 ASCAP Morton Gould Award, 2022 Juilliard School Gena Raps String Quartet Prize, the XVI Open Composers Competition Named After Andrey Petrov, “ Share of Hope”, the Jack Kent Cooke Young Artists Award 2021, the NAfME Student Composers Competition 2021, and the 44th DownBeat Student Music Award, among others.