Artist Bio
As one of the most dynamic and versatile young musicians of her generation, New-York-based pianist and concert curator Sophia (Shuhui) Zhou has been performing as a soloist and chamber musician internationally in Carnegie Weil Concert Hall and the National Sawdust in New York City, Kennedy Centre in Washington D.C., the Royal Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, National Library of Catalonia, Juventudes Musicales in Sevilla, Shanghai Concert Hall, to name a few. As the winner of the V BPA International Piano Award of Barcelona, Ms. Zhou was engaged for solo recitals tours across Spain and received critical acclaim. As an avid chamber musician, she has collaborated with members of Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, the Metropolitan Opera House, HK Philharmonic Orchestra and Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, as well as faculty members of the Juilliard School, Curtis Institute of Music and Manhattan School of Music.
Sophia is passionate about contemporary music, vocal music as well as historic performance styles. As the soloist of Oberlin Contemporary Music Ensemble, she recorded and premiered music by renowned composers such as Andrew Norman, Nina Shekhar, Benjamin
Broening (Guggenheim Award) , etc. In 2019, she performed the American premier of the song cycle “Dark Days” by German composer Alexander Goehr in the National Sawdust Hall, the esteemed performing venue for contemporary music in New York City. As a highly sought-after vocal pianist, she frequently works with Brooklyn Art Song Society, Mannes Opera, Bare Opera, Classical lyrical Arts in Italy, and various voice studios. In 2018, She was invited as a post-graduate piano fellow by Bard College Conservatory of Music, directed by Academy Award winning composer Tan, Dun. She worked closely with five-time Grammy-award winner, opera singer Dawn Upshaw and Stephanie Blythe in the Graduate Vocal Arts Program, and served as piano instructor for the college department. She has also been invited as a keyboard fellow for Bach Institute in Emmanuel Music and played Bach Cantatas on harpsichord and continuo organ.
Born in Shanghai, China, Sophia was offered a full scholarship by Oberlin College and graduated with Bachelor degrees in piano performance and German literature. She was the first student from mainland China to be admitted into Oberlin's highly competitive double-degree program. She continued her piano studies with Jan Jiracek von Arnim in the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna as well as musicology with Dr. Morten Solvic, renowned Mahler Scholar and Chair of the Mahler Society. She obtained a Master of Music degree from Mannes College of Music in New York City, studying with Dr. Thomas Sauer. She has also studied with renowned artists and pedagogue including legendary pianists Richard Goode, Peter Serkin, Barry Douglas, Leslie Howard, Ruth Slenczynska, Jacque Rouvier, Karl-Heinz Kaemmerling, Bernd Goetzke (Hannover Hochschuler fuer Musik), Hortense Cartier-Bresson (CNSM in Paris), Albert Attenelle (Liceu Conservatory in Barcelona) and Christopher Elton (Royal Academy of Music in London) in masterclasses and festivals.
In 2020, Zhou was appointed as the Director of Chamber Music at The Stissing Center in New York. She has curated and performed in the inaugural season in the midst of pandemic, and received critical claims. In 2022, her concert series became an official presenting partner with Young Concert Artist in New York, one of the most prestigious organizations representing professional young musicians. In collaboration with renowned environmental photographer J Henry Fair, her multimedia concert project “Bach VS Climate Change” has received endorsement from Berkshire Taconic Foundation and Weeden’s Foundation for the Environment, and is scheduled for a premiere performance in September 2022. Her recent projects include a performance in the Nam June Paik retrospectives show in San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, chamber music concerts with members of Carnegie Ensemble Connect, debut recitals with American tenor Daniel McGrew (2021 YCA Winner) in New York City and Washington D.C. and a concert tour in Mexico with ATL trio, performing Beethoven trios and instrumental duos at the invitation of Mexican Senate as part of the international cultural exchange.
