Ziyi Tao
Ziyi Tao (2002) composes music that grasps its own self-conscious reflection. In his works, he investigates the simultaneity of conceptuality and immediate sensation. Ziyi studied at the Juilliard School with Robert Beaser, Andrew Norman, Nina C. Young, and is currently pursuing his Masters studies at the Musikhochschule Frankfurt am Main, working with Orm Finnendahl and Ulrich Kreppein.
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 being named finalist of the 2026 Toru Takemitsu Composition Award, the 2025-2026 German-American Fulbright Study and Research Grant, the 2024 BMI Composers Carlos Surinach Award for the youngest winner, 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.