Foundation for Chinese Performing Arts
 Summer FREE Concert @ NEC 2023
 夏日系列音樂會
 at New England Conservatory,
Boston, Massachusetts
 Aug 10 to 26, 2023
All concerts Admission Free, suggested donation $10 at door
Age 6 and under not admitted
 

 



CONCERT 1

Thursday, August 10, 2023, 7:30 pm
at
NEC's Williams Hall
Hao Rao, piano


~Program~

 All Chopin recital

Barcarolle in F-sharp Major, Op.60

Four Mazurkas Op.30
No.1 C Minor
No.2 B Minor
No.3. D flat Major
No.4 C sharp Minor
Andante Spianato et Grande Polonaise Op.22

~intermission~
Ballade No.1 in G Minor, Op.23
  
 Ballade No.2 in F Major, Op.38
  
 Ballade No.3 in A flat Major, Op.47
  
 Ballade No.4 in F Minor, Op.52
  
 "Heroic" Polonaise in A-flat Major, Op.53
  
 


Sibylle Barrasso of The Boston Musical Intelligencer praised pianist Hao Rao's performance on Aug 10 at NEC's Williams Hall, quote: " Hao Rao opened the 2023 concert series of the Foundation for Chinese Performing Arts to a packed Williams Hall this Thursday, excelling in his all-Chopin recital, comprising not only all four ballades, a huge undertaking in itself, but also other pianistic fireworks like the Andante Spianato et Grande Polonaise and the Heroic Polonaise. Rao seemed at ease, relaxed at the keyboard, his fingers flying seemingly without effort and landing on the right notes flawlessly. His youthful exuberance and joy of this journey proved irresistible."

Admission Free, suggested donation $10 at door.
Age 6 and under not admitted.

 中華表演藝術基金會
Foundation for Chinese Performing Arts
Lincoln, Massachusetts

 
 

event photos: Xiaopei Xu and Chi Wei Lo
  
Hao Rao, piano

 "Hao Rao ravishingly sang out the  Andante spianato, while the sparkle and élan of his Polonaise elicited hearty and much-deserved applause." - Jed Distler, Gramophone

"The phenomenally talented young Hao Rao, proved that you don’t have to be born on the Vistula to understand Chopin." - Anna S. Debowska, Wyborcza

At just seventeen years old, Hao Rao was a finalist and Honorable Mention at the 2021 18th Chopin International Piano Competition in Warsaw, performing Chopin’s First Piano Concerto in the finals under the baton of Andrey Boreyko and drawing praise both internationally and domestically. Jan Popis, special music commentator of the Chopin Competition claimed: "The 17-year-old Chinese boy has been manifesting his naturally charming talent since his first round. His playing is poetic, his legato is beautiful like a song, with a sound full of colors. He’s a great talent!"

Born in the mountainous village of Jishou and beginning his piano studies at the age of four, Hao’s talent was evident from the beginning, and at the age of eight, he began making 32-hour roundtrip commutes to Guangzhou for studies with Dr. Vivian Li at Xinghai Conservatory Middle School where he is currently enrolled as a freshman student at the college division.

Though still young, Hao Rao has already amassed an impressive resume of competition awards including first prize at the three most prestigious Chinese national piano competitions – Steinway, Pearl River, and Xinghai Cup – as well as top prizes in major international competitions including the Youth Gina Bachauer, E-piano Junior, Krainev, Aarhus, Ettlingen, Beijing Chopin and Zhuhai Mozart. He is also a three-year full scholarship student of the highly exclusive Morningside Music Bridge Program.

His extensive performance experiences have taken him from Asia to Europe and North America in solo and chamber as well as concerto appearances with the China NCPA Orchestra, Orchestra Academia China, Warsaw Philharmonic, Salzburg Chamber Soloists and symphony orchestras of Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Ningbo, Shenyang, Guizhou, Changsha, Changchun, Central and Xinghai Conservatories, collaborating with conductors Jia Lü, Guoyong Zhang, En Shao, Lin Chen, Huan Jing, Tao Fan and Ming Liu.

Hao’s debut album "Chopin Recital" was released by NCPA Classics in 2022. It was awarded the "Best Piano Album of The Year" in 18th China HI-FI Album Awards 2022.

Outside of piano, Hao loves opera, ballet, pop culture, gourmet, singing, as well as riding roller coaster.




Thank you for your generous contribution to
Foundation for Chinese Performing Arts

中華表演藝術基金會
Foundation for Chinese Performing Arts
Lincoln,  Massachusetts