04-12-19 | Songs for Listening | Conrad Tao
Pianist and composer, Conrad Tao, made the playlist at Songs for Listening for Friday, April 12. Conrad has performed and had his compositions presented worldwide, receiving accolades and awards including: Presidential Scholar in the Arts, YoungArts Gold Medal Winner in Music, Gilmore Young Artist, Avery Fisher Career Grant & Lincoln Center Emerging Artist. With each new project the former prodigy emerges as a mature, idiosyncratic, and forward-looking artist, pushing boundaries as a leading performer, composer, curator, and commissioner, championing new music while presenting older repertoire with verve.
Conrad's 2018/19 season opened with the world premiere of his composition, ‘Everything Must Go’, commissioned and performed by the NY Phil. Conrad makes his LA Opera debut in the West Coast premiere of David Lang’s new work, 'the loser', where he plays the onstage role of the apparition and memory of Glenn Gould. Tao & dancer-choreographer Caleb Teicher continue to develop More Forever, their evening-length multidisciplinary work which explores American vernacular dance traditions, as part of Guggenheim’s Works & Process series (the piece will play at Jacob’s Pillow this summer). In addition, this season Conrad makes debut performances with the LA Phil & Cleveland Orchestra. Also, this season he'll also solo recitals, duo concerts with Stefan Jackiw, and piano trio with the JCT Trio (Jackiw / Jay Campbell / Tao).
Conrad was born in Urbana, Illinois, in 1994. He studied piano with Emilio del Rosario in Chicago and Yoheved Kaplinsky in NYC, and composition with Christopher Theofanidis.
'Lonesome in My Home' by Junior Kimbrough from 'First Recordings'
'Dhil-un Taht Sajarat al-Zaqam' by MYSLMA
'Point Reflex Blue' by Croatian Amor from 'Isa'
'Wet' by DJ Diamond from 'Footwork or Die'
'When I'm Gone' by Phil Ochs from 'There But For Bad Fortune'
