Born in a Chinese musical family, Zhiqiao Zhang started to learn piano and voice with his father when he was a child. As a passionate musician, Zhiqiao has performed in many important venues such as Jordan Hall in Boston, Beijing National Performing Arts, Shenzhen Grand Theatre, Poly Theatre in Shanghai, Ningbo, Hefei, and Chongqing Huangjueping Piano Museum Concert Hall.
As a winner of more than ten international and national piano competitions, Zhiqiao has recently been awarded Third Prize at Rahn Musikpreis Für Klavier (2024), Third Prize at the International Piano Competition “La Palma D’Oro” (2023), First Prize at the Lancaster International Piano Festival Competition (2022), the Arizona Piano Institute’s Solo Piano Competition (2021). Other awards include second place in the New England Conservatory Concerto Competition (2019), first place at the NEC Piano Honors Competition, first place at Imola Summer Piano Academy & Festival (2013). He was also a recipient of the Dorothy Hinton Congleton Memorial Presidential Scholarship from 2017-2022 for his artistic merits. In 2020, he was invited to record and publish his own album under the label of KNS Classical.
Besides his solo achievements, Zhiqiao also is a fervent chamber musician. He has participated in numerous chamber competitions and collaborated with many great musicians. During his time in Shanghai Music Middle School, he won First Prize of Piano trio (Professional group) in Shanghai Division of China Youth Music Competition. As a creative musician, Zhiqiao is also passionate about composing his own music. In June 2016, his chamber music work “Time code” composed for violin, cello, and piano, was performed as a finale program for an important concert at the middle school affiliated to Shanghai Conservatory of music and highly praised by the audiences.
Zhiqiao graduated in 2017 from the middle school affiliated with the Shanghai Conservatory of Music with the highest score and distinctions over the main piano class in the whole school. He was admitted to the New England Conservatory on a full scholarship, where studied with Professor Wha Kyung Byun. During his course of studies, he received guidance from many great musicians and pianists such as Gary Graffman, Robert MacDonald, Marc Silverman and Mikhail Voskresensky.
Zhiqiao graduated with a Master’s and academic honors from the New England Conservatory. Zhiqiao is now continuously pursuing his Master of Arts in Specialized Music Performance (soloist diploma) at the Conservatorio della Svizzera Italiana with Roberto Plano.