Niu Niu
牛牛,
pianist
Niu Niu (aka Shengliang Zhang) was born in 1997 into a musical
family in Xiamen. After showing talent at age 3, Niu Niu
initially studied piano with his father, later making his
recital debut at age 6. At age 8, he became the youngest student
ever enrolled at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music.
Since age 10, Niu Niu has studied with Hung-Kuan Chen, initially
at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music and later the New England
Conservatory of Music in Boston, where Niu Niu and his family
relocated. Niu Niu graduated from The Juilliard School of Music
with the Bachelor Degree in 2018, where he studied with
Hung-Kuan Chen.
The youngest pianist ever signed to a major classical label, his
debut album, Niu Niu Plays Mozart (2008) was followed by Niu Niu
plays Chopin—The Complete Études (2010) and Niu Niu Liszt
Transcriptions (2012). His sixth album, Niu Niu Portrait, was
released in 2016. After signing with Universal Music Hong Kong
in December 2017, his first album for the label (recorded in
Berlin) is released in June 2018.
Niu Niu opened the 2014/15 season performing the Dvořák Piano
Concerto with Jiří Bělohlávek and the Czech Philharmonic
Orchestra. In March 2014, he toured with Yutaka Sado and his
Super Kids Orchestra on a five-city tour of Japan’s major
concert halls, later returning that summer in a critically
acclaimed recital tour. During August 2016, Niu Niu completed a
tour of 16 Chinese cities.
Other career highlights include the 2007 Pearl Awards at
London’s Royal Festival Hall, performing Shostakovich’s Piano
Concerto No.1 conducted by his coach and mentor Leslie Howard in
the presence of His Royal Highness Prince Charles, the Prince of
Wales. As first laureate of the Artemisia Foundation, he made
his debuts in Boston’s Jordan Hall and Yale University’s Sprague
Hall in 2012. In 2007, his performance in the CCTV Ministry of
Culture Spring Festival Gala was televised nationwide.
In 2017, Niu Niu was invited to perform for the presidents of
China, Russia, India, Brazil, and South Africa during the BRICS
summit evening gala. He is currently planning a world concert
tour in 2018. |