Conrad Tao is a pianist and composer celebrated for his boundary-defying artistry as well as his powerful performances of traditional repertoire. He has been described by New York Magazine as “the kind of musician who is shaping the future of classical music,” and praised by The New York Times for his “probing intellect and open-hearted vision.”
In the 2026–27 season, Conrad Tao is the inaugural Spotlight Artist of the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, with whom he will perform in London before leading the orchestra on a three-week US tour. The collaboration includes the world premiere of a new work commissioned by the Academy, alongside performances of Mozart and Bach. He will also return to KlavierFestival Ruhr with the orchestra in the Spring. Across the US, Tao makes his subscription debut with the Cleveland Orchestra and returns to the Cincinnati Symphony, Houston Symphony, and Utah Symphony, where he makes his conducting debut. He also performs Ravel with the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra and joins the Indianapolis Symphony to perform Beethoven’s First Piano Concerto alongside his own companion concert work, The Hand. In Europe, Tao reunites with Matthias Pintscher for Pintscher’s NUR with the Musikkollegium Winterthur and performs Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 23 with the National Philharmonic Orchestra of Armenia under Ingo Metzmacher. He will also reunite with Metzmacher at the Konzerthaus Berlin for John Adams’ Century Rolls. Tao is the 2026–27 Featured Artist of the Schubert Club in St. Paul and in the same season will also tour with clarinettist Anthony McGill.
In March 2027, John Adams leads the LA Phil New Music Group in the world premiere of Tao’s Pacific 88, commissioned by the Los Angeles Philharmonic as part of the Green Umbrella New Music Series. Tao also continues to tour with the Junction Trio alongside violinist Stefan Jackiw and cellist Jay Campbell and performs Counterpoint, his collaboration with dancer Caleb Teicher. In 2027, the Junction Trio returns to Carnegie Hall for the world premiere of Caroline Shaw’s First Essay, “Nimrod,” from Three Essays and a newly commissioned work by Andrew Norman.
Last season, Conrad performed with the Los Angeles Philharmonic in subscription at Disney Hall and at the Hollywood Bowl with Marin Alsop. He also reunited with Santtu-Matias Rouvali and the New York Philharmonic at the Bravo! Vail Festival, and with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra as both soloist and recitalist. Recent highlights also include his return to Carnegie Hall with Debussy’s 12 Études and his original composition Keyed In. In 2024, he also toured Europe with the Kansas City Symphony and Matthias Pintscher to mark the 100th anniversary of Rhapsody in Blue, with sold-out performances at the Elbphilharmonie, Berlin Philharmonie, and Concertgebouw.
Tao continues performing his own works, including Flung Out, an homage to Gershwin, and The Hand, a companion to Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 1. His first major orchestral work, Everything Must Go, was premiered by the New York Philharmonic and was later performed in Europe by the Antwerp Symphony. In 2026, Tao was selected by the New York Philharmonic to orchestrate a variation of Frederic Rzewski’s The People United Will Never Be Defeated, premiered by Gustavo Dudamel and the NY Phil in celebration of the 250th anniversary of the United States. Recent collaborators include violinist Patricia Kopatchinskaja, vocalist Charmaine Lee, artist Avram Finkelstein, choreographer Miguel Gutierrez, and brass quartet The Westerlies. Tao’s acclaimed recordings include Voyages, Pictures, and American Rage (all on Warner), as well as the loser by David Lang and Bricolage with The Westerlies. He is a recipient of the Avery Fisher Career Grant, Gilmore Young Artist Award, and a New York Dance and Performance “Bessie” Award for his collaboration with Caleb Teicher on More Forever.
2026-2027
