Piano Four-Hands: Grieg, Dvořák, Franck

Program:

C. Franck Choral No. 1 in E Major FWV 38 (from Trois Chorals)

A. Dvořák from Slavonic Dances Op. 72

No. 1 in B Major

No. 2 in E Minor

E. Grieg from Symphonic Dances Op. 64

No. 2 in A Major

A. Dvořák from Slavonic Dances Op. 72

No. 7 in C Major

No. 4 in Db Major

E. Grieg from Symphonic Dances Op. 64

No. 4 in A Minor

Minyi Zhang & Leo Gevisser, piano 4-hands

Biographies:

Minyi Zhang, a Chinese-born pianist, earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees at The Juilliard School and is currently pursuing her Doctoral degree at Stony Brook University under the tutelage of Gilbert Kalish.

Born in Shenzhen, China, Minyi began studying piano at age six and started performing throughout China shortly thereafter, with a notable performance at the XXVI Summer Universiade in Shenzhen. At 12, she made her concerto debut with Shostakovich's Piano Concerto No. 2 after winning the Gold and Grand Prizes at the Third “Changjiang Cup” National Piano Tournament. She also won 1st prize three times in the Shenzhen Piano Open Competition. At 15, Minyi moved to the U.S. to attend Interlochen Arts Academy, where she was awarded the Edward P. Frohlich and George and Joyce Kempton Academy Piano Scholar.

Her teachers have included Mei Xiao, Zhaoyi Dan, Mingqiang Li, Thomas J. Lymenstull, Jerome Lowenthal, Matti Raekallio, Joseph Kalichstein and Julian Martin. She has also worked with Arie Vardi, Richard Goode, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, and Emanuel Ax in masterclasses.

Recent highlights in Minyi's performance career include performances of Brahms’ Piano Concerto No. 1 in D minor with the Stony Brook Symphony Orchestra, Schumann’s Concerto in A minor with the Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra and Ravel’s Concerto in G major with the Fort Worth Symphony. She has also performed at events for The New York Times and New York Fashion Week, as well as at major venues in China, Japan, and the United States. Additionally, she has earned numerous prizes and recognition at international competitions.

Since the age of 11, Minyi has used music to serve the community, performing for individuals in hospitals and care homes, and participating in various fundraising events. In addition to her performing career, she is an experienced educator currently teaching at The Juilliard School and has recently joined Steinway as an Educational Partner.

Beyond her role as a pianist, Minyi is also an actress and recently made her New York theater debut at the Jeffrey and Paula Gural Theater. In her free time, she enjoys running, fencing, and singing, and she is a silver and bronze medalist at the Shenzhen Taekwondo Sparring Tournament.

Based in New York City, 22-year-old pianist and composer Leo Gevisser received his Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance from the Juilliard School with academic honors in May 2024—under the mentorship of Jerome Lowenthal.

In 2024, Leo was awarded the 2nd Prize Caisse de Dépôts in the 16th Concours International de Piano d’Orléans—along with being awarded the Public Prize, Elliott Carter Prize, and the month-long Henri Dutilleux-Geneniève Joy Residency in France.

Leo is the recipient of the First Prize at the Miesczysław Munz Scholarship Competition at The Juilliard School. In New York, he has been invited to perform solo recitals as part of the Sparkill Recital Series in New York for the 2022, 2023, and 2024 seasons. He has also been invited to perform in events and venues such as the Yale School of Music’s New Music New Haven series, as well as Harvard College for a public fundraiser concert organized by the Leon Fleisher Academy.

Raised in Cape Town, Leo remains deeply connected to South Africa. There, his musical studies progressed under the tutelage of Professors Nina Schumann and Luis Magalhães—in which time he became a first prize winner at several prestigious national music competitions in South Africa, including the SAMRO Hubert van der Spuy and Atterbury national piano competitions. In 2022, he was invited back to South Africa: performing concertos with the Cape Town, Kwa-Zulu Natal, and Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestras— followed by a seven-city solo recital tour across the country. In 2023, he performed with the Cape Town Philharmonic for the final concert of their Summer Season, as well as for the Huberte Rupert Memorial Concert. He performed as a soloist with the Mzanzi Philharmonic Orchestra in a three-city tour in South Africa at the end 2024.

From 2017-2020, Leo moved to Cleveland, Ohio to further his music studies at the Cleveland Institute of Music’s (CIM) prestigious Young Artist’s Program under the tutelage of Kathryn Brown and Daniel Shapiro. During this time, he received the Grand Prize at the 2019 Baltimore International Piano Festival Competition, which included a recital invitation at Weill Recital Hall NY in Summer 2020. Additionally, in 2019, he was awarded the Grand Prize and Junior Division Prize at the 6th Coltman Chamber Music Competition, which included an invitation to perform at the 37th Annual Young Musicians Concert at Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center, NY in Spring 2020.

From the start of his musical career, Leo has continuously been involved with the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra’s Masidlale grassroots project: an outreach program teaching all orchestral instruments to underprivileged children in the townships around Cape Town. He has donated a portion of his performance fees to Masidlale since he was 13 years old.

As an active composer and producer, Leo has been invited to premiere compositions and electronic sets at places such as LittleGig in South Africa, the highSCORE Festival for Contemporary Composition in Italy, and the Juilliard School. He is an owner of a Lumatone Isomorphic Keyboard.

Aside from performing and composing, he also enjoys hiking in natural environments, as well as discussing and watching art and film.

What's the music?

Leo Gevisser

Minyi Zhang Piano

Attendees

Marjorie V.

+1

Martha G.

Elijah S.

+1

Christiane K. (she/her)

Anthony B. (he/him)

Isaac P.

Gagan S.

Theo R.

Ryan S.