Ryan Zhu

Canadian pianist Ryan Zhu, 22, began his musical journey at the age of four and has since performed widely across international stages, presenting a diverse and compelling repertoire.

In 2026, he won First Prize at the Hastings International Piano Competition, also receiving both the Orchestra Prize and the Audience Prize. He was a semifinalist at the 2024 Leeds International Piano Competition, where he was awarded the G. Henle Verlag Prize, and later that year advanced to the semifinals of the Hamamatsu International Piano Competition. In 2023, he won the Juilliard School’s Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition, performing in the gala concert broadcast on WQXR and receiving a full-tuition scholarship to the Juilliard School. Additional honours include semifinalist at the Young Concert Artists Susan Wadsworth International Auditions and second prize at the Juilliard Mieczysław Munz Piano Competition. In 2021, he was named one of CBC Classical’s “30 Under 30” musicians.
 

Zhu has appeared at major festivals including the Kneisel Hall Chamber Music Festival, Morningside Music Bridge (where he won second prize in the concerto competition), and the Mariinsky International Piano Festival, performing both in recital and with the Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra.
 

As a soloist, he has performed with orchestras including the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, and Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra, with appearances in cities such as Hastings, St Petersburg, Nice, Lucerne, Philadelphia, Vancouver, and Los Angeles.
 

A graduate of the Juilliard School, where he studied with Robert McDonald and Stephen Hough, Zhu is currently pursuing a Master of Music at the Yale School of Music with Melvin Chen. He has been mentored by Mira Yevtich since 2017.
Zhu gratefully acknowledges the support of the Sylva Gelber Music Foundation and the Walter Prystawski Prize.