Biography
New York-based pianist Sophia (Shuhui) Zhou has performed internationally as a soloist and chamber musician in the Barcelona Piano Academy Concert Series, Shanghai Concert Hall Matinee Concert Series, Mannes Sounds Festival (New York), Siletz Bay Music Festival (Oregon), Piano Texas (Fort Worth, TX), and Holland Music Sessions (Netherland), to name a few. Sophia won the V BPA International Piano Award of Barcelona, resulting in five solo recital engagements across Spain. Her concert appearances include the Royal Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Carnegie Hall’s Weill Concert Hall, Steinway and Sons Hall (New York City), National Sawdust, Kennedy Centre (Washington D.C.), Shanghai Concert Hall, National Library of Catalonia (Barcelona), Juventudes Musicales (Seville, Spain), and various house concerts around New York City.
As the piano soloist of the Oberlin Contemporary Music Ensemble, Sophia recorded and premiered pieces by contemporary composers such as Andrew Norman, Benjamin Broening and Thomas Ades. She is an highly sought-after collaborative pianist as well as vocal coach in the Tri-State area, working with Brooklyn Art Song Society, Mannes Opera, Bare Opera, “Classical lyrical Arts” and various voice studios. Sophia is also at home with harpsichord and chamber organ continuo playing, frequently performing with the Mannes Baroque Ensemble as well as the Bach Institute in Emmanuel Music (Boston).
Born and raised in Shanghai, Sophia was offered a full scholarship to Oberlin College as the first double-degree Bachelor student from mainland China, majoring in piano performance and German literature. She continued her piano studies with Jan Jiracek von Arnim at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna, as well as musicology with Dr. Morten Solvic, renowned Mahler scholar based in Vienna. Sophia holds a Master of Music degree from Mannes College of Music in New York City, studying with Dr. Thomas Sauer. She has worked with artists such as Richard Goode, Peter Serkin, Barry Douglas, Leslie Howard, Ruth Slenczynska, Jacque Rouvier, Karl-Heinz Kaemmerling, Bernd Goetzke (Hannover Hochschule für Musik), Hortense Cartier-Bresson (CNSM in Paris), Albert Attenelle (Liceu Conservatory in Barcelona) and Christopher Elton (Royal Academy of Music in London).
Sophia is currently a collaborative piano fellow at the Bard College Conservatory of Music, working with acclaimed soprano Dawn Upshaw and pianist/coach Kayo Iwama in the Graduate Vocal Arts Program. In her spare time, she enjoys practicing yoga, listening to French chansons, and working on a translation project of Jan Swafford’s Brahms biography from English to Chinese, to be published in 2020.