Yiran Zhou

“Classical music is an indispensable part of the world. For me, playing classical music is a wonderful thing. It means inheritance to our generation. We should learn from the handling of old artists and combine our own thoughts.” Yiran Zhou made her recital debut in her hometown of Shanghai in 2013; she was 5 years old. Just four years later, she won her first competition, the Frankfurt International Junior Piano Competition; she followed that with first-place finishes at the Rachmaninov and Melbourne Competitions, and third prize at the ClavierCologne NRW. For the past two years, she has studied with Xiao Luo at the Middle School Affiliated to Shanghai Conservatory of Music. Yiran calls her participation in the Cliburn Junior “a dream I wanted to realize since I learned the piano” and has found great inspiration in the festivals and masterclasses she’s attended: “every master’s different understanding of the same piece makes me feel the charm of music.” Outside of the piano, she enjoys watching movies and opera, and reading detective novels.