Conrad Tao

Conrad Tao is an American pianist and composer who appears widely with US orchestras and in recital, often pairing standard repertoire with contemporary works. Listeners can expect a performer who treats familiar concertos with fresh attention to detail and phrasing, alongside a track record of commissioning and performing new music.

In this program Tao takes on Ravel's Piano Concerto in G major, a work that mixes jazz-tinged harmonies with a slow central movement built on a long, unbroken melodic line over gently rocking accompaniment. Expect close attention to the outer movements' brisk, syncopated energy and to the transparency of the piano's dialogue with the orchestra, since Ravel scores the piece for a leaner ensemble than a typical concerto. Tao has a reputation for shaping phrases with unusual clarity, letting inner voices and rhythmic details emerge without exaggeration. Paired with Strauss's elegiac Metamorphosen for strings and Beethoven's expansive "Eroica" symphony, the concert gives a chance to hear how a soloist known for intellectual curiosity approaches a concerto that rewards precision and restraint as much as flash.