Hongbo Cai, piano

🇨🇳 China

Critically acclaimed artist HONGBO CAI, is considered a rising star on the international stage as an outstanding pianist, At 21 years old, he made his debut at Carnegie Hall, and at 22 years old, he was appointed adjunct faculty in the piano department of New York University, and at 23, he was invited again to play with Orchestra of St. Luke's in Carnegie Hall. He was hailed as an "accomplished musician ...... with command of style and a refreshingly individual approach" by the American media outlet, The Herald.

In 2021, he completed a China tour of Shanghai, Xiamen, Zhengzhou, Hefei, Fuzhou, and Putian at the invitation of CPAA and Jucheng Theatre chains, and in June 2022, he embarked on a concert tour sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts of Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont, Rhode Island, and Utah, which included appearances in the music associations of Harvard and Brown Universities and other Ivy League schools. He has performed throughout Europe, Asia, North America, and Latin America. His 2023-24 program includes recitals in Indonesian, Singapore, France, Italy, Spain, Serbia, Portugal, Austria, Morocco and the US, in venues such as Carnegie Hall in New York, Symphony Hall in Boston, Salle Cortot in Paris, Ehrbal Saal and Musikverein in Vienna.

In 2023, he won the Grand Prix at the 5th Piano Island Festival and was awarded the concert management rights of the Piano Island Management as of January 2023, and was invited to be a guest teacher and adjudicator for the 6th Piano Island Festival, alongside Dang Thai Son, Stanislav Ioudenitch and Antonio Pompa Baldi. He also won the first prize in the 2022 Carls & Sofia Piano Competition and was awarded album distribution rights by KNS Classical. Other competition awards include First Prize at the WPTA Spain Piano Competition, First Prize at the 22nd Valesia Musica Juniores International Competition, Gold Medal at the 3rd WPTA Singapore International Piano Competition, First Prize at the 4th Moscow International Music Competition, and Second Prize at the 15th Aloha International Piano Competition.

He has performed with renowned orchestras such as the Shanghai Opera House, Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra, Xiamen Philharmonic Orchestra, Fujian Symphony Orchestra, Shanghai Conservatory of Music Youth Orchestra, Pazardzhik State Symphony Orchestra of Bulgaria, Mikhail Jora Philharmonic Orchestra of Romania, and Orquestra do Algarve of Portugal. Among them, as a long-term soloist guest, he will join the regular seasons of Orquestra do Algarve of Portugal and Pazardzhik State Symphony Orchestra of Bulgaria.

He has played and studied for many renowned pianists, such as Yin Chengzong, Robert McDonald, Yoheved Kaplinsky, Jonathan Biss, Dang Thai Son, Pascal Roger, Matti Raekallio, Marilyn Nonken and many others. Legendary pianist Christopher Elton, who was head of the piano department at the Royal College of Music for 24 years and adjudicator at the Tchaikovsky Piano Competition, the Van Cliburn Piano Competition, and the Leeds Piano Competition, describes him as "an extremely mature and fascinating performer who displays pure charisma, especially in his lyrical virtuosity and ability to converse with the audience…… "

As an adjudicator, Hongbo has been invited to judge the Franz Liszt International Youth Classical Music Week Piano Competition, the Kayserburg Piano Competition, and the Shanghai International Music Festival.

Hongbo was a guest performer at China's First National Youth Games closing ceremony in Fuzhou. He is a graduate of the Shanghai Conservatory of Music and New England Conservatory of Music, under the tutelage of Prof. Zhou Ting, Vice Principal, Prof. Meng-Chieh Liu, the mentor of Lang Lang and Yuja Wang, and Prof. Korsantia, the Grand Prix winner of the Rubinstein Competition. He was awarded a merit scholarship by the Dr. Ende Niu Foundation and the Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Education. He is now pursuing graduate studies at the Juilliard School under the tutelage of Prof. Hung-Kuan Chen.