Jack (Yang) Gao (; born 18 December 2003) is a Chinese classical pianist based in New York City. Gao first came to international attention after winning First Prize at the 2023 Walter W. Naumburg Foundation International Piano Competition and has since toured the globe as an artist, was a laureate of the Martha Argerich Steinway Prize in Hamburg, and won other major competitions worldwide.
Early life and education Gao was born in Beijing and started piano at the age of four. He attended the Middle School attached to the China Conservatory of Music, studying with Tianhong Tan and composer Xin Xie, and later worked with Huiqiao Bao, Xu Fei and Elmar Gasanov. Since 2022 he has studied at the Juilliard School in New York with Jerome Lowenthal and Emanuel Ax, where he also won the school's concerto competition.
Career Highlights include his Carnegie Hall debut recital in February 2024, a performance of John Corigliano's Piano Concerto with the Juilliard Orchestra conducted by Simone Young in Alice Tully Hall, and an invitation from Martha Argerich to appear as the second ever laureate of the Martha Argerich Steinway Prize at her 2025 festival in Hamburg.
Awards and competitions Year Competition / Prize Location Result 2019 Steinway Junior Piano Competition Beijing Second Prize 2023 Gina Bachauer Piano Competition (Juilliard) New York, USA First Prize 2023 Walter W. Naumburg International Piano Competition New York, USA First Prize 2024 Munz Piano Competition New York, USA First Prize 2025 Bösendorfer & Yamaha USASU International Piano Competition Tempe, USA Second Prize + Sangyoung Kim Special Award 2025 Martha Argerich Steinway Prize Hamburg, Germany Laureate
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