XXIX International Chopin Festival
"Lato z Chopinem"
named after Barbara Hesse-Bukowska
Busko-Zdrój, July 17-21, 2024
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Harmony Zhu, Canada
A happy girl with a big smile, 9 year old Harmony Zhu is a prodigy of multiple talents. She has been featured on CBC TV and NBC’s Ellen DeGeneres Show twice for her exceptional talents in music and chess. Harmony has performed extensively in Canada since an early age and has distinguished herself by consistently winning first prizes and scholarships from older age categories in music competitions and chess tournaments.
In 2012, 6 year old Harmony won the National First Place in the 7 year old category of the Canadian Music Competition (the most prestigious national music competition of Canada), becoming the youngest winner in history. She continued to place the First in the 8 and 9 year old categories in 2013
and 2014, making her the only participant in history to consistently win the National First Place from older age categories for 3 years in a row. In 2014, 8 year old Harmony was named one of the “30 Hot Canadian Classical Musicians Under 30”, as the youngest ever in history, for her amazing talent exhibited on the classical music stage.
Harmony moved to the US when she was 8 and started studying at the Pre-college of Juilliard in the same year, as the youngest student there. She won the Juilliard Pre-college Concerto Competition during her first year of study there, as the youngest winner ever in history, and is scheduled to perform at the Peter Jay Sharp Theater in May. Harmony has also recently won the Grand Prize at the VI Chopin International Competition in Hartford, Connecticut, as the youngest winner ever in history.
Harmony is also the Gold Medal Winner of AADGT International Music Competition and the First Prize Winner of the American Protégé International Piano and Strings Competition. Since she made her Carnegie Hall debut at age 7, Harmony has been invited to perform at the Carnegie Hall three times. Recently she had the privilege to open the International Festival "Passion of Music 2015" at the Carnegie Hall.
Harmony’s talents extend well beyond piano. As a chess prodigy, she has won numerous trophies and medals in national and international chess tournaments. Harmony became the WORLD CHAMPION of her age group after winning the World Youth Chess Championships 2013 held in the United Arab Emirates. She is also the North American Champion in chess and was awarded the title of Woman Candidate Master at the age of 7.
As a well-rounded child, Harmony loves composing, playing chess, reading, drawing, writing, science, math, history, dancing, singing, paper cutting, observing nature, playing ping pong and all kinds of sports. In her own words, “You know what? I just have a passion for everything in life!”
Harmony is currently studying at the Juilliard Pre-college under the tutelage of Yoheved Kaplinsky, Head of the Piano Department at the Juilliard.