Strauss Jr. – Voices of Spring Waltz
Mozart – Piano Concerto #18 in B flat
Sunny Zhai soloist (2018 prize-winner)
Schumann – Symphony #1 “Spring”
Born in Toronto, 22 year old pianist Sunny Zhai enjoys playing in various kinds of performance settings, including casual gatherings with family and friends, formal concerts and recitals, as well as outreach performances in the community. Music became an important part of Sunny’s childhood from the time she began lessons at the Yamaha Music School, and a love for the piano was fostered soon after through lessons with her first piano teacher, Dr. Dong Dong Dong.
At age 11, Sunny was accepted with scholarship into the Phil and Eli Taylor Academy at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto, where she studied music during the weekends alongside her regular schooling. She continued her studies at the University of Toronto, and recently graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in piano performance this past spring of 2023.Sunny’s teachers have included Dianne Werner, Marietta Orlov, Steven Philcox, and LydiaWong, all of whom have been important guiding figures in her musical life. She is currently taking lessons with Simone Dinnerstein, in the Masters program at the Mannes School of Music in New York.
Sunny has participated and won awards in various local and national competitions and festivals, including the Kiwanis music festivals, the Canadian Music Competition, and the Oakville Chamber Orchestra Concerto competition. She has performed with the Taylor Academy Chamber orchestra at Koerner Hall, and the Oakville Chamber Orchestra, and has had masterclasses with artists such as André Laplante, Ronan O’Hora, and Eric le Sage.
Sunny also greatly enjoys chamber music and has collaborated with fellow pianists, violinists, cellists, and singers. She hopes to continue playing with other musicians and is interested in exploring collaborations with artists of other disciplines as well in the years to come.
