RYAN ZHANG

Conductor and pianist Ryan Zhang is currently a freshman at Harvard College living in Pennypacker Hall. Originally from Princeton, New Jersey, Zhang’s conducting debut was at Westminster Choir College, when he conducted a choral program of Pablo Casals and Paul Mealor. Since then, he has performed with the West Windsor-Plainsboro North Philharmonic and music directed a complete performance of Leonard Bernstein’s West Side Story with the West Windsor-Plainsboro North Pit Orchestra. During the summer of 2016, Zhang was selected through a nationwide application process to be one of two apprentice conductors to the National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America. At the program, Zhang collaborated closely with James Ross, Professor of Conducting at Juilliard, and guest artists Christoph Eschenbach and Emanuel Ax. At Harvard, Zhang is the Music Director of the Mozart Symphony Orchestra and Assistant Music Director of the Harvard College Opera. He studies with Jonathan Coopersmith, Professor Conducting at the Curtis Institute of Music. 

As a pianist, Zhang has studied as a scholarship student of Sandra Carlock at the Settlement Music School of Philadelphia, where he was also a member of the Advanced Study Program and pianist of the Myer Schwartz Trio. He has performed in masterclasses with Ensemble ACJW of Carnegie Hall, Dorian Leljack, and Seymour Lipkin.