Canadian-American pianist and composer Andrew Zhou has been noted for his “great sensitivity” and “luminous technique” (Anaclase) whose “sonic range and expressive power are astounding under his steely fingers” (ResMusica). Finalist and laureate of four prizes at the Concours International de Piano d’Orléans (France), where he won the Prix Samson François, Prix Chevillion-Bonnaud, Prix Olivier Greif, and the prize for the best performance of a work by Isang Yun, Mr. Zhou has worked closely with leading composers of our time, including Unsuk Chin, Liza Lim, Tristan Murail, and Walter Zimmermann. He has, in addition, been the dedicatee and first performer of works of countless composers of a younger generation.

A fierce proponent of recovering historically erased works, Mr. Zhou has toured throughout France and has appeared in major venues such as the KKL (Lucerne Festival), Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York), and the Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord (Paris). He has recently been the recipient of commissioning grants from the Arts Council of Ireland, the Fondation Galaxie-Y, and the Fromm Foundation. As half of HereNowHear, a piano duo with Ryan McCullough focused on new works (and centered on performances of Stockhausen’s Mantra), he recently released the double album “sedgeflowers | MANTRA” on the False Azure label.  He has been a member of the Aspen Contemporary Ensemble and Ensemble Ulysses. He has also served in a curatorial and teaching role as a Contemporary Leader for the Lucerne Festival Academy.

He is currently Assistant Teaching Professor at Syracuse University and Visiting Lecturer at Cornell University. Primary teachers include Xak Bjerken, Bruce Brubaker, and Thomas Schultz, alongside influential work with Stephen Drury, Françoise Thinat, Pierre-Laurent Aimard, and Tamara Stefanovich. He additionally studied at the Tanglewood Music Center (Massachusetts) and with the soloists of Ensemble InterContemporain. He received degrees from Stanford University, New England Conservatory, and Cornell University.

His recordings include “Presences lointaines,” “In Memoriam Paul Zukofsky,” with Aaron Likness (the final disc on the historic CP2 label of two-piano works). He is also closely associated with Musical Observations Inc., which preserves the legacy of the violinist Paul Zukofsky. Polymathic in temperament, he also composes and writes on sundry topics of musical, educational, and literary interests. His crossword puzzles have also been featured in the New York Times.