Innocence and Experience At just 18, Conrad Tao comes to town to play Beethoven with the Symphony By E.J. Iannelli
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t seems fitting that Conrad Tao’s first concert performance — at the age of 8 — was Mozart’s “Piano Concerto in A Major.” Mozart was and Tao is a prodigy, gifted beyond their years not only in terms of pure instrumental skill, but also in their ability to realize their larger ambitions within their contemporary musical worlds. For Mozart, that meant becoming a musician and composer for the nobility in Salzburg and Vienna despite the intricacies of 18th century court politics and pressure from an overbearing father. For Tao, it’s meant founding his own music festival, UNPLAY, as well as garnering the popular and critical plaudits that have made him a sought-after composer and soloist for orchestras around the world. The 18-year-old, Illinois-born Tao, the son of an engineer and scientist who both immigrated from China, remains disarmingly modest in light of his early success and growing stature in various realms of music. He speaks of his life — his unusual career arc, his acknowledged strengths, his perceived weaknesses — with an honest detachment that normally comes with age, not to mention an articulateness one might ...continued on next page
MAY 9, 2013 INLANDER 27