Sat
Dec
14
Education
MM Piano Performance, San Francisco Conservatory of Music
BM, University of Southern California
What is your hometown?
San Francisco, CA
What is your favorite recording? Why?
Fauré Requiem Op.48 by VOCES8
Fauré's Requiem is very special to me, and played a not-so-insignificant part in me pursuing music. In addition to being one of my favorite works in the Classical repertoire, it was the first major choral work I had ever performed as a chorister in the San Francisco Boys Chorus (at age 9), and is perhaps the work that I have gotten to know most across my entire musical life, having performed it over ten times as a boy soprano, once as a pianist, and twice as a tenor. I also had the (deeply moving) privilege to have been able to perform the work at the L'église Sainte-Marie-Madeleine in Paris, where Fauré was the church organist, and where the work was premiered in 1888.
While I will never tire of this Requiem, VOCES8's performance of this work is a breath of fresh air; they are able to do so much with such a small choir and ensemble, infusing the performance with a special delicacy and intimacy that transcends traditional renditions. One particular highlight for me is the Pie Jesu, in which soprano Andrea Haines notably performs it with beauty and purity - and without vibrato!
What are you passionate about outside of music?
Table tennis, pickleball (as of recently!), food, and animals
Who were your major teachers?
John McCarthy, William Wellborn, Erna Gulabyan, Antoinette Perry, Yoshikazu Nagai
What is a favorite quote that you repeatedly tell students?
“To play a wrong note is insignificant; to play without passion is inexcusable”
- Ludwig van Beethoven
What question do you wish students would ask sooner rather than later?
How can I improve my sightreading?
What was the defining moment when you decided to pursue music as a career?
I don't remember a time when I wasn't surrounded by music. Both of my parents are huge classical music fans, so classical music was always playing at home. I started singing in choir at age 4, piano at age 8, and cello at age 10. I attended a music-based middle school, a performing arts high school, and SFCM Pre-College. And I enjoyed every step of the way.
That, alongside the fact that my parents didn't want me to go into college for Computer Science on account of constantly being on a screen for a profession (little did they know I would end up spending 6+ hours a day on my iPad as a musician...).
What is your daily practice routine?
I strive to practice as efficiently as I can. Before each practice session, I try to map out exactly which pieces and which sections within each piece that I hope to focus on, and how to approach them. Then I use my time away from the keyboard to score study and brainstorm ways on how to tackle future practice sessions.
If you could play only three composers for the rest of your life, who would they be?
Beethoven, Chopin, and Fauré
What is your unrealized project?
Performing an all-Fauré piano recital.
San Francisco-based pianist Franz Zhao received his early musical training from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music Pre-College Division, the San Francisco Boys Chorus, The Crowden School, and the Ruth Asawa School of the Arts. He holds degrees from the University of Southern California (B.M.) and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music (M.M.). Franz is an active recitalist and collaborator, performing across North America, Asia, and Europe, and has participated in masterclasses with esteemed artists including Leon Fleisher, Garrick Ohlsson, and the Alexander String Quartet.
In addition to his performance work, Franz is passionate about composition, and has appeared as both a composer and pianist on NPR’s From the Top, where he was a recipient of the Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist Award. His works have been broadcast on radio stations such as KDFC and KQED.
Franz actively maintains a teaching studio, and holds staff pianist and vocal coach positions at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, San Francisco Boys Chorus, Young Women’s Choral Projects, and the Ruth Asawa School of the Arts, where he currently acts as the lead Artist-in-Residence for the Piano Department.