Cynthia Yuqing Zhang

Since the age of 4, I’ve always loved playing the piano and learning all kinds of different pieces, from the traditional classical music to the charming unique contemporary songs. I focused on learning various techniques and learned as many pieces as as I could. But it was really during middle school where I started integrating my musical style into the different pieces I learned and found my voice. My focus shifted from learning technical aspects to embracing the musicality of the song. Each piece I played reminded me of a character from story, and from there, my imagination was endless. Music became a language that I used to communicate these ideas, and performing it in front of the audience was always a dream.

You can find Cynthia’s 2022 Contemporary Music Competition piano performance here.