The American Piano Awards Premiere Series at the Indiana History Center on February 23, 2025, marked the conclusion of the 2025 classical season’s “semi-finals.”
Why did Angie Zhang ask the audience to wait to applaud until her hands were completely lifted from the keyboard at the end of the hour-long performance?
The audience began to understand as Philip Glass’ Etude No. 6 smoothly transitioned into Margaret Bonds’ “Troubled Water.” Glass’ harmonic, rhythmic soundscape, built from four-note blocks, gradually drew listeners into the flowing musical world of Bonds. The pursuit of freedom was evident in both pieces. Spirituality, in this context, seemed to be about reinventing, transcending, and rising above life’s challenges. As fingers moved across the piano keys, the metaphor of people stepping into water, progressing from one point to another, felt fitting. Bonds didn’t offer a simple answer, but perhaps this was the essence of the journey. Caroline Shaw’s interpolation of Gustave le Gray with Chopin’s Mazurka Op. 17, No. 4 in A Minor added depth, and the melodies thickened as the music unfolded. A jazz-like feel emerged, smoothly transitioning from one section to the next, preventing the listener from getting lost or overwhelmed. The music, terrain, and personalities began to merge—each shaping and being shaped by the other.
As Shaw reflected, “Gustave Le Gray feels like time travel. We leave the present, return to the elegant world of Chopin, and then come back to the present, only to find that it is now weighted by our encounter with the past.”
On the evening of February 23, the experience felt like standing by a river, flowing downstream, and later, reflecting by a calm lake that mirrors the ever-changing sky.
The polonaise, mazurka, krakowiak, oberek, and kajawiak are five national dances of Poland. Yet, it was the polonaise that made the deepest impact. Chopin’s childhood memories shaped its ABA structure, and as an adult in exile from Poland, he composed his Grand Polonaise for solo piano. Later, he introduced an Andante Spianato, creating a smooth, flowing introduction that led into his Andante Spianato and Grande Polonaise Brillante, Opus 22.
Angie Zhang’s performance was a journey. The essence of movement in music—where dance represents community—was evident. From Glass, to Bonds, to Shaw, and ultimately to Chopin, the program explored the act of finding home, even when torn from one’s roots.
The solo program demonstrated the diversity of classical piano repertoire, blending Philip Glass’ striking Etude No. 6 with Margaret Bonds’ soulful “Troubled Water.” Bonds, who faced racial adversity in her career and education, dedicated her life to civil rights activism and to raising awareness of African-American art. She played a crucial role in re-establishing African-American culture within the American identity.
During intermission, themes of being grounded and freed into the soaring flight, spirit, and elegance surfaced, with music moving from lightness into darkness, flowing freely or being held captive.
The second half of the program saw the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra join the performance, beginning with the first movement, “Allegro Presto,” of Joseph Bologne’s Symphony No. 2 in D Major, Op. 11. The instrumentation aligned seamlessly with the Mozart work that Angie Zhang had paired with the ICO. Bologne and Mozart were contemporaries, and it was known that Mozart attended a concert by Bologne while in Paris. This connection, chosen by Maestro Matthew Kraemer, was a brilliant pairing. The lively and dancerly opening movement set the stage for what was to come.
Zhang, changing from a blue gown into a shimmering white one, greeted the orchestra and took her place at the piano. After listening to the orchestra’s opening, she responded to the energetic introduction, creating a dialogue between herself and the musicians on stage. The horns, unafraid to assert themselves, were met by Zhang’s equally assertive playing, ensuring that every voice had a place in the performance. The rippling effects of the piano returned, mirrored by the other musicians, creating a fun yet elegant display.
Following the upbeat Allegro, the performance shifted to the mellower Andantino, where the piano took center stage after the orchestra’s introduction, before returning to a partnership. The third movement, “Rondo (Presto),” began with a solo piano section, which gradually transitioned into a slower segment before ending on a quieter note.
This concerto, composed in 1777 when Mozart was just 21, is well-suited for a young pianist unafraid of its technical demands, its depth of expression, and its experimentation with the concerto form. The piece includes striking piano interjections before the orchestral introduction, an impassioned slow movement in C minor, and a Menuet that breaks the perpetual motion of the third movement’s Presto. Mozart, at a young age, composed written-out cadenzas and embellishments, demonstrating his improvisational flair.
The performance concluded with the audience rising to their feet, joined by the ICO musicians, smiling and clapping along. After several callbacks, Zhang performed an enthusiastic Chopin encore: the lively Waltz in A-Flat Major, Op. 42, composed when Chopin was twenty.
In moments of turmoil or joy, everyone can find solace in brilliant music that brings a smile.
Angie Zhang is equally at ease with both modern and historical pianos. As a soloist, chamber musician, educator, and speaker, she highlights the rich diversity of classical piano repertoire. Her performances blend Mozart’s elegance, Mendelssohn’s emotional depth, Cramer’s technical precision, and Liszt’s dynamic virtuosity into captivating musical experiences.
Zhang grew up in Beaverton, Oregon, and moved to New Jersey at age 10 to study at Juilliard’s pre-college division. Though she dedicated much of her time to piano and later cello, she also enjoyed a well-rounded education and playing sports, particularly swimming. When it came time to make a choice, Zhang decided to focus on the piano.
“My mom helped me realize it was up to me to choose. But the piano is something you can pursue your whole life and still feel fulfilled,” said Zhang, now based in Los Angeles and New York City.
She earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Juilliard and went on to obtain a doctorate in piano performance from the University of Michigan. While there, she also received a master’s degree in fortepiano performance, the softer, smaller predecessor of the modern piano, which influenced her performances on both old and new keyboards.
Zhang’s experience with the fortepiano provided her with a fresh perspective on Mozart’s works, allowing her to perform compositions on the instrument for which they were originally intended. As she put it, composers like Mozart never experienced the modern piano—”It’s like a version of the iPhone they’ll never see.”
Regardless of the instrument, Zhang remains a lifelong student of her craft. She finds new layers in pieces like Robert Schumann’s Symphonic Etudes and Johann Sebastian Bach’s Goldberg Variations each time she performs them.
“For art music and art in general, we could go to the Museum of Modern Art year after year, seeing the same paintings, but we would take something new each time,” Zhang explained. “We would see something different and leave feeling changed.”
Zhang holds BM and MM degrees with honors from Juilliard and received her MM in Fortepiano Performance and DMA in Piano Performance from the University of Michigan in May 2024. Based in Los Angeles, she travels the world to perform and is thrilled to reunite with previous collaborators, the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra and Dover Quartet, during this season.
A top prize winner at the 2023 Chopin International Piano Competition on Period Instruments and the Honens International Piano Competition, Zhang continues to garner recognition for her work.
The American Piano Awards Concerto Finals will take place on April 4 and 5, 2025, with all five finalists performing with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra at the Hilbert Circle Theatre. The winner will be announced at the end of the program.
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