Senior Chris Zhu Earns First Place in American Prize for Piano Solo

Chris Zhu of Class I was recently named the first-prize recipient in the nonprofit American Prize competition in the performing arts, at the high school level, for his piano solo submission. Chris began studying piano at age five and entered his first competition at age eight. He has performed at various high-profile venues—including Carnegie Hall and Steinway Hall in New York, and Symphony Hall in Boston—and has received numerous awards for his piano performances, including a second place in the Bradshaw and Buono International Piano Competition; four first-prize awards in the Massachusetts Music Teachers Association Bay State Contest; two prizes at the Steinway Society of Massachusetts Piano Competition; one first-prize award in the senior division of the University of Rhode Island piano extravaganza; and a second-place award in the intermediate group of American Protege International Piano and String Competition. An accomplished violinist, Chris has also received the top prize from the Roman Totenberg Young Strings Competition and has played First Violin for orchestras at New England Conservatory Prep School and Boston Youth Symphony.

The American Prize was founded in 2009 and is awarded annually. Unique in scope and structure, the prize is designed to evaluate, recognize, and reward the best performers, ensembles, and composers in the United States based on submitted recordings. The American Prize has attracted thousands of qualified contestants from all fifty states since its founding; has awarded nearly $100,000 in prizes in all categories since 2010; and is presented in many areas of the performing arts. The competitions of The American Prize are open to all U.S. citizens, whether living in this country or abroad, and to others currently living, working, or studying in the U.S. It is the nation’s most comprehensive series of contests in the classical arts. The contest is administered by Hat City Music Theater, Inc., a nonprofit organization based in Danbury, Connecticut.