Luminara Piano Duo Four-Hand Piano Concert

The Luminara Piano Duo, formed by pianists Kaiwen Zhao and Jiachen Qin, has quickly gained attention for its refined artistry, profound musical understanding, and remarkable ensemble synergy.In 2025, The Luminara became the only piano duo admitted to the highly competitive Master’s program in Piano Duo Performance at the University Mozarteum Salzburg, where they currently study under the legendary duo Tal & Groethuysen, exclusive artists of Sony Classical, as their final protégés. With their exceptional musical chemistry, textural sensitivity, and poetic sound world, The Luminara is emerging as one of the most promising young piano duos on the international stage.

Born in 2000, Kaiwen Zhao began studying piano at the age of three. At twelve, he was admitted to the Middle School affiliated with the Central Conservatory of Music (CCOM) in Beijing, where he studied under Prof. Jin Zhang. During his studies, he was awarded both the Fan Jianqin Scholarship and the Tan Xiaowei Scholarship for his outstanding academic and artistic excellence.

A laureate of numerous competitions, Kaiwen won the Silver Medal and Second Prize at the International Tchaikovsky Competition for Young Musicians, the Second Prize at the Chieti Classica International Piano Competition (Italy, 2022), and the Special Prize for Outstanding Performance of a Ukrainian Composer at the Vladimir Horowitz Memorial International Piano Competition (Ukraine). In 2017, he gave a highly acclaimed solo recital at Salle Cortot in Paris, where the press praised: “His technical virtuosity and the jubilant joy of music-making were exhilarating.” He was selected three times for the prestigious Morningside Music Bridge program, dedicated to nurturing exceptional young artists worldwide.

Since 2017, he has studied under the distinguished pianist Prof. Pavel Gililov at the University Mozarteum Salzburg, where he earned his Bachelor’s degree in 2022 and Master’s degree in Piano Performance in 2025, both with highest distinction (1.0).

Born in 1999, Chinese pianist Jiachen Qin entered the Primary School affiliated with the Central Conservatory of Music (CCOM) in 2009, studying with Prof. Xinning Zhang, and continued her studies at the CCOM Middle School under Dr. Xiaohan Wang. In 2015, she was selected for the "Morningside Music Bridge" program and made her debut at the Disney Hall in Los Angeles the following year. She later enrolled at the Berlin University of the Arts, and has since performed extensively across China, North America, and numerous European countries.

In 2025, she delivered a highly successful solo recital at the Brahms Festival in Germany, which was acclaimed as "a truly symphonic-scale piano evening." Her interpretations of Brahms' works earned high praise from Neue Musikzeitung. In recent years, she has garnered multiple international accolades, including first prizes at the Salzburg International Music Grand Prix and the Barcelona International Music Competition, the Silver Medal at the 13th Rosario Marciano International Piano Competition, and the championship at the Brescia Summer Festival Concerto Competition. Her performances meld German precision with Eastern poetic sensibility, establishing her as a rising star among the new generation of pianists on the international stage.

Presented by Classical-D Music

Artistic Director: Hao Yao

Co-Artistic Director: Leslie Howard