About

web: www.georgeko.co

Acclaimed for his ability to excite and energize audiences through his vivid and evocative playing, Taiwanese-American pianist George Ko has electrified listeners all over the world. Critics praise him for his meticulously crafted interpretations and his natural singing ability at the piano creates an opera-like experience for concert goers.

At 23 years old, the Young Steinway Artist has performed all over the world, including recitals in Italy, Germany, Luxembourg, and Bali. No stranger to the stages of some of New York’s most prestigious venues, he is already a veteran at Carnegie Hall where he has appeared more than a half dozen times both as a soloist, and three-time First Prize laureate of the Bradshaw & Buono International Piano Competition. He has also been heard at Steinway Hall in a performance that led one critic to proclaim “a rising star if ever there was one.”

George has also appeared as a soloist with the Irvine Philharmonic, the Napolinova Youth Orchestra, the River Charles Ensemble, and the Community Youth Orchestra of Southern California. He was also chosen to perform on behalf of the Carnegie Hall series, Ancient Paths, Modern Voices at California’s Bowers Museum, to commemorate Isaac Stern’s film From Mao to Mozart. George has also been invited to select Steinway Concert Grands, Model D-274, at the famed Steinway factory for various artistic institutions and also debuted those instruments in concert. The Model D that currently resides at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston was inaugurated by George’s performance of Chopin’s Third Scherzo and selections from his Op. 10 Études. Ko has also been invited to perform before Vice President Joe Biden, former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Senator Barbara Boxer.

Aside from the stage life, Ko is also a creative, in which he has worked in design, entrepreneurship, and photography. He has founded several startups, including Politoscape, a political news startup that received the Gov 2.0 award of Innovation at Harvard University. Ko is also President Emeritus of the Harvard College Piano Society and founder of the Pianos for Harvard Project, a $2.1 million fund to replace over 76 pianos at Harvard. George is also an active philanthropist, having helped build two All-Steinway Schools and also provided fundraising and consulting services to numerous arts organizations.
During his senior year of study George completed a Performance Thesis under the auspices of Harvard’s Music Department, in which he performed and provided an analytical paper on Chopin’s first 12 Études, Op. 10. He received Cum Laude for his performance and academic achievement.

George is a recent graduate of Harvard University. His past teachers include Professor Boaz Sharon, piano chair at the Boston University College of Fine Arts, John Perry, Mina Perry, Leonid Levitszky, and Marge Chen.

Music

Frédéric Chopin
Etude Op. 10 No. 1
Etude Op. 10 No. 2
Etude Op. 10 No. 3
Etude Op. 10 No. 4
Etude Op. 10 No. 5
Etude Op. 10 No. 6
Etude Op. 10 No. 7
Etude Op. 10 No. 8
Etude Op. 10 No. 9
Etude Op. 10 No. 10
Etude Op. 10 No. 11
Etude Op. 10 No. 12

R. Schumann
Symphonic Etudes, Op. 13

F. Mendelssohn
Serious Variations, Op. 54

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