Pianist Conrad Tao began touring the world when he was still a teenager. Still a young twenty-something prodigy today, Tao’s imagination and intellect are as evident as his musical virtuosity. He brings all of that to bear on April 6, 2023 in a Soraya debut that explores Sergei Rachmaninoff’s life as a Russian emigré in New York starting in 1918.
Tao employs the works of other pianists of that era, including Art Tatum and Billy Strayhorn, to demonstrate the intersections and influences between American popular songs, jazz, and Rachmaninoff’s compositions.
In this interview, he shares the anatomy of this musical and historical journey, created just for The Soraya.
Gratefully,
