Paul Ji (born 2004) is an American pianist.

Early life

Paul Ji was born in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

. His mother, Xiaowei Rose Luo, is a

professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other tertiary education, post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin ...

INSEAD INSEAD ( ; French: ''Institut européen d'administration des affaires'') is a non-profit business school with locations in Europe (Fontainebleau, France), Asia (Singapore), the Middle East (Abu Dhabi, UAE) and North America (San Francisco, USA ...

. Paul Ji started his musical journey when he was four years old. His elder sister Esther had a big impact on his interest in piano, as she also played the instrument. At the age of 12, he was under the instruction of Elizabeth Cooper at the prestigious

Schola Cantorum The Schola Cantorum de Paris ( being ) is a private conservatory in Paris. It was founded in 1894 by Charles Bordes, Alexandre Guilmant and Vincent d'Indy as a counterbalance to the Paris Conservatoire's emphasis on opera. History The Schol ...

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, then at

École Normale de musique de Paris The École Normale de Musique de Paris "Alfred Cortot" (ENMP) is a leading conservatoire located in the 17th arrondissement of Paris. The school was founded in 1919 by Auguste Mangeot and Alfred Cortot. The term ''école normale'' (English: no ...

with teacher

Jean-Bernard Pommier Jean-Bernard Pommier (born 17 August 1944 in Beziers), is a French pianist and conductor. Early life and education Jean-Bernard Pommier began playing the piano at the age of four and gave his first public concert at the age of seven. He had ...

. He lives in

Fontainebleau Fontainebleau ( , , ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Functional area (France), metropolitan area of Paris, France. It is located south-southeast of the Kilometre zero#France, centre of Paris. Fontainebleau is a Subprefectures in Franc ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. Ji is a

Steinway artist Steinway & Sons, also known as Steinway (), is a German-American piano company, founded in 1853 in New York City by German piano builder Henry E. Steinway, Heinrich Engelhard Steinweg (later known as Henry E. Steinway). The company's growth le ...

Education

Ji currently attends

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

Competitions and awards

Concerts

Played Liszt 2 with the ECSO, conducted by Leandro Silvera, in the Barbican Complex.

Prodiges

On January 2, 2020, he won season 6 of the French classical music talent show '' Prodiges'', for which he was in the musicians category. In the semi-final, he played the Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1, moving to the finals where he played Chopin's Polonaise No. 6 Opus 53. He won the competition and was awarded the trophy from concert pianist Lang Lang, with prize money of 10 thousand euros. He was awarded the distinction of '' Bellifontain d’honneur'' from the

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

. Charities and project Paul Ji regularly played in the palliative care unit of the Fontainebleau hospital, wishing through music to help people in need. In January 2021, he launched the project called "Music for Good" in French: "Musique pour le bien" which aims to share music with people in need, and to encourage other musicians who wish bring change to the world. In the context of the health crisis, he is notably organizing a virtual concert for the New Year. This initiative receives the Khemka award for social impact from Eton College.

Albums

Paul has recently released his album ''Piano'' by

Warner Classics Warner Classics is the classical music arm of Warner Music Group. The label began issuing new recordings under the Warner Classics banner in 1991. The company also includes the Erato Records and Teldec Records labels. Based in France, Warner Cla ...

, after his win in Prodiges. He has also accompanied

Sarah Brightman Sarah Brightman (born 14 August 1960) is an English classical crossover soprano singer and actress. Brightman began her career as a member of the dance troupe Hot Gossip and released several disco singles as a solo performer. In 1981, she made ...

in her album ''France.''

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ji, Paul 2004 births 21st-century American male musicians 21st-century French male classical pianists 21st-century French classical pianists American child classical musicians American classical pianists American male classical pianists Living people