Qin Chuan
Qin Chuan (Chinese: 秦川), also known as Chuan Qin, is one of the leading pianists from the young generation of performers from China. Born in Nanjing, he started learning the piano at the age of five. After graduating from the Middle School affiliated to Shanghai Conservatory of Music, which he attended in years 1988–1994, he went to the USA to pursue further music studies at the prestigious Juilliard School of Music where he obtained his Bachelor and master's degrees in music as well as the Artist Diploma. He is currently pursuing his Doctorate of Music Arts at Juilliard.
Despite his young age, Qin Chuan is widely regarded as one of the world's most outstanding performers of Olivier Messiaen's music. Having heard him perform Reveil des oiseaux with Myung-Whun Chung from memory, the composer's widow Yvonne Loriod personally selected him as the winner of the Messiaen Prize in Paris. However, he does not limit himself to the works of one particular composer or genre but enjoys performing a wide range of repertoire ranging from the early Baroque up to the most modern avant-garde music.
Awards
Qin Chuan is a winner of several international piano competitions with the most important ones being:
- 1st Prize of Maria Canals International Piano Competition in Barcelona, Spain (1991)
- 1st Prize of the 2nd China International Piano Competition in Beijing, China (1999)
- Grand Prix de la vie proire of Olivier Messiaen International Piano Competition in Paris, France, where he was also awarded the Special Prize for the best performance of Catalogue l'Oisseaux (2003)[1]