Conrad Tao Makes His Subscription Debut with San Francisco Symphony

Conrad Tao received great reviews for his subscription debut with the San Francisco Symphony, performing Gershwin’s Piano Concerto.

“The concert opened with a splendid performance of Gershwin’s Piano Concerto in F, another work that’s written across musical genres. […] Soloist Conrad Tao’s poise, fierce technique and footloose grace were ideal for the brash extroversion of the outer movements. In the slow movement, his sincerity never veered into sentimentality…The concerto and the oratorio both received, and richly deserved, standing ovations.”
San Francisco Chronicle

“The first part of the eying was devoted to Gershwin’s Piano Concerto in F, with Conrad Tao as soloist. Programmatically it was a sound choice. The composer’s jazz- and blues-inflected vernacular set the stage for Kahane’s populist approach. Tao was an impressive soloist, whipping through the concerto’s bravura passage work and concussive chords and winnowing out some seductive inner harmonies, most notably in the opening movement…Tao, at the keyboard, never faltered. With driving force, potent accents, and a firestorm of repeated notes, he rode the final movement home to a blazing finish.”
Musical America