Conrad Tao, a piano prodigy grown up, dazzles in Berkeley
On Thursday, Dec. 7, the good folks at Lincoln Center tagged the 23-year-old piano virtuoso Conrad Tao as one of a group of upcoming musical artists worthy of recognition and support. That night, Tao came to UC Berkeley’s Zellerbach Hall and showed everyone why.
Tao was on the program with the Berkeley Symphony Orchestra and guest conductor Gemma New not once but twice — playing Rachmaninoff’s Paganini Variations on the first half and returning after intermission for Liszt’s equally extravagant showpiece “Totentanz.” Both performances confirmed everything we’ve been told about Tao’s keyboard brilliance.
It’s actually a comparatively old story.