Ryan Zhang, a San Francisco Bay Area native, is currently pursuing a Bachelor's Degree in Piano Performance at Oberlin College and Conservatory, with Robert Shannon. He has received professional training in percussion, conducting and piano and this diverse background provides him with a unique and profound perspective to approach music. He began his piano studies at age 5 under his father's tutelage and made his recital debut at age 7. Ryan later moved to Shanghai, China, where he was accepted to the Shanghai Conservatory of Music as a percussion major under Hua Gao. In High school, he began studying conducting and gained valuable experience with the Youth Symphony Orchestra at Shanghai Conservatory. Returning to the U.S. for his undergraduate studies in piano performance at Oberlin Conservatory, Ryan has quickly expanded his repertoire through a solid foundation in technique, performance, chamber music and theory. Masterclasses with the Kronos Quartet, Christopher Stark, and Nick Phontinos have been some recent highlights. Ryan is also actively participating in the Oberlin Contemporary Music Ensemble, led by Tim Weiss, frequently performing new compositions and world premieres such as ABRACADABRA (Suncatchers) by Augusta Read Thomas, stain, bloom, moon, rain by Clay Mettens and Other Pines by Christopher Stark.
Ryan continues to engage in festivals and masterclasses for both piano and conducting, attending the Virtuoso & Belcanto festival in Lucca, Italy in 2024 and participating in masterclasses with esteemed pianists Boris Berman, Imogen Cooper, Yejin Gil, Roberto Prosseda, and Wei-Yi Yang. In 2025, he participated in the Signature Symphony Conducting Seminar in Tulsa, OK with conductors Scott Seaton and Robin Fountain, and Conducting Workshop with conductors Carl Topilow and Andrew Grams in Cleveland. In 2024, Ryan participated in the Villafranca International Piano Competition, his first major piano competition, and garnered 2nd prize.