Yingdi Sun

'Sun was the only pianist who flawlessly performed Liszt’s gruesome octave jumps and maintained the tension in both pieces to the very end.' - De Telegraaf

In April 2005, Yingdi Sun (b. 1980) won First Prize at the prestigious International Franz Liszt Piano Competition, which took place in Utrecht, the Netherlands for the seventh time. By winning the prize he embarked on a demanding two-year concert tour in the Netherlands and worldwide. In addition to many concerts in leading Dutch concert halls, this tour takes him around the globe to concerts in France, Belgium, Germany, Finland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Poland, Great Britain, Indonesia, China, New Zealand, the United States and South Africa.

On the morning following the Finals of the Liszt Competition, Yingdi Sun performed in Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw with the Netherlands Radio Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Jean-Bernard Pommier. In the course of his concert tour, he has played with Rotterdam Philharmonic (under the direction of Michel Plasson)，Czech National Symphony Orchestra (with Daniel Raiskin)，Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra (with Edo de Waart), l'Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France with Myung-Whun Chung，the Netherlands Radio Symphony Orchestra, North Netherlands Orchestra, Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra, Erie Philharmonic Orchestra, Beijing Symphony Orchestra, the Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra, the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, the Shanghai Opera Orchestra, the Macau Symphony Orchestra. Yingdi is also warmly welcomed in his home country. He was a guest of the Chinese President Hu Jintao as part of the festivities in honour of the U.S. President George Bush’s visit to China.

In 2006, Yingdi played Benjamin Britten’s concerto with Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra with conductor Stephen Asbury in Shanghai Spring International Music Festival. The performance was highly praised by the famous musicologist Donald Mitchell, who had worked with Britten for more than twenty years.

Yingdi has just performed in New Zealand with great success in a tour organized by the Oriental Express Project run by the Chinese Ministry of Culture. Yingdi also attended the European Liszt Nights Festival in November, 2006, played in Utrecht, Weimar, Budapest and Paris. In November 2006, Yingdi gave his debut performance at the opening concert for Chinese Culture Festival 2006 run by Chinese Ministry of Culture, in Suntory Hall, Tokyo.

This past season, Yingdi has played with the winner of the 7th International Violin Competition of Indianapolis, Augustin Hadelich, as part of a concert tour entitled “Pure Gold Tour”, both in Europe and United States. Recently, Yingdi has just given a performance of the Beethoven’s 4th piano concerto, a great success, as the closing concert of the Shanghai Spring International Music Festival in 2007, May. At that concert, he played with l'Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, under the baton of Maestro Myung-Whun Chung, in the main hall of Shanghai Grand Theatre.

The Shanghai-born Yingdi Sun was already winning prizes in his native China at an early age, including the Golden Bell Award at the Second National Music Competition. Yingdi Sun studied with Professor Sheng Yi-qi at the Conservatory of Music in Shanghai and has participated in the master classes of, amongst others, Philippe Entremont, Xu Zhong and – in preparation for the 7th International Franz Liszt Piano Competition – Leslie Howard. He was recently awarded the Special Prize for Artists by the Shanghai government.