Conrad Tao, composer/piano

Meet Conrad

“Asymptotes” by Conrad Tao was commissioned by From the Top and generously supported by John and Janet Pattillo. The world premiere was part of From the Top’s New Music Series, supported by the Aaron Copland Fund for Music, and took place on Show 342 on June 15, 2017.

Conrad Tao (composer), 23, has appeared worldwide as a pianist and composer and has been dubbed a musician of “probing intellect and open-hearted vision” by the New York Times, a “thoughtful and mature composer” by NPR, and “ferociously talented” by TimeOut New York. In June of 2011, the White House Commission on Presidential Scholars and the Department of Education named Tao a Presidential Scholar in the Arts, and the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts awarded him a YoungArts gold medal in music. Later that year, Tao was named a Gilmore Young Artist, an honor awarded every two years highlighting the most promising American pianists of the new generation. In May of 2012, he was awarded the prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant. Conrad first appeared on From the Top at the age of ten, and has returned to the radio show and PBS television series as a performer and composer a number of times.

Behind-the-scenes Video