Kou Shimizu – ABSOLUTE WINNER, PIANO
Kou Shimizu, 16, is a junior at The King’s Academy in Sunnyvale, California. He began studying piano at the age of five and currently studies with Hang Li in the Pre-College Division of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.
Kou has received top awards in numerous local and international competitions. His achievements include prizes in the Great Composers Competition, the Junior Online Piano Competition in Japan, the Bay Area Piano Competition, the United States International Music Competition, and the United States Open Music Competition. He has appeared as a soloist with the Golden State Youth Orchestra. He has also performed at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall.
An avid chamber musician, Kou actively collaborates with other instrumentalists and vocalists. He also serves as the pianist for his school’s competitive choir.
Kou has attended summer programs such as the Boston University Tanglewood Institute and the Bowdoin International Music Festival, and has received instruction in lessons and masterclasses with distinguished pianists, including Conrad Tao, HiYeon Choi, Ran Dank, and Li-Shan Hung.