Young pianist Conrad Tao was scheduled to make his St. Louis Symphony debut in concerts April 25-27, 2014 led by Conductor Laureate Leonard Slatkin. But when illness forced Markus Groh to cancel his appearances on February 1 and 2, 2013, Tao stepped in as soloist in Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 3 on less than 3 days’ notice and wowed audiences.
Tao wowed audiences again last weekend with his performances of Saint-Saëns’ Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor, Op. 22 conducted by Slatkin. The St. Louis Symphony’s Eddie Silva recorded an interview with Tao on April 24, a portion of which was heard during the intermission of St. Louis Public Radio’s live broadcast of the Saturday, April 26 concert. Tao talked about the Saint-Saëns concerto, his solo career, his academic studies and a music festival he hosted in Brooklyn.
