Posted at: 11/05/2009 12:03 PM | WHEC.com
Updated at: 11/06/2009 1:29 PM
By: Janet Lomax

Ping pong, poetry and the piano?

He's pretty good at ping pong and writing poetry, but has a passion for the piano. When Haochen Zhang's fingers hit the keys, they float like ripples across water.

Zhang is one of two 2009 Gold Medal winners of the prestigious Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. He performs tonight with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra and again on Saturday.

At a recent rehearsal, the 19 year old Zhang was the youngest on stage but he's used to that. He gave his very first recital at the age of 5 at the Shanghai Music Hall in his native China. Zhang says, recalling his debut "imagine, a 5 year old just going on stage and playing like a 60 or 70 minute program."

At six years old, he was performing with his first orchestra. In a very short time span, he's played throughout Asia, Europe and the U.S. He's currently a student at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia.

When he took part in the Van Cliburn competition this summer, he was the youngest competitor. He walked away with one of two gold medals and then celebrated his 19th birthday a few days later. Zhang says, "It's hard to imagine any birthday gifts surpassing that!"

Winning gold means major changes in this college student�s life. For one thing, it's three years of touring and according to Zhang, "For two months, I've only been home for not more than a week or something."

But he isn't homesick just yet. To use his phrase, this is "fresh" and being on the road is helping him to mature. And while many teenagers are still dreaming of what they want to do with their lives, Zhang says he is grateful. �I think I'm already in my dream or the process of realizing my dream. My dream since I was young has always been music."

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