The Secret Piano: From Mao’s Labor Camps to Bach’s Goldberg Variations
By Zhu Xiao-Mei

“When my piano arrived… I played the Goldberg Variations. And I was reborn. Once again, I was saved by music.”
– Zhu Xiao-Mei

At the age of ten, Zhu Xiao-Mei enrolled at the Beijing Conservatory. However, when the Cultural Revolution began in 1966, music schools closed. One by one Zhu and her fellow students, teachers, and family were sent to prison or labor camps. Zhu’s memoir tells her extraordinary story of how music, and her piano, sustained her sense of courage, hope, and humanity during and after her imprisonment.

For Zhu, two pieces embody her experience of transformation and liberation: Bach’s Goldberg Variations and Beethoven’s final piano sonata, Op. 111. Pianist Peter Fang performs these monumental works.

This is a 90 minute program, inclusive of a 10 minute intermission.

The Secret Piano may be ordered through Vroman’s Bookstore.

About Peter Fang
Hailed “piano prodigy” by The Seattle Times and acclaimed for “immense and electric (performance)” by The Boston Music Intelligencer, Peter Fang is a pianist who relishes embracing the diverse masterpieces of the repertoire. A first prize winner at the 2012 Steinway Piano Competition, Peter has performed at Lincoln Center in New York, Symphony Hall in Boston, Salzburger Barockmuseum and Universität Mozarteum in Austria, and National Concert Hall in Taipei, as well as other prestigious venues. Peter holds degrees from the New England Conservatory, The Juilliard School, and Yale University. He is currently pursuing a Doctoral of Musical Arts degree in piano performance at USC, where he studies with Jeffrey Kahane.

Safety Protocols
Proof of full vaccination* required; masks strongly recommended, but optional.
Please be prepared to show your vaccination card (or digital copy) and a photo ID.

*Fully vaccinated is defined as two weeks after receiving a second dose of a two-dose COVID-19 vaccine, or two weeks after receiving a single-dose COVID-19 vaccine.