Ming Aldrich-Gan studied piano with Melvin Chen and Peter Serkin at the Bard College Conservatory of Music, where he graduated in May 2010 with bachelor's degrees in piano performance, computer science, and mathematics. The following year, he served as a Collaborative Piano Fellow at his alma mater.
In 2008, he made his debut with the American Symphony Orchestra, performing Scriabin's Piano Concerto in F-sharp minor, Op. 20 under the baton of Leon Botstein. He was a finalist at the Music Academy of the West Concerto Competition in 2007, and won the 2006 Bard Conservatory Concerto Competition.
Hailing from Malaysia, Ming had already established himself as a prominent young artist there before coming to the United States, having won the Malaysian National Piano Festival in 2001 and given concert tours around the country. He was also a finalist of the Ettlingen (Germany) and Vladimir Krainev (Ukraine) International Competitions for Young Pianists in 2002 and 2000, respectively.
Taking pride in his musical versatility, Ming is a self-taught improviser, and plays jazz and other contemporary styles of music. He is also deeply passionate about musical theater. While he was an undergraduate at Bard, he directed student productions of Sweeney Todd and The Fantasticks, musically directed several shows including bare, "tick, tick... BOOM!" and Reefer Madness, and played chorus and minor roles in other musicals and operas.
Read more...