The youngest participant in the 2009 Van Cliburn Competition, Gold Medalist Haochen Zhang (he shares the Gold Medal Award with Nobuyuki Tsujii) gave his debut recital at the Shanghai Music Hall at the age of five. He moved to the United States at 15 to attend the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia where he is pursuing a Bachelor of Music degree. On June 7, 2009, four days after celebrating his 19th birthday, Haochen Zhang was awarded a Gold Medal at the Thirteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. He has already begun to forge a reputation as a strong, energetic pianist with a sophisticated approach and musical depth beyond his years.