Biography

Critically acclaimed artist HONGBO CAI, is considered a rising star on the international stage as an outstanding pianist and bourgeoning filmmaker, 21 years old, he made his debut at Carnegie Hall, and at 22 years old, he was appointed adjunct faculty in the piano department of New York University, and one year later, he was again invited to play with Orchestra of St. Luke’s at Stern Auditorium of Carnegie. He was hailed as an "accomplished musician ...... with command of style and a refreshingly individual approach" by the American media outlet, The Herald. Since 19, he has been an accredited press-member of the Cannes Film Festival.

In 2021, he completed a China tour of Shanghai, Xiamen, Zhengzhou, Hefei, Fuzhou, and Putian at the invitation of CPAA and Jucheng Theatre chains, and in June 2022, he embarked on a concert tour sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts of Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont, Rhode Island, and Utah, which included appearances in the music associations of Harvard and Brown Universities and other Ivy League schools. He has performed throughout Europe, Asia, North America, and Latin America, and his 2023-24 program includes recitals in Indonesian, Singapore, France, Italy, Spain, Serbia, Portugal, Austria and the US, in venues such as Carnegie Hall in New York, Symphony Hall in Boston, Salle Cortot in Paris, Ehrbal Saal and Musikverein in Vienna.

In 2023, Mr. Cai won the Grand Prix at the 5th Piano Island Festival and was awarded the concert management rights of the Piano Island Management as of January 2023, and was invited to be a guest teacher and adjudicator for the 6th Piano Island Festival, alongside Dang Thai Son, Stanislav Ioudenitch and Antonio Pompa Baldi. He also won the first prize in the 2022 Carls & Sofia Piano Competition and was awarded album distribution rights by KNS Classical. Other competition awards include First Prize at the WPTA Spain Piano Competition, First Prize at the 22nd Valesia Musica Juniores International Competition, Gold Medal at the 3rd WPTA Singapore International Piano Competition, First Prize at the 4th Moscow International Music Competition, and Second Prize at the 15th Aloha International Piano Competition.

He has performed with renowned orchestras such as the Shanghai Opera House, Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra, Xiamen Philharmonic Orchestra, Fujian Symphony Orchestra, Shanghai Conservatory of Music Youth Orchestra, West New York Chamber Orchestra, Pazardzhik State Symphony Orchestra of Bulgaria, Mikhail Jora Philharmonic Orchestra of Romania, Florence Philharmonic Orchestra, New York Youth Orchestra, Juilliard Orchestra, Orquestra do Algarve of Portugal and New York Philharmonic musicians. Among them, as a long-term soloist guest, he will join the regular seasons of Orquestra do Algarve of Portugal and Pazardzhik State Symphony Orchestra of Bulgaria.

The conductors he has collaborated with include David Robertson, Grigor Palikarov, Massimiliano Caldi, Ovidiu Balan, Joshua dos Santos, Glen Cortese, Andrew Kim, Muhai Tang, Chengjie Zhang, Renchang Fu, and Che Cao. Legendary pianist Christopher Elton, describes him as "a mature and fascinating performer who displays pure charisma, especially in his lyrical virtuosity and ability to converse with the audience…… "

As an adjudicator, Hongbo has been invited to judge the Franz Liszt International Youth Classical Music Week Piano Competition, the Kayserburg Piano Competition, the Vancouver International Piano Competition, and the Shanghai International Music Festival.

As the Assistant Artistic Director of the Jinjiang International Piano Art Festival, he curated a festival faculty with members such as Mingqiang Li, Jie Yuan, Gordon Fergus-Thompson, and Marian Rybicki, and the Jinjiang Piano Festival Competition offers cash prizes for more than 10,000 USD. Furthermore, he initiated and organized the Global Piano Artistes Auditions in Fujian. This audition partners with the Piano Island Festival and Competition in Singapore, Piano Concerto Festival in Portugal, International Chateau Masterclass, etc…and provides shortlisted participants with prestigious opportunities to perform at European venues and collaborate with renowned orchestras.

Mr. Cai was a guest performer at the closing ceremony of China's First National Youth Games in Fuzhou, while he was also one of the Gilmore Piano Fellows selected in 2024. He is a graduate of the Shanghai Conservatory of Music and New England Conservatory of Music, under the tutelage of Prof. Zhou Ting, Vice Principal, Prof. Meng-Chieh Liu, the mentor of Lang Lang and Yuja Wang, and Prof. Korsantia, the Grand Prix winner of the Rubinstein Competition. He was awarded a merit scholarship by the Dr. Ende Niu Foundation and the Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Education and is now pursuing graduate studies at the Juilliard School under the tutelage of Prof. Hung-Kuan Chen, where he is the recipient of multiple awards including Judy Gelfand Piano Scholarship, Jack Katzen Scholarship, Louise Chisholm Moran Piano Scholarship, Susan W. Rose Piano Fellowship, Gluck Fellowship and Juilliard Career Grants.

As a filmmaker, his debut short film “The Chamber Where a Dreamer Slumbers” won the Best Experimental Film at the New York International Film Award and Kiez Berlin Film Festival, and was shortlisted in the Toronto Independent Film Festival. His debut film as a producer <Dawn and Dusk> was screened at Harvard Film Archive in 2021.

From 2021 to 2023, Mr. Cai embarked on a visual-sonic endeavor titled “Birthday Banquet,” which delves into the nuanced mental landscapes of ordinary Chinese lives during prolonged lockdowns, weaving in lesser-known folklore and religious practices from southern Fujian. This project, complemented by a soundtrack that melds folk instruments with electronic data sonification, has garnered attention and acclaim, is to be included in the next concert season of Banlam Grand Theatre. It has been showcased at the Beijing International Short Film Festival and the Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Market, and was featured in New York University’s Piano Department Colloquium Series.

His two new projects as director “Absolute Trash Film” and “Mina" are in post-production. A preview version of the latter was born out of the collaboration with the MIT Filmmaker Association, was screened at MIT Media Lab in Feb. 2024, and was nominated for Best Film during MIT AI For Filmmaking.