Hilda Huang
Pianist
Hilda Huang is a American pianist who has achieved international acclaim for her performances of pieces by Johann Sebastian Bach. At the age of 14, she is also the youngest expert to appear on Big Think. Huang made her debut at Carnegie Hall at age 11, participating in the PBS series "From the Top at Carnegie Hall." She also won the International Bach Competition in March, 2010, becoming the youngest person and the first American to win. Huang, who started playing the piano at the age of three, is also one of the musicians featured in Michael Lawrence's documentary "Bach & Friends." She lives in Palo Alto, California.
Hilda Huang’s Well-Tempered Performance
For the International Bach Competition in Germany, the 14-year-old pianist played a fugue from Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier, a piece which helped her become the first American ever to win the […]
▸
5 min
—
with
Why I Don’t Copy Glenn Gould
The late, great pianist is Huang’s favorite, but if she tried to mimic his daring interpretations, “it would not be very good,” she says.
▸
4 min
—
with
Johann Sebastian Bach to the Future
The 14-year-old pianist wants to drag classical music into the 21st century by creating an iPhone app for fans of the German composer.
▸
3 min
—
with
How Bach Teaches You to Multitask
Keeping track of all the different voices in a Bach piece is a fun way to improve your technique, says the 14-year-old champion pianist—but it can also affect your brain.
▸
3 min
—
with
How Playing Bach Is Like Playing Nintendo
“If you put down your controller for just a second while playing Mario Kart—wham—you’ll crash and lose a life.” The 14-year-old champion pianist says the consequences are similar, albeit less […]
▸
2 min
—
with
Bach’s Beguiling “Architectural Masterpieces”
From a distance, Johann Sebastian Bach’s pieces seem so “simple and pure,” says the 14-year-old pianist. But on “the inside” they are much more complex.
▸
7 min
—
with
