Del Valle Fine Arts 46th season presents the current First Prize winner of the prestigious Cleveland International Piano Competition, pianist James (Zijian) Wei, Saturday March 21 at 3:00 pm in the Bankhead Theater, 2400 First Street, Livermore.
Wei triumphed as the Mixon First Prize winner in the Cleveland International Piano Competition, while also securing accolades including the Best Chamber Music Performance Award, the Henle Verlag Urtext Special Prize, the Audience Choice prize and the Young Judge Prize.
His program will feature monumental works including Beethoven, Brahms, Scriabin, Chopin, Liszt. His performances are characterized by genuine emotion and unique charm and are loved and acclaimed by audiences around the world. Wei is rapidly becoming a rising star among his generation of pianists.
Wei has won first prize in numerous international piano competitions including First Prize in the 2017 Changjiang Cup National University Piano Competition, Grand Prize in the Professional Category of the 2018 Huanglong Music Competition, Third Prize in the 76th Geneva International Music Competition, and Best Chinese Work Award at the Beijing International Chopin Piano Competition.
Wei recently made his Carnegie Hall debut in the famed Zankel Hall on October 26, 2025 to multiple standing ovations.
In recent years, Wei has frequently performed as a soloist with renowned orchestras in North America, Europe and China. These orchestras include the Cleveland Orchestra, the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, the Central Conservatory of Music Symphony Orchestra, the Changsha Symphony Orchestra, the Sichuan Conservatory of Music Symphony Orchestra, the Zhengzhou Philharmonic Orchestra and the Wuhan Philharmonic Orchestra.
After-concert complimentary sparkling wine reception to meet the pianist.
Tickets start at $35. Students under 18 are FREE (one escorting adult is $20, purchased at the box office). College student tickets are $16. Tickets are available at the Bankhead Theater box office, https://livermorearts.org/events/dvfa-james-zijian-wei-piano/, 925-373-6800, 2400 First Street, Livermore.
https://www.delvallefinearts.org/
