Puget Sounds Piano School offers comprehensive individual and group piano lessons in historic downtown Issaquah.
We are dedicated to coaching pianists of all ages and levels to enjoy playing as much as we do.
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Master of Music, Manhattan School of Music.
Bachelor of Music, University of Washington.
Zeze Xue began studying piano at just three years old. By five, he held his first solo recital in his hometown of Changsha, southern China. At fifteen, he was invited to perform as a concerto soloist with the Hunan Symphony Orchestra and earned admission to Vienna's Prayner Conservatory, where he studied under Singaporean pianist Joo Ann Koh. Zeze spent two years honing his skills in Vienna before continuing his studies in the United States at the University of Washington, where he studied under Craig Sheppard, the Silver Prize winner of the Leeds International Piano Competition. In 2016, he won the school’s Concerto Competition and performed Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 with the UW Symphony Orchestra before graduating. Zeze then pursued his Master of Music degree at the Manhattan School of Music, studying with the legendary pedagogue Solomon Mikowsky and renowned soloist and recording artist William Wolfram, completing his degree in May 2019.
Notably, Zeze Xue achieved a significant milestone in 2021 with his debut recital at Lincoln Center. The event drew a sizable audience from the vibrant metropolis of New York City, and his performance was met with resounding acclaim. The New York Concert Review lauded him as “an impressive performer with passion and grandeur.”
Further cementing his position as a distinguished pianist, Zeze secured victory in the International Orchestra 914 Concerto Competition. His rendition of Ravel's Concerto for the Left Hand, performed with the orchestra at the Paramount Hudson Valley in Peekskill, New York, garnered widespread praise. This momentous occasion was broadcast on WQXR as part of Robert Sherman's Young Artists Showcase.
Zeze's exceptional talents have not only been acknowledged on stage but also by the United States Citizens and Immigration Services, which granted him the Artist O1-Visa. This rare authorization recognizes individuals with extraordinary ability or achievement, affirming Zeze's continued pursuit of musical excellence in the United States.
Please click here to listen to Zeze playing the Ravel Piano Concerto with the Moscow Symphony Orchestra in July, 2024.
Zeze's goal as a teacher is to create a positive environment for his students, and guide them towards truly appreciating and enjoying each piece of music they study. His aim in every lesson is to achieve a tangible goal with a student for that week-- whether that is gaining comfort in playing a single passage, a whole page, or an entire piece, or an understanding of a new musical concept. Whatever big or small that goal may be, he would like something new to "click" with every student, every week. Zeze encourages his students to get beyond learning the correct notes and rhythms, and invites them to indulge in the richness of the classical music world by learning about the history of the eras, the lives of the composers, and their styles.
When not teaching or performing, Zeze enjoys having hotpot, watching horror movies, and playing the video game League of Legends.
