ORMTA Provincial Young Artist Tour - The Ontario Registered Music Teachers' Association

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Biography

* * The Ottawa Concert previously scheduled for October 20th is cancelled and will be rescheduled for a later date. * *

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17 year old Canadian pianist Aidan Lao studies currently at McMaster University with Dr. Alexei Gulenco in Hamilton, Ontario. He completed his ARCT Diploma with a 94% First Class Honours with Distinction, and has recently completed his LRCM.

Aidan has studied piano since 6 years old and hasn’t stopped since – he loves to perform at school events, graduations, and arrange charitable concerts at retirement homes across the GTA. With the youth organization Students for Music and Wellness, he performed a Christmas Special that was broadcasted to
90 long-term care homes across Canada.

Aidan has enjoyed considerable success in competitions at the local and provincial festivals in Ontario, earning thousands of dollars in scholarships. He also has won international competitions, winning first prize at VIVO International and second prize at the American Music Talent Competition. A gifted improviser, in November 2020, Aidan was specially featured by the Canadian Federation of Music Teachers in celebration of Canada Music Week.

In his spare time, Aidan teaches piano privately, and enjoys collaborative piano work. His students have gone on to win first prizes at local competitions and have received first-class honours in the Level 10 RCM exam.

Outside of music, Aidan is a passionate software developer, and has won several times in the DECA business competition. He loves to hike and stay active as well. He is the founder and president of his high school's coding club, and is also an event coordinator at Project Tech Conferences, a nationally recognized tech organization in Canada.

ORMTA Young Artist Winner Announced

Aidan Lao, ORMTA Young Artist Winner with Laura Gray, ORMTA President.

Aidan Lao Wins Prestigious Competition in Kingston, ON

This year, four gifted young pianists participated in the Ontario Young Artist Competition. The competition took place in the beautiful Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts on the Queen’s University campus on Sunday, July 24, 2022 during the biennial convention for the Ontario Registered Music Teachers' Association (ORMTA). Each performer presented a recital program of contrasting works, approximately forty-five minutes in length.

Three well-known music professionals acted as adjudicators for the ORMTA Young Artist Competition:

Lesley Andrew, voice
Michel Fournier, piano
Patricia O’Callaghan, voice

This year’s winner of the ORMTA Young Artist Competition is seventeen-year-old Aidan Lao.

Seventeen-year-old Canadian pianist Aidan Lao studies currently with Dr. Michael Esch in Markham, Ontario. He completed his ARCT Diploma with a 94% First Class Honours with Distinction, and he will complete his LRCM diploma through the Royal Conservatory of Music later within the year. Aidan has enjoyed considerable success in competitions at the local and provincial festivals in Ontario and has also won international competitions. A gifted improviser, in 2020 Aidan was featured by the Canadian Federation of Music Teachers in celebration of Canada Music Week. Aidan is a passionate software developer and has won several times in the DECA business competition.

The ORMTA Young Artist Competition and Tour are projects of the Canadian Federation of Music Teachers' Associations. The competition is open to pianists, singers and instrumentalists who are currently studying with a member of CFMTA and ORMTA. As the ORMTA Young Artist for 2022, Aidan Lao will embark upon a concert tour of Ontario in the 2022-2023 academic year. He will also represent ORMTA at the National Piano Competition in Edmonton, AB in July of 2023.

For more information on the Young Artist Series please visit www.cfmta.org/en/young-artist-tour

For more information on the Canadian Federation of Music Teachers’ Associations and its projects, please visit www.cfmta.org.

To watch all the Young Artist performances, click here.

To contact ORMTA Young Artist Tour Convenor: youngartistour@ormta.org.

Past Young Artist Tour Winners