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Since his acclaimed debut at Carnegie Hall in 1989, Tian Jiang has become recognized as one of the first virtuoso pianists to emerge from the People's Republic of China after the stark years of the Cultural Revolution. Praised for his "formidable technique, shining, crisp, energetic and colorfully illuminated playing" by the New York Times, a subsequent profile on CBS "Sunday Morning" further celebrated the sweet irony of this remarkable young artist's rich, imaginative interpretations: that this music he had been forbidden to hear, let alone play as a child, had become his life.

Born in Shanghai during the early days of China's Cultural Revolution, Tian's first memories resound not of Bach and Mozart, but of the boots of the Red Guard as they stomped through his home in search of cultural contraband - books and music - any vestige of Western arts.

As the child of "reactionary" parents - a Shanghai Opera tenor and a dentist - Tian had to learn his craft in secret. His father, ostracized from the opera and forbidden to sing Western music, nonetheless managed to teach his young son to play on one of the few state-owned pianos allowed in private use. Tian's rapid progress through lessons, begun at age 5, and subsequent private performances signaled a talent so prodigious the authorities decided to overlook his parent's "condemned" status. By the time he turned nine, the tide of the Cultural Revolution had receded and he was admitted to the Shanghai Conservatory to pursue his insatiable interest in classical music.

At the age of 16 he met Vladimir Ashkenazy, then touring China for the first time. So impressed was the great Russian virtuoso that he invited Tian to appear in the BBC film "Ashkenazy in China," documenting his visit. A subsequent meeting with the American violinist and goodwill ambassador Isaac Stern likewise resulted in friendship - and an agreement with the Chinese government to allow Tian to study at the San Francisco Conservatory for one year. Returning to China in 1982, he graduated from the Shanghai Conservatory with a bachelor's degree, won first prize in the National Piano Competition of China, and eventually achieved his goal of returning to the United States. A first prize in the Joanna Hodges International Piano Competition enabled him to go to New York City where he would study at Manhattan School of Music; a Van Cliburn Scholarship Award took him to The Juilliard School where he would graduate with an artist's diploma.

First prizes in the William Kapell Competition and the Young Keyboard Artist's International Competition attracted so much critical attention that word of a remarkable talent - with a remarkable story - soon leaked to the media, prompting Tian's profile on CBS "Sunday Morning." He has since been interviewed extensively on radio and television, including "CBS This Morning" with Paula Zahn, "Backstage" on PBS, "Entertainment News" on CNN, "Show Biz" on CNN, "All Things Considered" on NPR, and with Robert Sherman and June LaBelle on WQXR radio in New York.

Now based in New York City, Tian has performed in such prestigious recital venues as Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center, the 92nd Street Y, Merkin Concert Hall, Weill Recital Hall and the Miller Theater in New York City, as well as in thirty cities in the United States, Europe and Asia, including Chicago, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston, Minneapolis, Detroit, London, Paris, Brussels, Moscow, Sydney, Hong Kong, Taipei, Manila, Beijing, Shanghai, and Buenos Aires. A busy concert schedule has included guest appearances in cites throughout North and South America, Europe, the Far East, and Australia, with major ensembles including the Houston Symphony, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Shanghai Symphony, Singapore Symphony, Central Philharmonic of China, the Royal Philharmonic, and the Orchestra of St. Luke's. Chamber music appearances include concerts with flautist Andrea Giminelli, the Shanghai String Quartet, and the Ying Quartet.

Tian has toured the major cities of his homeland in 1999, 2000 and 2004, appearing with the China National Symphony, the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, and Britain's Royal Philharmonic. In 2003, he joined the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra as soloist on a ten-city US tour. As artist-in-residence for the New Jersey Chamber Music Society, Tian has given a series of concerts with visiting chamber musicians, including the Shanghai String Quartet.

An accomplished composer, Tian often closes his concerts with innovative presentations of his own works, which he defines as classically informed while infused by his native culture. Selections from his critically acclaimed "Shanghai Dream" suite were featured in "First Person Singular," a PBS documentary on the life of architect L. M Pei.

Tian has recorded several albums of his original compositions, including "Shanghai Dream," "Dancing Waves," "Peacock Dance," and "Folk Vision."