Dr. Weiwei Zhai is an accomplished pianist, educator, and cultural ambassador. Her musical talent emerged early, winning a national competition in China at just 15 years old. She holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the Manhattan School of Music, where she studied under the legendary Dr. Solomon Mikowsky and Dr. Inesa Sinkevych. Her musical journey began at the Affiliated School of the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, laying the foundation for her future success.
A decorated musician, Dr. Zhai has received numerous accolades, including first prize in the Eisenberg-Fried Concerto Competition at the Manhattan School of Music and third prize in the Kazakhstan International Piano Competition. She has performed at prestigious venues such as Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall, Merkin Hall, and Symphony Space in New York City, as well as on international stages in Italy and China. She has also been invited to perform and present at esteemed institutions, including Ithaca College, John Jay College, and Rutgers University.
In recent years, Dr. Zhai has expanded the boundaries of classical music by incorporating Latin influences. For the past three years, she has collaborated with guitarist Dr. José Maldonado, blending Chinese traditional folk music, Puerto Rican rhythms, and standard classical repertoire. This innovative fusion highlights her versatility and commitment to bridging diverse musical traditions.
With a rich background in both Eastern and Western classical traditions and a growing exploration of Latin influences, Dr. Weiwei Zhai continues to inspire and educate the next generation of musicians while redefining the classical piano repertoire and performance landscape.
For more information, visit www.weiweizhaipiano.com
Dr. José Gabriel Maldonado Suárez is a musician, arts leader, and educator from Puerto Rico based in New York City. His classical guitar solo and chamber music repertoire spans works from the Renaissance to contemporary music.
As a soloist, Dr. Maldonado performs programs that include works from the classical canon and music from his native Puerto Rico. During his graduate and doctoral research, he dedicated himself to studying the performance practice of early music and 20th- and 21st-century contemporary works for guitar. Under the mentorship of lutenist and guitarist Jerry Willard, José studied Renaissance and Baroque era masterpieces for solo guitar and received chamber music coaching from harpsichordist Arthur Haas. Today, José performs using both the modern classical guitar and a 19th-century replica to showcase the rich variety of timbres that characterize the guitar’s diverse historical sound world.
José is co-founder of Dúo Copla, a classical guitar duo dedicated to performing, arranging, and recording works by Puerto Rican composers. With the ensemble, he has released two recordings: Sonatina Tropical (2023), featuring music by Ernesto Cordero (b. 1946), and Dos Danzas (2021), dedicated to the works of Leonardo Egúrbida (1945–2022). In May 2025, the duo will release their third recording, focused on the music of 19th-century composer Juan Morel Campos (1857–1896).
Dr. Maldonado is also co-founder of Weiwei & José, a classical guitar and piano duo that explores repertoire from the Baroque, Classical, and Romantic eras, while drawing additional inspiration from contemporary Puerto Rican music and Chinese folk traditions. The duo has recorded works by Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750), Mauro Giuliani (1781–1829), and Manuel Ponce (1882–1948), reflecting their wide-ranging artistic interests and cultural influences.
As an arts leader, Dr. Maldonado Suárez curates events that celebrate voices from underrepresented communities in the classical music field. He has served as an Audience Development and Engagement Consultant for the Brooklyn Classical Guitar Society and was invited to contribute his expertise as a member of the Advisory Council: Building Equity for BIPOC Artists at the Jamaica Center for Arts & Learning in Queens, NY. Additionally, he was selected to join the 2023 inaugural cohort of the Association of Arts Administration Educators (AAAE) Mentorship Program.
José has received invitations to perform and deliver presentations at prestigious institutions, including Hunter College, Stony Brook University, John Jay College, the Conservatorio de Música de Puerto Rico, Marshall University, Middlebury College, Columbia University, the Brooklyn Classical Guitar Society, and the Long Island Guitar Festival, among others. More recently, he was invited as a guest artist to the 2024 Festival Internacional de Guitarra Ximénez Abril in Perú, where he performed Dúo Copla’s Puerto Rican-focused repertoire in the cities of Lima, Cusco, and Arequipa.
Dr. Maldonado Suárez is the Director of Guitar Studies at Bloomingdale School of Music (BSM), where he teaches classical guitar students, coaches chamber music ensembles, and curates all public programming for the guitar department. He has served as Artistic Director of the BSM Guitar Festival since 2013. This annual festival features an international guest artist who engages with the BSM community through master classes and concerts, alongside faculty and student performances. Simultaneously, he is a faculty member in the Department of Art & Music at John Jay College, part of The City University of New York (CUNY), where he teaches guitar performance and music history, and curates music performances and lectures for the academic community.
Dr. Maldonado holds a Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) and a Master of Music (MM) from Stony Brook University. Additionally, he earned a Master of Arts (MA) in Arts Administration from Baruch College and a Bachelor of Music (BM) from the Conservatorio de Música de Puerto Rico.
For more information, visit www.josemaldonadoguitar.com