Jiaqi (Kevin) Zhao is currently a first year Doctorate student at Eastman School of Music, majoring in Saxophone Performance and Literature with Dr. Chien-Kwan Lin. There he received his bachelor’s degree and pursued his master’s degree at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) under professor Debra Richtmeyer. He is also an accomplished pianist and won prizes for both piano and saxophone during his high school years. During his college and graduate years, he won 1st prize in the LISMA Woodwind Competition (2013), 2nd prize in Vandoren Emerging Artist Competition (2015), was a finalist in North American Saxophone Alliance Solo Competition (2016) and 4th place in the 5th Jean-Marie LONDEIX International Saxophone Competition (JLMISC) held in Bangkok (2017). During his second year of master degree, he won Concerto Competition at University of Illinois at Urban Champaign and was invited to play Henri Tomasis Concerto with University of Illinois Symphony Orchestra in October, 2017. Zhao has played in masterclasses for Griffin Campbell, Claude Delangle, Otis Murphy, Timothy McAllister, Kenneth Tse, Carrie Koffman, Nikita Zimin and Jean-Michel  Zhao. Together with the Finja Saxophone Quartet at Eastman, he won 1st prize in the 198th Army Band Ensemble Competition (2013) and 1st Prize in the MTNA National Wind Chamber Music Competition (2014). As member of the Eastman Saxophone Project for four years, he performed in many places including the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.