Dan Zhu

Dan Zhu is one of China's leading violinists. He numbers several Western musicians among his mentors and has also performed widely in the West as a concerto soloist and chamber musician, performing a variety of contemporary repertory as well as traditional works. Zhu was born in Beijing in 1982. His family was not musical, but his parents supported his musical ambitions. Zhu made his concert debut at age nine, performing Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto in E minor, Op. 64, with the China Youth Symphony Orchestra. At 12, he entered the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, studying with Xiao-zhi Huang. Four years later, he entered the Mannes College of Music in New York on a full scholarship, studying there with Lucie Robert. Along the way, he found mentorship from violinist Aaron Rosand, pianist Christoph Eschenbach, and conductor Zubin Mehta, among others. Several major prizes helped launch Zhu's career, including the Premier Prix de Violon at the Fontainebleau American Conservatory (2003) as well as awards at the Concours Reine Elisabeth in Brussels and Concours Musical International de Montréal. His concert schedule is filled with performances in North America, Europe, and Asia, with such ensembles as the Orchestre National de Belgique, China Philharmonic, and Orchestre National de France. Zhu has given solo recitals at major halls, including the Herkulessaal in Munich, the Salle Gaveau in Paris, and the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. His chamber music partners include clarinetist Richard Goode, violist Nobuko Imai, and pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet. Zhu has played contemporary music unusually frequently, collaborating with such diverse composers as Gian-Carlo Menotti, Wolfgang Rihm, and Bright Sheng, whose violin concerto Let Fly he premiered in China with the composer conducting the Hong Kong Philharmonic. Zhu has recorded for the Cascavelle, CPO, and Naxos labels; for the latter, he released a recording of Sheng's Let Fly in 2021. He plays a Carlo Antonio Testore violin of 1763, on loan from the Alexis Gregory Foundation.
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