Dan Zhu is widely recognized as one of the leading musicians of his generation, praised as “an artist of affecting humility and beautiful tone production” by The Strad magazine. His performance with the Boston Symphony at the Tanglewood Festival has been praised as“truly brilliant, compelling, and polished”. He has appeared with world-class orchestras under the direction of Maestros Christoph Eschenbach, Zubin Mehta, Long Yuamong many others, and has performed and given master classes at many renowned festivals including Salzburg Festspiele, Tanglewood, Verbier, Kuhmo, Marlboro, Schleiswig-Holstein, and Ravinia. As an active chamber musician, he has collaboratedwith Joshua Bell, Lang Lang, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Mischa Maisky and many others. Zhuhas collaborated with the leading composers of our time, including Gyorgy Kurtag,Krzysztof Penderecki, George Benjamin, Tan Dun, and Bright Sheng.
Recent highlights include duo recitals with Christoph Eschenbach at the Kennedy Center and at the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing; with Kun Woo Paik on the complete Beethoven violin & piano sonata cycle worldwide; a solo appearance with Zubin Mehta and the Orchestra Maggio Musicale Fiorentino; with Camerata Salzburg at the Salzburg Festspiele; a performance of Tan Dun’s concerto with the Philadelphia Orchestra with the composer conducting; a recital at Verbier Festival and the Chinapremiere of Bright Sheng’s violin concerto “Let Fly” with the composer conducting the Hong Kong Philharmonic.
A native of Beijing, Zhu made his first public appearance at the age of nine, performing Mendelssohn’s violin concerto with the China Youth Chamber Orchestra. He later studied at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing and Mannes College of Music in New York. He made his Carnegie Hall debut with Tchaikovsky violin concerto at the age of eighteen. His mentors have included Ivry Gitlis, Gerard Poulet, and Aaron Rosand. As a recording artist, Dan Zhu has appeared on several international labels, including Cascavelle, CPO, Naxos, ORF.
Dan Zhu is a dedicated member of the Nature Conservancy and the Antarctic Forum, and has been on three expedition trips to Antarctica, becoming the first violinist in history to perform on the continent.
Last update in Mar 2023
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