Kevin Zhu (violinist)

Born in Maryland, USA, Kevin Zhu started playing violin at the age of 3. He attended elementary and middle schools in Cupertino, California. He was a pre-college student of Li Lin at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.[6] As a recipient of a Kovner Fellowship at The Juilliard School, Zhu is studying along with Itzhak Perlman and Li Lin.[3]

Following his success at the Menuhin Competition and Paganini competition, Zhu has been a featured soloist with orchestras such as the Philharmonia Orchestra,[7] the Vienna Chamber Orchestra,[4] the Moscow Virtuosi Orchestra, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra,[3] and the China Philharmonic Orchestra.[8] He also performs solo recitals across the United States, Italy, Germany, England, Poland, China, and Lebanon. Zhu has repeatedly been featured on BBC Radio 3 and NPR's From the Top.[6] In 2021-2022, Zhu will perform on a multi-city tour of Italy and will perform a project that involves to play all of Paganini's 24 caprices in one concert.[3][9]

Zhu currently performs on the 1722 ‘Lord Wandsworth’ Stradivarius violin — on long term loan to him from the Ryuji Ueno Foundation and the Rare Violins of New York "In Consortium".[3]

• Recipient of Kovner Fellowship, Juilliard School[10]
• 2012: Junior Division First prize winner and Composer's prize winner at the Yehudi Menuhin International Competition for Young Violinists[3]
• 2018: First prize winner, at the Paganini International Violin Competition.[2]
• 2018: Special prizes winner for the "Best performance of a Paganini Caprice" and for "Being the Youngest Finalist", at the Paganini International Violin Competition.[2]
• 2019: Carnegie Hall Debut at Weill Recital Hall[5]
• 2021: Awarded a Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts Avery Fisher Career Grant[1]
• 2021: Recipient of a Salon de Virtuosi Career Grant.[11]

• Official Website