Leia Zhu

Violin

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Artist Biography 24-25 Leia Zhu English

Celebrated for her exceptional musical maturity and credited with “a poise and musical intelligence beyond her years” by the Guardian, 18-year-old British violinist Leia Zhu has performed on the international stage in more than 20 countries since her debut at the age of four. In 2022 she was the youngest musician to be included on the list of 30 brilliant young musicians under 30 by Classic FM for its 30^th birthday special edition and was named a rising star by BBC Magazine in 2021.

Highlights of the 2023/24 season include Zhu’s debuts at the Royal Albert Hall — as part of the BBC Proms — Wigmore Hall, and Bechstein Hall, and return engagements as a soloist with Lucerne Festival Strings and Armenian Philharmonic. She features as a chamber recitalist at the Fundación Juan March, Wimbledon International Music Festival, and Festival Flâneries de Reims.

In 2023 Leia Zhu made her concerto debut with the Tonhalle Orchestra performing Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto under the baton of Paavo Järvi. In 2021 she performed with London Symphony Orchestra and Sir Simon Rattle as part of the orchestra’s annual BMW Classics concert in London’s Trafalgar Square, and appeared later that season with London Philharmonic, Luzerner Sinfonieorchester, as well as in recital at Tonhalle Zürich, Menuhin Festival Gstaad and St. Martin-in-the-Fields in London. Also in 2021, she shared the stage with Irish band Westlife in a livestreamed performance of ‘You Raise Me Up’ that was viewed by 27 million people.

Zhu was appointed Artist-in-Residence of the London Mozart Players from 2021 – 23, performing as a featured soloist and chamber musician while also playing a crucial role in the orchestra’s community residencies and educational outreach. She has previously appeared as a soloist with the Philharmonia Orchestra, Royal Northern Sinfonia, Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra, National Orchestra of Belgium — conducted by Maxim Vengerov — National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, Pomeranian Philharmonic, Orquestra Simfònica Illes Balears, and Orquesta de Extremadura. Zhu has performed in major concert venues across Europe including London’s Royal Festival Hall and Barbican Centre, BOZAR in Brussels, Mozarteum Grosser Saal in Salzburg, KKL in Lucerne, Tonhalle Zurich Grosser Saal, and Berliner Philharmonie. Zhu has been featured at prestigious festivals including the Lucerne Festival, Rheingau Musik Festival, MozartFest Würzburg, Interlaken Classics, White Nights and Musical Olympus in St Petersburg and Vadim Repin’s Trans-Siberian Art, with selected performances broadcasted on BR Radio and BBC Radio 3.

Zhu is a passionate advocate for education and championing the Arts. Since 2022 she has been a patron of the HarrisonParrott Foundation with a focus on expanding interest in classical music for all generations. She has been featured on Classic FM, BBC News, ITV, Sky News, The Strad magazine, Violin Channel and Violinist.com, as well as news outlets in Austria, Bulgaria, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Russia, Germany, Israel, Greece and the USA. She regularly posts videos on her popular YouTube channel, where she shares her joy of music, composers and creativity, which attract thousands of subscribers and views.

HarrisonParrott represents Leia Zhu for worldwide general management.