KEVIN ZHU
VIOLINIST
LIVE FROM HOME
Although live concerts may be canceled and halls closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, music lives on in our homes, whether permanent or temporary, as a primary source of comfort, expression, and human connection. We may be isolated physically, but our hearts always return to the core principles that brought us together in the first place: love, hope, and empathy. To all my friends, collaborators, and followers, wherever you may be in the world, I truly wish that you are safe and happy. I miss you all immensely, and I especially miss the personal bonds and little moments of happiness shared in the music-creating process - whether that be in rehearsal, on stage, or in the audience.
We are incredibly lucky and fortunate to have tools and resources that allow us to share and listen to music online. Below are some of the online events that I have been taking part in - stay tuned for more updates!
- Kevin
March 26, 2020
Concert rebroadcast
Genoa, Italy - Teatro Carlo Felice
Paganini: Violin Concerto No. 1
Orchestra del Teatro Carlo Felice
Michael Zlabinger, conductor
Watch here (music starts at 10:25)
March 26, 2020
Concert rebroadcast
Genoa, Italy - Teatro Carlo Felice
Brahms: Violin Concerto
Orchestra del Teatro Carlo Felice
Michael Zlabinger, conductor
Watch here (music starts at 11:45)
March 27 - 28, 2020
24 hour livestream marathon
April 5, 2020
Concert on demand
Bologna, Italy - Teatro Comunale
Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto
Orchestra del TC di Bologna
Giedre Šlekyte, conductor
April 8, 2020
Recital livestream
Works by Ysaÿe, Debussy, Paganini, Tchaikovsky, Elgar, and Kreisler
April 11, 2020
Recital livestream
May 16 - 17, 2020
24 hour livestream marathon
Works by Paganini and Strauss
BIOGRAPHY
Nineteen-year-old Kevin Zhu has amassed an outstanding record of concert performances and competition wins since he began playing violin at age three. Praised for his “awesome technical command and maturity” (The Strad) and “absolute virtuosity, almost blinding in its incredible purity” (L’ape musicale), Kevin regularly performs on the world’s largest stages, ranging from Carnegie Hall in New York to London’s Royal Festival Hall to the Forbidden City Concert Hall in Beijing. Initially coming to international attention after winning the 2018 Paganini Competition and 2012 Yehudi Menuhin Competition, he has established himself as a leading figure among the next generation of musicians, astonishing audiences with his peerless technical mastery and inimitable artistic voice.
In the 2020-21 season, Kevin will make debuts with the Moscow State Symphony Orchestra, Polish Baltic Philharmonic, and Colorado Springs Philharmonic, and returns to the Teatro Carlo Felice in Genoa performing Elgar’s Violin Concerto. He also performs solo recitals in Dresden, New York City, and Washington, D.C., embarking on a project to perform Paganini’s complete 24 Caprices in one concert, one of few violinists to ever do so.
Recent orchestral highlights include concerto appearances with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Moscow Virtuosi, and China Philharmonic Orchestra. A highly sought-after recitalist, he has toured across the United States and Europe with repertoire ranging from Beethoven to contemporary commissions. Kevin is also a passionate chamber musician, collaborating with artists such as Itzhak Perlman, Lawrence Power, and Jan Vogler.
In addition to his efforts on stage, Kevin serves as a Culture Ambassador of the Lin Yao Ji Music Foundation of China. He has repeatedly been featured on BBC Radio 3, NPR’s From the Top, and RAI Radio 3.
Kevin is a proud recipient of a Kovner Fellowship at The Juilliard School, where he studies with Itzhak Perlman and Li Lin. Kevin performs on the c1722 "Lord Wandsworth" Antonio Stradivari violin, which is on loan from the Ryuji Ueno Foundation and Rare Violins In Consortium, Artists and Benefactors Collaborative.
CONCERTS
[POSTPONED TO 2022]
September 25, 2020
Gdansk, Poland - Centrum Muzyczno-Kongresowe | Sala Koncertowa
Paganini: Violin Concerto No. 2 in B minor, Op. 7
with Polska Filharmonia Baltycka
Daniel Smith, conductor
[POSTPONED]
October 10, 2020
Moscow, Russia - Tchaikovsky Concert Hall
Paganini: Violin Concerto No. 2 in B minor, Op. 7
with Moscow State Symphony Orchestra
Vasily Valitov, conductor
[POSTPONED TO 2021]
October 14, 2020
Turin, Italy - Centro Congressi Lingotto | Sala 500
Lingotto Giovani
Works by Gershwin, Beethoven, Paganini, Bartók, and Waxman
Recital with Federico Nicoletta, piano
October 16, 2020
Genoa, Italy - Teatro Carlo Felice
Elgar: Violin Concerto in B minor, Op. 61
with Orchestra del Teatro Carlo Felice
Andrea Battistoni, conductor
VIDEOS
GALLERY
CONTACT
For booking and other inquiries,
please contact:
Photo credits
Giusi Lorelli:
Andrea Ranzi:
Aurora Ghigino
To contact Kevin directly, please use the form below.