Biography

American violinist Kevin Zhu has amassed an impressive record of concert performances and competition successes since he began playing the violin at the age of three. Praised for his "overwhelming technical prowess and maturity" (The Strad) and his "absolute virtuosity, almost blinding in its incredible purity" (L’ape musicale), Kevin has performed on the world’s largest stages, from the Konzerthaus Berlin to London’s Royal Festival Hall and the Forbidden City Concert Hall in Beijing. He first gained international attention by winning the 2018 Paganini Competition and the 2012 Yehudi Menuhin Competition. Since then, he has established himself as a leading figure of the next generation of musicians, astonishing audiences with his peerless technical mastery and unique artistic voice. He is a scholarship holder at the Music Academy Liechtenstein and participates in the academy's intensive weeks and activities.

In the 2023-24 season, Kevin makes his Kennedy Center debut performing Bernstein’s Serenade (after Plato’s Symposium), returns to the Auditorio Nacional in Madrid and Victoria Hall in Singapore, and tours with cellist Jan Vogler and pianist Andrew Armstrong. Kevin embarks on a multi-city recital tour across China and makes his debut at the Esplanade Concert Hall with Shostakovich’s 1st Violin Concerto. Recent highlights include concerts on Paganini’s famed violin 'Il Cannone', performances in Beijing and at the historic Reggia di Caserta in Italy, and recitals in Santiago de Chile and Montréal’s Salle Bourgie.

Kevin is also a passionate chamber musician, frequently collaborating with artists such as Louis Lortie, Lawrence Power, and Boris Giltburg.

In addition to his endeavors on stage, Kevin serves as a Cultural Ambassador of the Lin Yao Ji Music Foundation of China. He has been featured on ABC Eyewitness News, BBC Radio 3, and RAI Radio 3, and is the recipient of a 2021 Avery Fisher Career Grant and a Salon de Virtuosi Career Grant. Kevin holds a Bachelor’s degree from The Juilliard School, where he studied with Itzhak Perlman and Li Lin. Kevin performs on the c.1722 “Lord Wandsworth” Antonio Stradivari violin, which is on loan from the Ryuji Ueno Foundation and Rare Violins In Consortium, Artists and Benefactors Collaborative.