Simon Zhu

Simon Zhu is an extraordinary young violinist with a versatile repertoire. Born in Tübingen in 2001, he received his first violin lesson at the age of 6.

His exceptional talent was recognized early on and he soon began taking lessons from renowned professors. He studied at the "Mozarteum” Salzburg with Wonji Kim-Ozim, with Prof. Tomasz Tomaszewski at the "Julius Stern” Institue of the University of Arts in Berlin. He is currently studying with Prof. Ana Chumachenko at the Munich Academy of Music & Theatre and is receiving private lessons from Ning Feng. He was academist at the Liechtenstein Academy, "Hope” Music Academy and the "Walter Stauffer” Academy Cremona, where he worked with Salvatore Accardo. Masterclasses with Wolfgang Marschner, Reiner Kussmaul, Boris Kuschnir, Petru Munteanu, Krzysztof Węgrzyn, Igor Ozim, Ingolf Turban, and Paul Roczek rounded off his musical education.
He won First Prize at the 13th International "Georg Philip Telemann” Competition in Poznań, Poland in 2016, he received the "Bruno Frey” Music Prize awarded by the "Bruno Frey” Foundation, Ochsenhausen. In 2017 he won First Prize at the 17th International Violin Competition in Kloster Schöntal. At the Valsesia Musica, 34th International Violin Competition 2018 he won First Prize, First Prize at the Zhuhai Mozart Competition 2019 and First Prize at the 7th International Chamber Music Competition in Bydgoszcz 2020, Poland, with his duo partner, Adam Tomaszewski. In May 2021, he won Second Prize at the Menuhin Competition in Richmond, Virginia, and the Mozart Prize and the European Community EMCY Award for his outstanding performance at the Menuhin Competition. In October 2023 he won 1st Prize at the International Violin Competition "Premio Paganini” in Genoa. Italy, and the Special Prize for the best Paganini concerto performance, as well as a number of important concert engagements – including rare opportunity to perform on Paganini's own violin "Il Cannone” by Giuseppe Guarneri del Gesù from 1743.
Simon Zhu made his debut at the Berlin Philharmonie in 2015, since then, has performed there several times as a soloist with orchestra. He has given concerts in Germany, England, France, Belgium, Poland, Romania, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Korea, and China performing with orchestras, including the London Symphony Orchestra, the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, the Berlin Symphony Orchestra and the Salzburg Chamber Soloists. On 15th October 2024 Simon performed with the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sir Antonio Pappano at the Guildhall in London using the "Il Cannone” of Paganini, in front of The King, His Majesty Charles III, who received Simon after the concert. He will soon perform with the Teatro alla Scala Orchestra, Teatro La Fenice Orchestra, Orchestra of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Gran Teatro di San Carlo Orchestra, Marseille Philharmonic, Tjanjin Symphony, Wuhan Philharmonic, China Philharmonic and Guangzhou Symphony. He will give concerts in Teatro alla Scala, Milan, in Dubai Opera, Royal Opera House Muscat, British Guildhall, Madrid Prado Museum.
Simon Zhu plays on Zosimo Bergonzi's violin (Cremona around 1760), generously loaned from the Stretton Society.