Leia Zhu
Leia Zhu | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Zhu in June 2019 | |
| Born | Leia Zhengying Zhu October 2006 (age 18) Newcastle upon Tyne, England |
| Occupation | Violinist |
| Years active | 2010–present |
| Website | leiazhu |
Leia Zhengying Zhu (Chinese: 朱蕾雅, born in October 2006) is a British violinist.
Early life and education
[edit]Leia Zhengying Zhu[1] was born in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, to Yanhong Bi[2] and a Chinese father.[3] She has a younger brother, Leo.[3] Zhu's grandmother gave her a violin when Zhu was age three,[4][5] after developing an interest in classical music inspired by her parents' listening habits.[6] Zhu's father taught her how to hold the violin, and she first learned how to play "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star".[7][8] Zhu took weekly violin lessons with a female teacher for a few months,[7] and was advised to find someone who could further nurture her.[8] She spent the next two years changing violin teachers,[7] before settling on a teacher from the Royal College of Music.[8]
Zhu attended Fellside Community Primary School in Gateshead,[2] and St Edward's School in Oxford.[3][5] She graduated from St Edward's School in 2023, and achieved eight A* grades in the GCSE.[9] Zhu is fluent in English and Chinese, and is learning French and German.[5] She completed a Level 4 Diploma for Financial Advisers at the London Institute of Banking & Finance in 2024.[10]
Career and other ventures
[edit]Debuting at age four,[11][12] Zhu's first public performance was at the North East Last Night of the Proms in Newcastle City Hall,[3] with around 2000 people in attendance.[8] She first performed overseas at the age of six, in nine cities throughout Spain.[2][5][8] In 2019, Zhu became the youngest artist to be managed by the London-based artist agency HarrisonParrott at age 12,[8] and the youngest artist-in-residence with the London Mozart Players in October 2021, at age 14.[13][14][15] In December 2021, she performed a violin solo of "You Raise Me Up" with Westlife, which was livestreamed on WeChat and received 27 million views on the platform.[8] Classic FM named Zhu as one of its group of 'Rising Stars 2022' artists.[16] She was nominated in the Young Artist Award category at the Royal Philharmonic Society Music Awards in 2025.[17]
Zhu has been involved in education outreach programmes established by London Mozart Players, promoting classical music to adolescents.[4][5] In 2020, she entered a partnership between Google Arts and Culture and HarrisonParrott on YouTube, introducing and performing works by Heinrich Wilhelm Ernst.[18][19] Zhu has shown an interest in filmmaking, having a film shortlisted at CineMagic in 2020.[3] She published her autobiography titled Bows, Strings, and Dreams in October 2023.[7][20]
References
[edit]- ^ "International Holocaust Commemoration Day Ceremony" (PDF). European Parliament. 24 January 2018. p. 1. Retrieved 31 May 2023.
- ^ a b c Marsh, Michael (30 March 2015). "Gateshead wonderkid Leia Zhu, Eight, wins international contest with amazing violin performance". Evening Chronicle. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
- ^ a b c d e Davis, Barry (15 January 2023). "Young, talented and restless". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
- ^ a b Savant, Samir (October 2023). "Artist on Artist: Leia Zhu Talks to Samir Savant". St George's Bristol. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
- ^ a b c d e Platt, Poppie (3 October 2021). "Why mind music is key to 14-year-old violin prodigy Leia". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
- ^ "Spotlight on Leia Zhu". Philharmonia. 3 October 2023. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
- ^ a b c d Wesley-Smith, Lauren (17 April 2024). "Book review: Bows, Strings and Dreams". The Strad. Retrieved 16 March 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f g Bond, Chris (30 January 2025). "Meet the teenage violinist who made her debut at four and has played with Westlife and London Symphony Orchestra". The Yorkshire Post. Archived from the original on 30 January 2025. Retrieved 16 March 2025.
- ^ "Leia Zhu - The Violin Girl - exhilarates audiences at Teddies". St Edward's School. 22 September 2023. Retrieved 16 March 2025.
- ^ "17-year-old violin prodigy chooses finance over music for her future". Analyze Bank. 14 January 2024. Retrieved 19 February 2025.
- ^ Hewitt, Phil (28 January 2022). "15-year-old violin virtuoso heads for Hastings". Sussex Express. Retrieved 16 March 2025.
- ^ Wilson, Tabitha (29 January 2025). "Teenage violin prodigy Leia Zhu to perform in Harrogate". Ilkley Gazette. Retrieved 16 March 2025.
- ^ "London Mozart Players name violin prodigy Leia Zhu as artist in residence". The Strad. 30 September 2021. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
- ^ Wilkinson, Sue (28 January 2025). "Acclaimed violin sensation Leia Zhu set to make Harrogate Old Swandebut". Harrogate Advertiser. Retrieved 16 March 2025.
- ^ "Northumberland violin prodigy returns to play for home audience". ITV Tyne Tees. 8 February 2022. Retrieved 16 March 2025.
- ^ "Classic FM's Rising Stars: 30 brilliant musicians we're celebrating in 2022". Classic FM. 18 July 2022. Retrieved 19 February 2025.
- ^ "Shortlists for 2025 RPS Awards include top string players". The Strad. 30 January 2025. Retrieved 16 March 2025.
- ^ "Leia Zhu introduces the composer Ernst". Google Arts & Culture. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
- ^ "Leia Zhu launches HP partnership with Google Arts & Culture" (Press release). HarrisonParrott. 15 October 2020. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
- ^ "Leia Zhu publishes her first book, 'Bows, Strings and Dreams'" (Press release). HarrisonParrott. 17 October 2023. Retrieved 8 November 2023.