Zhu is a phenomenal talent. She is reassuringly self-assured. The complete package. Everything she does with or without her violin gently reminds you that there is in amongst the darkness in the world a resolute sense of hope. There aren’t many who achieve that. Even fewer have that effect in their teenage years.
THOROUGHLY GOOD,
JAN 2023
Aged 14, with a poise and musical intelligence beyond her years, she is making that difficult transition from prodigy to star with apparent ease. She was perfectly at home in this virtuosic showpiece [Saint-Saëns’ Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso]. Watch out for her.
THE GUARDIAN,
AUG 2021
She seized on the thrust provided by the orchestra with a tone that she pulled out of the depths and out of the movement of her whole body, so to speak, and carried it up to finely polished, virtuoso dancing heights. This performance also led the instrument expressively beyond brilliance and its limits and confirmed that this star has risen.
LUZERNER ZEITUNG,
APR 2022
Eleven-year-old British violinist Leia Zhu demonstrated a disarming security in the pyrotechnics that followed, with lightning-fast shifts, cut-glass harmonics and an obvious familiarity with the choreography of concerto performance.
THE STRAD,
Jun 2018
Highlights
of
2023
Opening the regional season for Philharmonia Orchestra at Leicester's De Montfort Hall and Canterbury's Marlowe Theatre conducted by Chloé van Soeterstède
Beethoven Violin Concerto at Macedonian Philharmonic with Macedonian Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Rebecca Tong
Beethoven Violin Concerto three-city tour in Israel
Beethoven Violin Concerto at Queen Elizabeth Hall with London Mozart Players conducted by Leslie Suganandarajah
Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto at Tonhalle Zürich with Tonhalle Orchester conducted by Paavo Järvi
Workshops and recital for the 20th anniversary of Abu Dhabi Festival + gift ceremony hosted by H.E. Huda Alhamis-Kanoo
Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto at Sheldonian Theatre with Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Marios Papadopoulos
at Guildhall, London for the Lord Mayor's Appeal
Multiple workshops and recital for the 200th anniversary of St. George's Bristol
To be announced soon...
Return to BBC Radio 3's In Tune programme
Return with Royal Northern Sinfonia, performing Mendelssohn Violin Concerto at Darlington's Hippodrome conducted by Eduardo Strausser
+ more...
MEMOIR
In October 2023, at the age of 16, Leia released her first book "Bows, Strings and Dreams".
The book ranked No. 1 in the Best Sellers list for Teen & Young Adult Classical Music on Amazon USA, No. 2 in the Best Sellers list for Classical Music Books among Young Adults on Amazon UK and No. 1 in the Best Sellers list for History of Music for Young Adults on Amazon Australia.