Leia Zhu
The Violin Girl
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ABOUT
British violinist Leia Zhu was born in October 2006. At the age of four, she made her solo debut in the North East Last Night of the Proms in Newcastle City Hall in front of thousands. Since then, Leia has performed with eminent ensembles and orchestras across the globe.
By the age of 12, she had performed at some of the most prestigious concert halls in more than 18 countries; at the same age in 2019, Leia became the youngest artist to be managed by the London-based global agent HarrisonParrott.
At the age of 14, Leia was appointed Artist-in-Residence with the London Mozart Players in 2021. She embeds herself within the orchestra, performing as a featured soloist, leading play/direct programmes and in chamber music. Leia also plays a crucial role in the orchestra’s community residencies in Croydon and Hastings, inspiring and motivating her peers through educational projects.
During the pandemic, in August 2021, Leia was invited to perform Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso by Saint-Saëns with the London Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Sir Simon Rattle at BMW Classics. Thousands of audiences in London Trafalgar Square watched the performance live while it was spontaneously live-streamed worldwide.
In December 2021, Zhu joined the Irish band Westlife in their WeChat live stream with 27 million views by performing a violin solo in ‘You Raise Me Up’.
As a soloist, Leia works with many of the world’s finest orchestras; to list but a few:
London Philharmonic Orchestra
Philharmonia Orchestra
Lucerne Symphony Orchestra
The Symphony Orchestra at St Petersburg State Capella
Russian State Symphony Orchestra
Novosibirsk Symphony Orchestra
The Russian State Symphony Orchestra
Odessa National Academic Theatre of Opera and Ballet
Leia has also been invited to perform at key festivals in the classical music calendar including
BBC Proms
Some of the prestigious halls Leia has performed in include
Royal Albert Hall
Wigmore Hall
Tel Aviv Performing Arts Center
Odessa Opera and Ballet Theater
Other notable places Zhu has performed to list but a few: London Trafalgar Square, Großer Saal Stiftung Mozarteum (Austria), Yehudi Menuhin Hall, European Parliament (Belgium), Odessa Philharmonic Theater (Ukraine), Würzburg Residence (Germany), Rapperswil Castle (Switzerland), Conservatorio di musica “Giuseppe Verdi” di Milano(Italy) Moscow Academic Musical Theater, Moscow International House of Music, Newcastle Cathedral, Hexham Abbey, Beverley Minster, London Milton Court, St John's Smith Square (London), Royal College of Music, Windsor Castle, Palais Brongniart(Paris), Harmonie Club (New York)
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