Leia Zhu Explained

Leia Zhu
Birth Name:Leia Zhengying Zhu
Birth Place:Newcastle upon Tyne, England
Occupation:Violinist
Years Active:2012–present

Leia Zhengying Zhu (born in October 2006) is a British violinist. In 2019, she became the youngest artist to be managed by the London-based artist agency HarrisonParrott and is a Young Artist-in-Residence with the London Mozart Players.[1]

Early life and education

Leia Zhengying Zhu[2] was born in October 2006, in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, to Yanhong Bi[3] and a Chinese father.[4] She also has a younger brother named Leo.[5] Zhu was given a violin by her grandmother at the age of three after being interested in classical music,[6] [7] which her parents often listened to.[8] Her first public performance was at the North East Last Night of the Proms an Newcastle City Hall, at four years old.[4]

Zhu attended Fellside Community Primary School in Gateshead,[3] and St Edward's School in Oxford.[4] [7] She is fluent in English and Chinese, and is learning French and German.[7]

Career and other ventures

Zhu first performed overseas at the age of six in Spain.[3] [7] She has performed with ensembles such as the Belgian National Orchestra,[9] [10] Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra,[11] Festival Strings Lucerne,[12] Russian State Symphony Orchestra,[13] [14] Mariinsky Orchestra,[15] [16] and English Chamber Orchestra,[17] and at overseas venues and festivals including Salzburg Festival,[18] Rheingau Musik Festival,[19] Royal Festival Hall,[20] Barbican Centre,[21] Cadogan Hall London, Berlin Philharmonie,[22] and Queen Elizabeth Hall.[23]

In 2019, Zhu became the youngest artist to be managed by the London-based artist agency HarrisonParrott,[24] and Youngest Artist in Residence with the London Mozart Players in 2021.[7] [25] She performed a violin solo of "You Raise Me Up" with Irish boy band Westlife during a 2021 livestream.[4]

Zhu has been involved in education outreach programmes established by London Mozart Players, promoting classical music to young people.[6] [7] In 2020, she entered a partnership between Google Arts and Culture and HarrisonParrott on YouTube, introducing and performing works by Heinrich Wilhelm Ernst.[26] [27] Zhu has also shown interest in filmmaking, having a film shortlisted at CineMagic in 2020.[4] [5] She published her autobiography titled Bows, Strings, and Dreams in October 2023.[28]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Players . 2024-03-19 . London Mozart Players . en-GB.
  2. Web site: International Holocaust Commemoration Day Ceremony. European Parliament. 1. 24 January 2018. 31 May 2023.
  3. Web site: Gateshead wonderkid Leia Zhu, Eight, wins international contest with amazing violin performance. Marsh. Michael. Evening Chronicle. 30 March 2015. 15 March 2024.
  4. Web site: Young, talented and restless. Davis. Barry. The Jerusalem Post. 15 January 2023. 15 March 2024.
  5. Web site: Sibling violinists shortlisted for Filmmaker award ZChannel. 19 September 2020. 15 March 2024.
  6. Web site: Artist on Artist: Leia Zhu Talks to Samir Savant. Savant. Samir. St George's Bristol. October 2023. 15 March 2024.
  7. Web site: Why mind music is key to 14-year-old violin prodigy Leia. Platt. Poppie. The Daily Telegraph. 3 October 2021. 15 March 2024. subscription.
  8. Web site: Spotlight on Leia Zhu. Philharmonia. 3 October 2023. 15 March 2024.
  9. Web site: BOZAR Belgium 9-year-old Leia Zhu with Belgian National Orchestra. 2020-11-18. Belgian National Orc. en.
  10. Web site: Our Alumni. 2020-11-18. Musica Mundi School. en-GB.
  11. Web site: LEIA ZHU. 2020-11-18. Violinist.com. en-us.
  12. Web site: Programmheft_Sicherungll+.indd. Mozartfest Würzburg.
  13. Web site: Телеканал "Россия К" отметил юбилей гала-концертом. 2020-11-18. tvkultura.ru. ru.
  14. Web site: ТЕЛЕКАНАЛУ "РОССИЯ К" – 20! Юбилейный гала-концерт / Телеканал "Россия – Культура". 2020-11-18. tvkultura.ru. ru.
  15. Web site: Leia Zhu. 2020-11-18. www.mariinsky.ru.
  16. Web site: 03 June 2019 (Mon), 19:00 - Musical Olympus (Concert) - World famous Mariinsky Ballet and Opera Theatre - Opera and Concert Hall - BalletAndOpera.com. 2020-11-18. balletandopera.com.
  17. Web site: English Chamber Orchestra. 2020-11-18. www.englishchamberorchestra.co.uk.
  18. Web site: 10-year-old Junior Guildhall violinist Leia Zhu becomes the youngest musician to perform in the Salzburg Festival. 2020-11-18. www.gsmd.ac.uk. en.
  19. Web site: Concert archive - Festival Strings Lucerne. 2020-11-18. www.festivalstringslucerne.org.
  20. Web site: 9-year-old Leia Zhu @ Royal Festival Hall, London. 2020-11-18. www.9yearold-leia-zhu-r.leiazhu.info.
  21. Web site: London Schools Symphony Orchestra/Peter Ash – Roald Dahl's The Minpins, with music by Sibelius. 2020-11-18. The Classical Source. 21 September 2016 . en-GB.
  22. Web site: Philharmoniker. Berliner. Concert with Kristina Georgieva, Leia Zhu, Matthew Hunter, Dongkyu Kim, Sebastian Tievenow Berliner Philharmoniker. 2020-11-18. www.berliner-philharmoniker.de. en.
  23. Web site: A Fresh Take on Beethoven . 2023-12-11 . www.southbankcentre.co.uk . en.
  24. Web site: HarrisonParrott Welcomes British Violinist Leia Zhu To Its Roster for WWorldwide General Management. HarrisonParrott. 25 September 2019. 15 March 2024.
  25. Web site: 2021-09-30 . London Mozart Players name violin prodigy Leia Zhu as artist in residence . 2021-12-21 . The Strad.
  26. Web site: Leia Zhu introduces the composer Ernst. 2020-12-04. Google Arts & Culture. en.
  27. Web site: 2020-10-15. Leia Zhu launches HP partnership with Google Arts & Culture. 2020-11-18. HarrisonParrott. en.
  28. Web site: 2023-10-17 . Leia Zhu publishes her first book, Bows, Strings and Dreams HarrisonParrott . 2023-11-08 . HarrisonParrott.

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