Simon Zhu is a rising young violinist with a versatile repertoire. Born in Tübingen (Germany) in 2001, he received his first violin lessons at the age of 6. His exceptional talent was recognized at an early age, so that he was soon taught by renowned violin professors. Since 2012 he has been attending the Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach-Gymnasium in Berlin and until 2015 he was a junior student at the Berlin University of the Arts until 2015.
At the same time he also studied at the Mozarteum Salzburg (Austria) with Wonji Kim-Ozim. He is currently studying with Prof. Tomasz Tomaszewski at the Universität der Künste in Berlin and also receives lessons from Prof. Koh Gabriel Kameda at the Hochschule für Musik Münster and private lessons from Ning Feng. Master classes with teachers such as Wolfgang Marschner, Rainer Kussmaul, Ana Chumachenco, Boris Kuschnir, Petru Munteanu, Krzysztof Wegrzyn, Igor Ozim, Ingolf Turban and Paul Roczek complete his musical education.
His successes are remarkable. He won the first prize at the 13th International Competition for Violin “Georg Philipp Telemann”; in Poznan (Poland) in 2016 with distinction for the best interpretation of a Fantasy for violin solo by Georg Philipp Telemann. In this year he also received the Bruno Frey Music Prize of the Bruno Frey Foundation (Ochsenhausen).
In 2017 he was awarded the first prize at the 17th International Violin Competition in Kloster Schöntal, including a special prize for the best interpretation of a virtuoso piece and the Reinhold- Würth-Förderpreis.
In 2018 he won the 1st prize at the 34th International Violin Competition Valsesia Musica in Italy.
In 2019 Simon won the 1st prize at the Zhuhai Mozart Competition in China.
His most recent success is the second prize at the world renowned Menuhin Violin Competition in Richmond,
USA, as well as the Mozart Special Award and the European Community EMCY Award for his outstanding performance in the Menuhin Competition.
Simon Zhu made his debut in the Berliner Philharmonie at a lunch concert in June 2015. Since 2017 he has performed there several times as a soloist with orchestra. He has also been a guest at the Internationales Violinfestival junger Meister on Lake Constance and is a scholarship holder of the Menuhin Festival & Academy.
He has already given concerts in Germany, France, Belgium, Poland, Romania, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and China. Simon is a scholarship holder of the International Academy of Music in Liechtenstein and takes part in intensive music weeks and activities of the academy.
Simon is a scholarship holder of the German Music Foundation since 2016. He is an academist at the Hope Music Academy 2020 and at the Accademia Walter Stauffer Cremona in the academic year 2020/2021 where he is working with Prof. Salvatore Accardo.
He plays a fine old Italian violin since 2020, a generous loan by Florian Leonhard Fine Violins London.
If you are interested in working with Simon, please get in touch with the EMCY Office.
Solo
J. S. Bach, Solo Sonata in G minor Adagio B.W.V.1001
J. S. Bach, Solo Partita in D minor BWV 1004
J. S. Bach, Solo Partita in E Major Prelude B.W.V.1006
B. Bartok Sonata for Solo Violin, Sz. 117
J. Corigliano Stomp for Solo Violin
N. Paganini 24 Caprices Op.1 No. 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 13, 14, 16, 17, 20, 24
G. P. Telemann, Fantasia No.9
E. Ysaye Six sonatas for solo violin op. 27 No. 3 (Ballade) and no 6
With piano
L. v. Beethoven, Sonata for violin and piano Op.12 no 1
L. v. Beethoven, Sonata for violin and piano Op 23
L. v. Beethoven, Sonata for violin and piano Op 30 no 2
L. v. Beethoven, Sonata for violin and piano op 47
J. Brahms/R. Schumann/A. Dietrich, F.A.E. Sonata Scherzo
J. Brahms, Sonata for violin and piano in G major Op.78
J. Brahms, Sonata for violin and piano in d minor Op.108
C. Debussy, Sonata for violin and piano L.140
Edward Elgar, La Capricieuse Op. 17
Edward Elgar, Chanson de nuit
C. Franck, Sonata for violin and piano in A major
Edvard Grieg, Violin Sonata No 3 in C minor, Op 45
Fritz Kreisler, Tambourin Chinnois Op. 3
Fritz Kreisler, Caprice Viennois Op. 2
Witold Lutoslawski, Subito
W. A. Mozart, Sonata for violin and piano in G major KV 301
W. A. Mozart, Sonata for violin and piano in A major KV 305
Ottokar Novacek, Perpetuum Mobile
Pablo de Sarasate, Zapateado Spanish Dance No.6 Op.23
Giuseppe Tartini, Devils trill sonata
Piotr Tchaikowsky, Souvenir d’un lieu cher Op.42
Henrykh Wieniawski, Polonaise Brilliante Op.21
Henrykh Wieniawski, Variations on an Original Theme Op. 15
Henrykh Wieniawski, Faust Fantasia Op. 20
Henrykh Wieniawski, Scherzo Tarantella Op.16
With orchestra
J. S. Bach, Concerto for two Violins in D minor B.W.V.1043
J.Brahms, Violin concerto in D major (Op.77)
M. Bruch, Violin Concerto No.1 in G minor (Op.26)
E. Chausson, Poeme
A. Dvořák, Violin Concerto in A minor (Op.53)
E. W. Korngold Violin concerto D major Op. 35
F. Mendelssohn, Violin concerto in D minor
F. Mendelssohn, Violin concerto in E minor (Op.64)
W. A. Mozart, Adagio in E Major
W. A. Mozart, Concerto No.1 in B flat Major K.207
W. A. Mozart, Concerto No.3 in G Major K.216
W. A. Mozart, Concerto No.4 in D Major K.218
W. A. Mozart, Concerto No.5 in A Major K.219
N. Paganini, Violin concerto No,1 in D major Op 6
N. Paganini, Violin Concerto No.2 in B minor Op.7 (La Campanella)
C. Saint-Saëns, Introduction und Rondo Capriccioso (Op.28)
C. Saint-Saëns/E. Ysaye, Caprice Caprice d'apres l'etude en forme de Valse
P. De Sarasate, Gypsy Airs (Op.20)
J. Sibelius, Violin Concerto in D minor, Op. 47
P. I. Tchaikovsky, Violin concerto for Violin and Orchestra
F. Waxman, Carmen Fantasie
H. Wieniawski, Violin Concerto No.2 in D minor (Op.22)
Chamber music
L. v. Beethoven, Piano trio Op.70 Nr.1 (Ghosttrio)
L. v. Beethoven, Piano trio Op.11 B major (Gassenhauer)
J. Brahms, Piano trio Op. 8 B Major
J.Brahms, Piano quartett Op.25 G major
A.Dvorak, Piano quartett Op.87ä
G. F. Händel/J. Halvorsen, Pasacaglia for violin and viola
F. Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, Piano quartet in B minor, Op. 3
W. A. Mozart, Piano quartett KV 478
D. Schostakowitsch, String quartett Nr.1 C major (Op. 49)
F. Schubert, Piano trio in B flat major (Op.99)
