Biography

Zhou Qian is an internationally acclaimed violinist and educator, currently serving as Chair of the Artistic Committee and Jury for the Singapore International Violin Competition, Artistic Director of the Singapore International Violin Festival, and Head of Strings at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music, National University of Singapore.

In 1987, Zhou rose to global prominence by winning the First Prize and six additional awards at the prestigious Marguerite Long–Jacques Thibaud International Competition in France. She was the first Chinese citizen to win a prize at the competition, receiving the top award along with special distinctions for Best Mozart Performance, Best Recital, Virtuosity Prize, Best Concerto Performance, and the Audience Award.

Her exquisite musicianship has taken her to over 30 countries and regions around the world, with acclaimed performances at major venues including Carnegie Hall (New York), Kennedy Center (Washington D.C.), Royal Festival Hall (London), Concertgebouw (Amsterdam), Suntory Hall (Tokyo), Musikverein (Vienna), Théâtre des Champs-Élysées (Paris), National Concert Hall (Taipei), and leading venues in China, Europe, Asia, and the Americas.

Zhou Qian is a Naxos recording artist and has collaborated with world-renowned orchestras such as the BBC Symphony Orchestra, BBC Scottish Symphony, Bournemouth Symphony, Baltimore Symphony, Rome Symphony, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Russian Philharmonic, Vienna Chamber Orchestra, Singapore Symphony, Shanghai Symphony, Hong Kong Philharmonic, and New Japan Philharmonic. She has also recorded with BBC and Radio France orchestras.

Praised by The Strad magazine as “a world-class virtuoso,” Zhou has been featured in over 100 media outlets in more than 20 countries, including People, Reader’s Digest, BBC, and Good Morning USA. Critic Henry Roth wrote:

“Her performance is pure art, technically flawless, emotionally profound, and radiates a rare nobility. She is a true world-class artist.”

Over her 20-year teaching career, more than 85% of Zhou’s students have secured professional positions in major orchestras and music institutions worldwide. Nearly 40 students have won prizes at prestigious international competitions such as Menuhin, Tchaikovsky, Sibelius, Tretyakov (Russia), Nagoya, and the Aram Khachaturian Competition.

At the age of 9, Zhou entered the Primary School of the Shanghai Conservatory. At 14, she won First Prize in the junior division of the National Violin Competition in China. She studied with Professor Zhou Binyou and later with legendary violinist Dorothy DeLay and Zino Francescatti in the United States. While pursuing her Artist Diploma, she was mentored by Isaac Stern.

Zhou currently plays a 1757 Guadagnini violin, generously loaned by Mr. and Mrs. Lin Qiming.