ZHOU, Qi Violin

Known as one of the elite chamber and orchestra musicians in his generation, violinist Qi Zhou has been a tenured musician with the Munich Philharmonic since 2001, when he was also appointed as the Associate second violin principal of the Bayerische Kammerphilharmonie. In 2004, Mr. Zhou was promoted when he was selected by the Munich Philharmonic to join its chamber orchestra, Philharmonisches Kammerorchester Muenchen.

Mr. Zhou’s life as an orchestra musician started in 1996 when he was appointed as the concertmaster of the China Youth Symphony Orchestra. During the three years serving the position, he was privileged to have been invited by Maestro Zubin Mehta and Maestro Charles Dutoit to perform side-by-side with the Vienna Philharmonic and the Orchestre National de France. He was also invited by Maestro Justus Frantz to join the Philharmonie der Nationen as their second violin principal for its Europe, Asia and America tours. In 1999, Mr. Zhou became the concertmaster and chamber music artist of the Philharmonie der Nationen.

Born in Chengdu, Sichuan Providence, China, Mr. Qi Zhou began violin lessons at the age of four. He attended the Sichuan Conservatory of Music and later the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing studying with Professor Yao-Ji Lin. Mr. Zhou has participated in the Datington Summer Festival (England) where he studied and shared the stages with renowned violinists Ruggiero Ricci and Kun Hu.

A familiar face to be seen at the Asia Philharmonic Orchestra in Korea and Japan and the China Festival Orchestra which gathers top Chinese artists worldwide, Mr. Qi Zhou also spend the summer teaching at the Great Wall International Music, and after teaching at the Macau Youth Symphony Orchestra, he was named the Honorary Advisors of the orchestra. He is an artist of the Asia Pacific Arts Management Ltd.