Zhanbo Zheng, viola

Known for his “beautiful control, tremendous energy and thoughtful musicality” (Violinist) and “tone projected miraculously” (Strings), violist Zhanbo Zheng was the first Chinese musician to win the Primrose International Viola Competition. He has also taken top prizes in other major competitions, including the Irving M. Klein International String Competition and the Washington International Competition for Strings. He was also a recipient of the Emerging Artist Award from the Saint Botolph Club Foundation.

An avid chamber musician, Zheng has collaborated with distinguished artists such as Midori, Jonathan Biss, Anthony McGill, and Gary Hoffman. He has been invited to perform at the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society as a guest artist, and his music festival appearances include Marlboro Music Festival, Music@Menlo, Ravinia Steans Music Institute, Verbier Music Festival Academy, Krzyżowa-Music Festival, Caramoor Evnin Rising Stars, and Cleveland ChamberFest. With his extensive touring experience, including national tours with Musicians from Marlboro, the Ravinia Steans Music Institute Spring Tour, and A Far Cry Chamber Orchestra, Zheng has performed in leading venues such as Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, and the Kaufman Music Center.

As a soloist, Zheng has performed with orchestras such as the Santa Barbara Chamber Orchestra, Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, San Jose Chamber Orchestra, China Broadcasting Performing Arts Orchestra, and EOS Repertoire Orchestra of CCOM. In 2014, sent by the Ministry of Culture, he was selected for an exchange activity between China and Germany hosted by the China Education Association for International Exchange. He has also participated in the recording project “My Concert Hall — The Classical Music Appreciation,” which was proposed by Li Lanqing, the former Premier of the State Council of China.

Graduating with top Academic Honors, Zheng earned his Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from the New England Conservatory as a recipient of the Presidential Scholarship. He also holds the prestigious Artist Diploma from the Juilliard School. Zheng’s main teachers include Kim Kashkashian, Paul Neubauer, and Shaowu Wang. In 2024, Zheng joined the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra as Associate Principal Viola.