Known for his “beautiful tone and control... tremendous energy and

thoughtful musicality" (Violinist) and “tone [that] projected miraculously”

(Strings), violist Zhanbo Zheng was the first Chinese 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.

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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, Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, and Kaufman Music Center.  

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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.

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Graduated with top Academic Honors, Zheng earned his Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from the New England Conservatory as a proud 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 the Associate Principal Viola.