First prize at international viola competition goes to Xunyu Zhou
Congratulations to viola student Xunyu Zhou! From January 19 to 25, 2025, she took part in the International Cecil Aronowitz Competition for Viola and won the first prize. In the final round she played the Viola Concerto in D by F.A. Hoffmeister and Britten's Lachrymae for Viola and Strings, op. 48a with the Royal Northern Sinfonia and conductor Thomas Zehetmair.
At the HfMDK, Xunyu Zhou has been studying the Artistic Music Studies Bachelor degree course in Prof. Tabea Zimmermann's class since 2024.
» My dear professor, Tabea Zimmermann, was the first to send me a congratulatory message. At that moment, the thing I most wanted to do was to give her a deep hug and thank her for her guidance. Tabea is not only my teacher but also my role model! I am very glad that I could win the first prize in this competition. This success will inspire me to move forward more bravely! Thank you to all those who have supported and helped me! «Xunyu Zhou, viola student
(Xunyu Zhou's performance starts at 1:40:34.)
The competition
The Cecil Aronowitz International Viola Competition (CAIVC) is open to violists aged 18 and under. The first prize is endowed with 5,000 pounds. The winner also receives several performance opportunities, a Robert Shallock bow and the chance to record a debut album with Champs Hill Records. This year's competition consisted of four rounds and took place at the Glasshouse International Center for Music in Gateshead, England, with Thomas Riebl, Li Sheng, Jo Cole, Garfield Jackson and Ásdís Valdimarsdóttir as judges.
Vita
Xunyu Zhou was born on December 4, 2007, studied viola at the Affiliated Middle School of Shanghai Conservatory of Music with professor Nian Liu from 2017 to 2024. In September 2024, she began her bachelor degree with professor Tabea Zimmermann at the Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Frankfurt am Main.
In September 2020, she won the Grand Prize of the 21st Italian "Montelosa Cavai Award" Valcecia International Youth Music Competition. In 2021, she performed with the Shanghai Opera House Symphony Orchestra at the Shanghai Philharmonic Hall. Since 2022, she has been admitted to the Morningside Music Bridge for three consecutive years. In 2022, she won the Grand Prize of the 11th Italian "Giuseppe Raciti" International String Competition (C Group).
In 2023, she participated in the Kronberg Viola Masterclass in Germany. In September 2023, she entered the final round and was the laureate of the 5th Oskar Nedbal International Viola Competition and played Hoffmeister viola concerto with the Pilsner Philharmonic. In 2024, she entered the semi-finals of the Primrose Viola International Competition. In 2025, she won the first prize in the Cecil Aronowitz international viola competition.
