In a programme of J. S. Bach: Sonata in E major for Violin and Keyboard, BWV 1016, Franz Schubert: Fantasie in C major for Violin and Piano, Op. posth. 159, D 934 and Ferruccio Busoni: Sonata in E minor for Violin and Piano, Op.36a, BV 244
In association with Forbes Marshall
Jean-Frédéric Neuburger received an intense and varied musical education in piano, organ and composition before joining the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris in the piano class of Jean-François Heisser. On graduating from the CNSM with Five « Premier Prix » he went on to study orchestral conducting and composition in Geneva with Laurent Gay and Michael Jarrell.
As a concert pianist, he is invited notably by the NHK Symphony Orchestra, the New-York Philharmonic, the Berliner Philharmoniker, the San Francisco Symphony, Orchestre de Paris, London Philharmonic, Bamberger Symphoniker. He also dedicates a large part of his performing activities to chamber music with partners Bertrand Chamayou, Augustin Dumay, Henri Demarquette, Victor Julien-Laferrière, and to contemporary music : he has premiered Philippe Manoury’s Piano concerto for piano with the Orchestre de Paris, Philippe Maintz’s Concerto with the Luxembourg Philharmonic, as well as many new works by young composers.
As a composer, his work follows the path of the French composers of twentieth century, with a strong interest for timbral evolution and literature. He is commissioned by festivals and orchestras such as the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Gürzenich-Orchester Köln, Radio-France, Evian Festival, NDR Hamburg. His works are performed by the Chorus and Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, the Singapour Philharmonic, Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, the Boston Symphony Orchestra under conductors Christoph von Dohnányi, Alexander Briguer, Pascal Rophé, François-Xavier Roth, Jonathan Stockhammer.
His recordings (Mirare) include works by Beethoven, Bach, Ravel, Chopin as well as less-known works as the Barraqué’s Sonata and Hérold’s piano concerti. Published by Durand (Universal Music Publishing), Jean-Frédéric Neuburger received the Lili and Nadia Boulanger prize from the Académie des Beaux Arts and the Hervé Dugardin Prize from the Sacem.
Dan Zhu, portrait by Antonio Nieddu, San Miniato 2024
Dan Zhu is widely recognized as one of the leading musicians of his generation on the international stage today, praised as “an artist of affecting humility and beautiful tone production” by The Strad magazine, performing internationally in North America, Europe, and Asia. His recent triumphant performance with the Boston Symphony at the Tanglewood Festival has been raved by the critics as “truly brilliant, compelling, and polished”. He has appeared with world class orchestras under the direction of Maestros Christoph Eschenbach, Zubin Mehta, Krzysztof Penderecki, Jacek Kaspszyk, Uroš
Lajovic, Alexander Rahbari, En Shao, Carl St.Clair, Muhai Tang, Ralf Weikert, Long Yu among many others, and has been invited to perform at renowned festivals, such as Salzburg Festspiele, Verbier, Kuhmo, Marlboro, Marvão, Enescu, Schleiswig-Holstein, Prades-Casals, Ravinia, and Spoleto. Dan Zhu’s latest seasons highlights of duo recitals with Christoph Eschenbach on Mozart and Beethoven sonata cycle at the Kennedy Center and at NCPA in Beijing; with pianist Gerhard Oppitz at Enescu Festival; with pianist Kun Woo Paik on Brahms complete sonata recital in Paris, Hong Kong, Florence; solo appearance includes with Zubin Mehta and the Orchestra Maggio Musicale Fiorentino; with Camerata Salzburg at the Salzburg Festspiele; with the Philadelphia Orchestra on Tan Dun’s concerto with the composer conducting the performance at Kimmel Center; Recital at Verbier Festival; Concerto tour with Tokyo Symphony Orchestra in China; Prades-Casals series at Théâtre des Champs-
Elysées; K.A.Hartmann & Paganini concerti with Korean Chamber Orchestra at Seoul Arts Center; China premiere of Bright Sheng’s violin concerto “Let Fly” with the composer conducting Hong Kong Philharmonic. As an active chamber musician, he has collaborated with pianists Philippe Entremont, Peter Frankl, Richard Goode, Lang Lang, Jean-Yves Thibaudet; other instrumentalists includes Joshua Bell, Henri Demarquette, Nobuko Imai, Mischa Maisky, Paul Meyer; Julliard string quartet, Guarneri quartet, Talich quartet. His recital with Christoph Eschenbach on Schumann sonatas in Hamburg was acclaimed by Die Welt as “distinctive dramaturgy of contrasts, crystalline tones with intensity and sensitivity”, recital with pianist Michel Dalberto on Mozart and Schubert’s duo works in Paris was praised as “the fluent subtlety at his very ease in the score of constantly renewed imagination” by Concert Classic. Since 2020, together with violist Diemut Poppen and cellist Danjulo Ishizaka formed string trio “Trio 3D”, their performances around Europe have been highly raved by Luzerner Zeitung.
A native of Beijing, Zhu began learning the violin at the age of four, with the late Prof. Wang Zhi-Long whom was the pupil of the legendary pedagogue Yuri Yankelevich. Made his first public appearance at the age of nine, performing Mendelssohn’s violin concerto with the China National Youth Orchestra at Beijing Concert Hall. At age twelve he was admitted by the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, where he studied with Prof. Xiao-zhi Huang (whom studied with Ivan Galamian in Aspen and Julliard). Four years later he was awarded full scholarship to study with Prof. Lucie Robert (former assistant to
Josef Gingold at the Indiana University) at Mannes College of Music in New York, with whom he inherited the great tradition of Franco-Belgian violin school of Eugène Ysaÿe. Dan Zhu made his Carnegie Hall debut with Tchaikovsky violin concerto at the age of Eighteen after winning the first prize of Waldo Mayo Violin Competition for Young Talents. During his study years, Dan Zhu has won numerous international top prizes, Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels, Concours musical international de Montréal, Sendai International Music Competition in Japan, China International Violin Competition. His close mentors have included Ivry Gitlis, Gerard Poulet, and Aaron Rosand. As recording artist, Dan Zhu has appeared on several international labels, such as BIS, Cascavelle, CPO, Naxos, Ondine, ORF. His latest world premiere recordings of Bright Sheng’s violin concerto “Let Fly” and Boris Papandopulo’s epic violin concerto, praised as “Mr. Zhu is most eloquent and musical, his tone succulent” by the American Record Guide.
Dan Zhu has collaborated with numerous leading composers of our time on concert stages and in recordings, including George Benjamin, György Kurtág, the late Krzysztof Penderecki and Gian-Carlo Menotti, Wolfgang Rihm, Tan Dun, Bright Sheng, and Xiaogang Ye. He is also a dedicated member of the Nature Conservancy and the Antarctic Forum in the environmental protection field, has been on three expeditions to the Antarctica, and the first violinist in the history performed on the continent in 2013.
His passion and dedication in teaching has brought him to give masterclass and lectures frequently at international renown institutions, Sibelius Academy, Tanglewood Festival Music Center, Princeton University, Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, Fontainebleau School of Fine Arts and Music, Scuola di Musica di Fiesole, to name few.
Currently a violin professor at the Music Academy of Ljubljana University in Slovenia. Since 2021, he is the founder and artistic director of Festival Etruscan Bloom in Florence, Italy. Follow Dan Zhu’s music journey at www.danzhumusic.com
