Yiming Zhou 
Violin D.M.A.

Dr. Yiming Zhou earned his Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Violin Performance from the University of Kansas in 2021, where he also served as a teaching assistant. He received the Graduate Teaching Assistant stipend, Raymond Cerf String Scholarship, and a full tuition waiver. As Principal Violin of the University of Kansas Symphony Orchestra, Dr. Zhou received two national awards in 2020: the American Prize in Orchestral Performance and the Ernst Bacon Memorial Award for the Performance of American Music (as a featured soloist). He was also the runner-up in the Missouri Music Teachers Association (MMTA) Strings Competitions (2014 and 2015).

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Following his academic training, Dr. Zhou held permanent violin positions with the Topeka Symphony Orchestra (Kansas) and the Springfield Symphony Orchestra (Missouri). Currently, he is a violinist with the Pennsylvania Chamber Orchestra and serves as violin/viola instructor at Juniata College.

 

Dr. Zhou has collaborated with internationally renowned musicians such as Gil Shaham, Augustin Hadelich, David Kim, Alexander Markov, Simone Porter, Tessa Lark, Juan-Miguel Hernandez, Blake Pouliot, Roger Frisch, Ricardo Morales, Mary Elizabeth Bowden, Bryan Cheng, Sterling Elliott, Alexander Hersh, Inon Barnatan, Spencer Myer, Gabriela Martinez, and others. He has performed numerous solo recitals and chamber music concerts and served as principal violinist under esteemed conductors including Michael Stern, Jack Everly, John Storgårds, Ludovic Morlot, Carolyn Watson, David Neely, Gerardo Edelstein, Craig Jessop, Kyle Wiley Pickett, Jung-Ho Pak, and Christopher Kelts.

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He has participated in prestigious festivals and summer programs, including the Aspen Music Festival and School, Northwestern University Summer Violin Institute, Masterworks of Music in Vienna & Prague, and the Heartland Chamber Music Festival. He has also studied in masterclasses with celebrated artists such as Gil Shaham, Alexander Markov, Brian Lewis, David Halen, Joel Smirnoff, Lucie Robert, Beth Titterington, Gerardo Ribeiro, Blair Milton, as well as members of the New York Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony, and renowned ensembles including the Borromeo String Quartet and Quatuor Hermès.

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In addition to his performing career, Dr. Zhou is deeply committed to music education. He has taught violin at the undergraduate level at the University of Kansas and is a registered Suzuki violin teacher, trained at the University of Wisconsin, University of Louisville, and University of Hartford. He is a lifetime member of the Suzuki Association of the Americas and is passionate about nurturing young musicians, inspiring both technical mastery and expressive artistry.

 

His students have earned first violin and concertmaster positions in prominent youth symphony orchestras such as the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra, Missouri All-State Orchestra, and Cache Youth Symphony Orchestra; won top prizes in national and international competitions, including the China Youth Violin Concerto Competition and the IPPA Conero International Chamber Music Competition; and gained acceptance into prestigious conservatory programs such as the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. These accomplishments reflect Dr. Zhou’s ability to guide young musicians to professional and artistic excellence.

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Dr. Zhou performs on a c. 1926 Berlin violin by Michael Dötsch and uses bows by Otto A. Hoyer and Jian Feng Lee.