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Nancy Zhou

@nancyzhouviolin

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Violinist aspiring to be a humanist
My other moniker: 周颖 (“zhō yǐng”)
💿 STORIES (re)TRACED out now on Orchid Classics

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Currently in a phase devoted to the music of Johannes Brahms, the solitary humanist of many contradictions and multitudes whose timeless voice continues to console and heal ❤️ Can’t wait to record his three piano/violin sonatas with dear Jeffrey Kahane next week in Boston, as part of my second album project!

Sharing one of the most tender, loving passages in the chamber literature… Memories from this past August with @boyangpianist, Cheng Yan Shi (cello), and Peng Ao (viola) at @echovalley.musicfestival 🌹
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#violin #violinist #chambermusic #brahms by @nancyzhouviolin

With the 17th edition of the Wieniawski competition at a close, I’m looking back and reflecting on my experience, accompanied by a cocktail of emotions and deep admiration for each musician who participated. Just as a performance ideally stems from creativity rooted in integrity, empathy, discipline, and emotional courage, an “evaluation” of a performance ideally stems from those values. It was an honor to be a part of this event, which ultimately is a celebration of the arts as a force of communion and humanness.

It was also a great pleasure to connect with each candidate whom I had the chance to meet - and, to all, thank you and heartfelt congratulations for sharing your art with the world. Whatever the results, this is another step towards our common pursuit of beauty and truth in music. Onwards 🌹

PS - jurors’ scores to be published soon - more details about the scoring process can be found on the website of @wieniawskisociety. Worth mentioning even if this may seem obvious - the experience of a live performance is so different than that of an audio/video recording - all the more reason to attend live concerts if possible :)
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#violin #violinist #wieniawski by @nancyzhouviolin

What an unforgettable violin marathon!

As Jury Chairman Bartłomiej Nizioł perfectly put it, this was a true test of artistry and endurance. Huge congratulations to the amazing musicians who crossed the finish line and took top honors!

🥇 Bohdan Luts
🥈 Jinzhu Li
🥉 SooBeen Lee

📸 @freshframe_lz

konkurs.wieniawski.pl

#wieniawski2026 #wieniawskicompetition #wieniawskisociety #poznań by @nancyzhouviolin

With limited time to practice, target-specific work is even more valuable - this particular section of Benjamin Britten’s violin concerto seems unassuming but can be quite tricky to express the right balance between agitation and restraint - suppressed sentiments against the “machine of war”.
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#violin #violinist #brittenviolinconcerto by @nancyzhouviolin

For fun… Inspired to hear so many works by Henryk Wieniawski at his namesake competition, not least of which are his caprices for solo violin - I absolutely fell in love with this one, titled “La Cadenza” - an extended, improvisatory series of cadences filled with leaps that are sublime but kind of a nightmare… A fun study on bow distribution, legato, dexterity, and supple shifting. After hearing so many wonderful renditions of it, I wanted to try it myself… random morning dabbling!
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#violin #violinist #wieniawski by @nancyzhouviolin

The results of the second round are coming tomorrow! 👀🎻

But in the meantime, you can find out exactly what the Wieniawski Competition jury is looking for - and what qualities they believe the winner should have! 🏆✨

Music in the background:

Henryk Wieniawski – Légende, Op. 17

🎻 Konstanty Andrzej Kulka – violin
🎹 Andrzej Tatarski – piano

💿 From the CD Pieces for Violin Solo, Two Violins and Violin with Piano, edited by the Henryk Wieniawski Musical Society in Poznań, 2001. Wearing @daborjewellery by @nancyzhouviolin

An honor to serve on the jury of the 17th International Wieniawski Violin Competition @wieniawskisociety 🙏 My first time in this capacity, and, two days into it, further realizing how a live performance is a practice of empathy and commitment to trust. The listener owes the performer a faith in their vulnerability, and the performer trusts that the listener will listen with intensity and without scrutiny, as if in confidence. The line between public and private becomes nebulous…

It’s been especially moving to listen to each interpretation, alongside wonderful colleagues - a beautiful learning experience. Can’t wait to continue over the next days 🌹

PC: @freshframe_lz
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#violin #violinist #wieniawskicompetition by @nancyzhouviolin

The Wieniawski Competition Jury at work... Day 1 of Stage 1 in progress... 🎻

Jury members:

Bartłomiej Nizioł – Chairman of the Jury
Andrea Obiso
Liviu Prunaru
Gerhard Schulz
Alexander Sitkovetsky
Akiko Suwanai
Agata Szymczewska
Vera Tsu Weiling
Sungsic Yang
Nancy Zhou

📸 @freshframe_lz

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Co-organization & Co-financing: @kultura_gov_pl | @nimitpolska
Co-financing: @miastopoznan_
Strategic Patron: @orlenartscience
Partner: @grupa_pzu

#wieniawski2026 #wieniawskicompetition #wieniawskisociety #poznań #violincompetition #kulturajestwspólna #poznańwspiera by @nancyzhouviolin

Learning how to practice is an ongoing journey, especially when one becomes busier, but finally starting to grasp how to effectively practice, which consists of a mindful use of our visual, tactile, and kinesthetic senses. Finding it very helpful to to take mini breaks from playing so that the mind can reset, evaluate, and problem-solve in silence.

Before my flight to Poland - working on this tricky section from Benjamin Britten’s violin concerto, which has a few double stop harmonics!
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#violin #violinist #brittenviolinconcerto by @nancyzhouviolin

Really enjoyed the process of learning and performing for the first time Chen Gang’s “Sunshine over Tashkurgan”, a piece that looks towards ethnography and folk minority culture for expression and beautifully represents the composer’s commitment to cultural integration over cultural assimilation.

Thank you to the Chengdu Symphony Orchestra and Mo. Long Yu for the collaboration last week - it feels extra special to perform this work in memory of the composer, who passed away this past summer and btw is the co-composer of the Butterfly Lovers Concerto 🙏
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#violin #violinist #tashkurgan by @nancyzhouviolin

Grateful and a great pleasure to celebrate this year’s Mid-Autumn Festival in Chengdu with the Chengdu Symphony Orchestra and Mo. Long Yu, performing Fritz Kreisler’s Tambourin Chinois and Chen Gang’s Sunshine Over Tashkurgan! It takes a village to run such a community-bringing, spectacular event like this… certainly the largest audience in my experience, with over 7K attendees. A singular memory 🙏
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#violin #violinist #chengdu by @nancyzhouviolin

From October 4 to 7, the YF Academy Festival Vol. 5 concert series takes the stage. The program spans from the crystalline dialogue of Mozart to the sweeping romantic intensity of Mendelssohn and Tchaikovsky.

Swipe through to discover the full daily programme and concert schedules ⬆️

🌟 World-Class Faculty Artists
This season brings together an extraordinary lineup of internationally acclaimed musicians—including principal members of celebrated string quartets, professors from Europe’s leading conservatories, and international competition laureates. @oliverwille_music @alexey_stadler @nancyzhouviolin @xiaoming.wang_violin @erik.w.xu @angeloviolin @jiazhiviolin

✨ Mentorship on Stage
A signature feature of the YF Academy experience: student solo performances are woven seamlessly with faculty-led chamber masterpieces. Stepping out of the practice room and straight into the spotlight, our young musicians perform side-by-side with master mentors, immersing themselves in the rhythm and artistry of professional music-making.

We can’t wait to share this music with you!

#YFAcademy#YFFestival #ClassicalMusic #ClassicalMusicians by @nancyzhouviolin