Leia Zhu

Leia Zhengying Zhu (, born in October 2006) is a British violinist. In 2019, she became the youngest artist to be managed by the London-based artist agency HarrisonParrott and is a Young Artist-in-Residence with the London Mozart Players.

Early life and education
Leia Zhengying Zhu was born in October 2006, in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, to Yanhong Bi and a Chinese father. She also has a younger brother named Leo. Zhu was given a violin by her grandmother at the age of three after being interested in classical music, which her parents often listened to. Her first public performance was at the North East Last Night of the Proms an Newcastle City Hall, at four years old.

Zhu attended Fellside Community Primary School in Gateshead, and St Edward's School in Oxford. She is fluent in English and Chinese, and is learning French and German.

Career and other ventures
Zhu first performed overseas at the age of six in Spain. She has performed with ensembles such as the Belgian National Orchestra, Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra, Festival Strings Lucerne, Russian State Symphony Orchestra, Mariinsky Orchestra,  and English Chamber Orchestra, and at overseas venues and festivals including Salzburg Festival, Rheingau Musik Festival, Royal Festival Hall, Barbican Centre, Cadogan Hall London, Berlin Philharmonie, and Queen Elizabeth Hall.

In 2019, Zhu became the youngest artist to be managed by the London-based artist agency HarrisonParrott, and Youngest Artist in Residence with the London Mozart Players in 2021. She performed a violin solo of "You Raise Me Up" with Irish boy band Westlife during a 2021 livestream.

Zhu has been involved in education outreach programmes established by London Mozart Players, promoting classical music to young people. In 2020, she entered a partnership between Google Arts and Culture and HarrisonParrott on YouTube, introducing and performing works by Heinrich Wilhelm Ernst. Zhu has also shown interest in filmmaking, having a film shortlisted at CineMagic in 2020. She published her autobiography titled Bows, Strings, and Dreams in October 2023.