User:Zuo Zhang (Zee Zee)

Zhang Zuo (Chinese: 左章; pinyin: Zuǒ Zhāng, born 10 October 1988), also known by the name “Zee Zee”, is an “imaginative and electrifying“ Chinese pianist who has appeared with the BBC Symphony, BBC Philharmonic, London Philharmonic, Belgium National Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Cincinnati Symphony, Hong Kong Philharmonic and the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, among others. She has worked with leading conductors including Paavo Jarvi, Marin Alsop and Yan Pascal Totellier and has appeared at some of the top festivals, such as the BBC Proms, Ravinia Festival in the United States and the Beethoven Festival in Poland and had success with a series of solo recitals at notable halls around the world, including the Kennedy Center in Washington DC, Lincoln Center in New York, London’s Wigmore Hall and De Doelen in Rotterdam.

Early Life
Born in Shenzhen, Zee Zee began her musical training in Germany at the age of five. Upon returning to her native China, she became one of the most sought after young artists in the nation, collaborating with leading Chinese orchestras including the Hong Kong Philharmonic, Shanghai Philharmonic and Beijing Symphony Orchestra. Zee enrolled at the Shenzhen Arts School in 1995, the year she turned 7, and began studying with Dan Zhao Yi, who would also soon take under his wing several other rising Chinese piano stars. She soon was winning more national and international competitions and gave her first concerto performance at the age of 8, when she performed the Haydn Concerto in D Major with the Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra. She gave her first solo recital, at the Shenzhen Grand Theater, when she was 9.

Having completed her piano studies with Dan Zhao Yi at the Shenzhen Arts School, Zee Zee was invited to continue her artistic development in the United States, where she attended the Eastman School of Music under the mentorship of Nelita True for her bachelor’s degree, and, in 2012, her master’s at Juilliard, where she studied with piano department chair Yoheved Kaplinsky and Robert McDonald. Zee Zee has been chosen to join BBC's flagship Young Artist programme in the UK for the two seasons. During her residency, she has given a number of orchestral concerts and recitals in London and around Great Britain. As an NGA artist, she has appeared with the BBC Philharmonic and BBC Ulster Orchestra with whom she performed a live, televised concert for the BBC Proms at Royal Albert Hall. She has also appeared with the Cincinnati Symphony and Paavo Jarvi in Mendelssohn’s first concerto as well as her Ravinia Festival debut in September 2014. In the Autumn of 2014, Zee gave a recital tour of Italy with violinist Julian Rachlin and cellist Lynn Harrell.

Achievements
Possessing dazzling technical prowess and spontaneous flair, Zee Zee has been described as "full of enthusiasm and glamour, radiating the vigor of youth" (Chinese Gramophone). Her interpretations and communicative abilities have been praised as "taking us to another reality...bright, expressive and moving to the extreme" (Belgischer Rundfunk) while her creative maturity has been hailed as "a powerful, passionate and compelling representation of pure artistry." (Los Angeles Times) and “an impressive blend of authority, power and grace,” according to The Washington Post".

Among Zhan Zuo's achievements are Petschek Piano Award at The Juilliard School (2013), first prizes at China's 1st International Piano Concerto Competition, the Gina Bachauer International Artists Piano Competition in America (2000), and the Krainev International Piano Competition in Ukraine (2002), as well as being a prizewinner at the 2013 Queen Elizabeth Competition. She has studied at the Peabody Institute with Leon Fleisher, and was honoured to receive musical guidance from Alfred Brendel.

The success of Zee Zee’s debuts with top international orchestras, including the London Philharmonic Orchestra and National Orchestra of Belgium, brought invitations to perform in the world's most prestigious venues including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Palais des Beaux-Arts in Brussels, and the Grand Hall of Moscow Conservatory. For the upcoming season, Zee Zee looks forward to her debut at the Beijing Music Festival, her return to Warsaw with the Warsaw Philharmonic and Maestro Long Yu, as well as performances with the BBC Symphony and Andrew Litton and the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra. 2015-16 also marks the final season of Zee Zee’s two-year residency with the BBC's flagship New Generation Artists program.