Austin began studying piano with Teresa Ehrlich at the Renaissance Music Academy in Blacksburg, VA, in 2017 at the age of four. After moving to Ithaca, NY, in 2018, he continued online lessons with Teresa for another year before beginning lessons with Jessica Caporizzo at Opus Ithaca in 2019. During a year of international travel from 2022 to 2023, he worked with several short-term teachers around the world. Austin is a first-place winner of the 2025 Crescendo International Competition and the 2025, 2024, and 2021 Little Mozarts Piano Competitions, earning top scores in both 2024 and 2025.
He began his violin studies at the age of five with Sarah Cummings at Ithaca Suzuki Music Education. He served as Second Violinist in the All-County Orchestra, First Violinist in the Boynton Middle School Chamber Orchestra, and Concertmaster of the 6th Grade Orchestra. Austin earned perfect scores at the NYSSMA Solo Festival for Level V (2025) and Level IV (2024) and has been accepted into the Cayuga Chamber Orchestra Youth Orchestra.
Watch Austin Zirui Zhou perform Sonata in C, K. 545 I Allegro and II Andante by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart on the piano for the 2025 Summer Music Competition as part of the Charleston International Music Competition.