Julia Zhou is in 10th grade at Acton Boxborough Regional High School in Massachusetts. She began playing violin and piano at age four and studied piano with Mr. Ronald Kmiec. She currently studies piano with Ms. Niva Fried at the Groton Hill Music school and violin with Ms. Xue Chen.
Julia won multiple first place prize in the MMTA Bay State Piano Competition (2022, 2019, 2018, 2015). She was awarded the first prize in the 2023 Steinway Society of Massachusetts Piano Competition and also a prior top prize winner (2022, 2021) and has performed with them at Boston’s Symphony Hall. She was the runner up for the Lowell Philharmonic Orchestra Concerto Competition (2021), Metrowest Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competitions (2018) and Ehlers Young Artist Concerto Competition (2017). She was invited as soloist with the Seven Hills Symphony Orchestra (2019) and delivered a solo piano performance at the Concord Orchestra and at First Parish Holiday Concert. As a winner of the 2019 National Public Radio’s From the Top, she played in Show 376 at Boston’s Jordan Hall. Julia has performed solo and with orchestra at Boston’s Symphony Hall. She was a finalist in the 7th and 5th Tureck International Bach competition (2022, 2017) and was awarded top prizes.
Julia plays violin in the New England Conservatory Preparatory School’s Youth Symphony Orchestra and also participated in the 2023 MMEA All-State Festival. Her favorite composers are Fryderyk Chopin and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, and she likes to watch the performances of Yuja Wang and Hilary Hahn. Outside of classical music, Julia enjoys reading, writing, gymnastics, watching figure skating, and traveling, and is an avid sports fan.
You can find Julia’s 2023 Romantic Music Competition piano performance here.