Thursday Lunchtime Concert – violinist Shuwei Zuo, pianist Yun-Jou Lin

Shuwei Zuo is a Chinese violinist, currently taking part at the Southbank Sinfonia. She embarked on her musical journey at the age of 5 and attended a music specialist school. She took part in a tour in Taiwan with the China Youth Symphony Orchestra in 2012. In 2014, she successfully gained a place at the Central Conservatory of Music, studying with Jia Zhang, Liwei Tan, and Wei Xue. In the same year, she participated in the New York Summit Festival, where she was highly commended by legendary violinist Aaron Rosand, with whom she had lessons.

She moved to the UK to undertake her Master’s degree at the Royal Academy of Music in 2018. These performances received many excellent reviews. She also won first prize in the Hummingbird Music Competition with her trio and was invited to hold chamber concerts in Peking University, Yantai, Wuxi, and many other cities.

After coming to the UK, she has continued her solo and ensemble career, performing in trios and quartets, and enjoys her life as an orchestral player. She has offered numerous solo, trio, and quartet concerts and recordings in York, Leeds, Haslemere, London, Manchester, and other cities, receiving high praise such as, “This was spirited but finely judged and stunning playing from a rising star,” “Virtuoso performance,” and “Finely spun violin sound rising shoulder-high.”

Shuwei has worked with some of the world’s top conductors and orchestras, such as St Martin in the Fields, Royal Opera House, Britten Sinfonia, Manchester Camerata, Manchester Collective, and others. She also gained a place at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire for the Artist Diploma with a scholarship soon after she received distinction graduation from RNCM.

Yun-Jou Lin was trained in the Russian music style by reputable Taiwanese pianist Adrei Yeh, the pupil of renowned Russian musician Heinrich Neuhaus. Under the discipline of Russian music, she develops distinguished tone and exquisite interpretation of her music.

Yun-Jou enjoys her career as an active pianist, her performances across Taiwan, including National Concert Hall, Zhongshan Hall, Wen-Heui Hall, Taipei’s Bach Recital Hall, and New Taipei Art City Center. In her recent performance of Scriabin’s Piano Sonata No. 5 was highly praised by pianist Andrei Yeh “delicate and various tone color, and great sensitivity for music”.

Complementing her prowess in piano solo performances, Yun-Jou’s passion extends to serving as a collaborative pianist and a chamber musician in numerous concerts. She has been invited to the Schubert Projects promoted by pianist Victor Rosenbaum, and Taiwanese composer Tyzen Hsiao’s Concert Projects for the piano trio and duets in Taipei. She is dedicated to nurturing piano music education and explores various musical genres, including jazz, and electronic keyboard music, showcasing her versatility as an artist.

Yun-Jou earned her master’s degree under Andrei Yeh’s guidance at National Taiwan Normal university where she received the Future Masters Cultivation Program scholarships throughout her university years, and selected to an exchange program with a scholarship to pursue diverse training with Yang Ming at the Beijing’s Central Conservatory of Music. Now she’s pursing the Advanced Postgraduate Diploma with Daniel Browell and Margaret Fingerhut at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire.