Violinist Meng Zou performed Jean Sibelius' Violin Concerto in D Minor, Op. 47, with the Harbin Symphony Orchestra and conductor Jindong Cai. The performance was a part of the final round of the 2025 Schoenfeld International String Competition Violin Division. Zou was awarded First Prize at the competition and received a cash award of $30,000.

Sibelius' Violin Concerto is one of the most beloved staples of the soloistic violin repertoire, but despite the fame it has enjoyed among audiences and performances alike, Sibelius, who channeled his own dream of becoming a violin virtuoso into the composition, struggled with the piece's origins. After a last-minute change in performers resulted in a disappointing premiere, Sibelius revised the concerto extensively, making drastic alterations before a far more successful second premiere in 1905, which was performed by violinist Karel Halíř and conducted by Richard Strauss.

Hear Zou's performance of the concerto below:

 

Chinese violinist Meng Zou has been a top prizewinner in the Hong Kong International Violin Competition, the Khachaturian 120th Anniversary International Violin Competition, the Singapore National Piano and Violin Competition, and the Classic Violin Olympus International Competition Tokyo. He made his solo debut in 2014 with the SCOM Symphony Orchestra at the Sichuan Conservatory of Music. Zou is currently a student at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music. His teachers include Li Kaixiang and Qian Zhou.