Ms Zhang Xiao Meng started her violin when she was 6 years old. When she was 10, she won the Beilei Award of the China Youth Violin Competition at Guangzhou. At the age of 11, she won the 4th Prize of the South-western China Youth Violin Competition. In 2005, she won the First Prize and Special Performing Prize of the China Yunnan Government Music Competition and gave a recital. At 16, she went into the Central Conservatory of Music (Beijing China) as the youngest student for her bachelor’s degree, studying with the well-known violinist, Prof Vera Tsu Wei Ling.

 

In 2007 and 2008, she was chosen to play for the ‘Con tempo’ New Chamber Music composition competition and won the 3rd prize(2007) and 2nd prize(2008) pieces in this competition. In 2008, she also got the first violin position of Asian Youth Orchestra, playing with famous conductor Richard Pontzious, James Judd, violinist Elmar Oliveira, and Cellist Alisa Weilerstein for AYO Asian concert tour. In 2009, she was chosen to the Beijing international chamber music classes with Berliner Philharmoniker ex-concertmaster Mr Reinner Kussamal and Cellist, Mr Wolfgang Boettcher and attended the closing ceremony. In the same year, she studied with Prof Yukiko Sugawara and performed Wolfgang Rihm’s Antliz in Germany Contemporary Music Festival.

 

In 2010, she graduated from The Central Conservatory of Music. She won a master degree’s position in the top five famous United States’ Music schools such as Yale University and so on. At the same time, she was still chosen to be a violin player permanently at China National of Performing Arts Orchestra (NCPAO). She also performed with many top musicians such as Lorin Maazel, Valery Gergiev, Leo Nucci, Christoph Eschenbach, Vladimir Ashkenazyand the top soloists. During this period, she also gave many concerts in many countries’ concert halls, such as Singapore, Germany, Korea, and Australia. She joined the CD recording with Berliner Philharmonic 12 principals, Maestro Lorin Maazel for the very famous piece 《The Ring without Words》.

 

Later, she started her Master of Arts degree at University Mozarteum Salzburg with Austrian Famous Prof Paul Roczek. During her studies, she was the concertmaster and second violin principal at the Oper im Berg Festival Salzburg orchestra and played in many music festivals in Europe such as Denmark, Austria, Germany, Italy, Spain and etc. She is still very interested in playing chamber music and has studied with many famous chamber music musicians such as Wolfgang Redik, Michaela Girardi, who also gave many chamber music concerts in many cities of Europe.

 

After she got the highest performance degree and a diploma from the University Mozarteum, she won the position of the first violin at Germany 150 years old orchestra Bad–Reichenhaller Philharmonie Orchestra during 2017-2020. In 2019, she also got the first violin position of Salzburg Philharmonie Orchestra. During her career in Europe, she inherits the essence of her professor’s successful teaching skills and has served as an assistant teacher for the Austrian violinist Michaela Girardi for a long time and has participated in various master classes to cultivate a group of excellent violin students. Under her guidance, her student has participated in various strings competitions and has won the gold medal in the Junior Catalogue of the 10th China Little Golden Bell (小金钟奖) Music Competition (Yunnan Division).

 

With her teaching experience, Ms Zhang is confident to cultivate every student’s potential to perform better and professionally. Zhang Xiao Meng is part of our team of passionate and dedicated music educators; tutoring classes in violin performances here at Melody Strings