In 2014 Ziyu won first prize representing Austria at the Eurovision Young Musician's Competition in Cologne which was broadcast on TV all over Europe. The following year he won first prize in his age group at the Mozart Competition in Zhuhai, China and at the International Instrumental Competition in Markneukirchen, Germany. In February 2016 he won the first prize and the prize for the best interpretation of the new commission at the International Mozart Competition in Salzburg. Only two months later he won the first prize in the Senior Division and three further prizes at the renowned Yehudi Menuhin Competition in London. This was closely followed by the second prize and a special prize at the Leopold Mozart Competition in Augsburg and further international prizes at Kloster Schöntal and the Louis Spohr Competition in Weimar, both in Germany. In June 2012 he was the recipient of the Szymon Goldberg Award of the Music Academy in Messen as the youngest participant in all age divisions. He was a prizewinner at the International Summer Academy of the Mozarteum University in 2011 and was invited to perform Johann Sebastian Bach's Ciaconna at the Prizewinners' Concert during the Salzburg Festival. Ziyu's concert performances have taken him as a young artist to Great Britain, Switzerland, Israel, France, Germany, Sweden and Italy. He showcased his extraordinary talent at three Opening Events of the Sazburg Festival in 2011-2013 and has performed at the Leopold Mozart Centre at Augsburg University as well as at the Schumann House in Leipzig in a concert in memory of Niccolò Paganini. He gave his debut with orchestra in his home town of Qingdao, China, in November 2012 with the Qingdao Symphony Orchestra and in November 2014 performed Prokofiev's 2nd Violin Concerto with the Mozarteum University Symphony Orchestra conducted by Hans Graf. He made appearances on TwoSet Violin's YouTube channel as a guest violinist for his performance of "Introduction and variations in G major" for violin, Op. 38, MS 44, 1827 "Nel cor più non mi sento" by Niccolo Paganini at the 2016 Menuhin Competition.
Personal life
Ziyu He was born in 1999 in Qingdao and began playing the violin at the age of 5. His first violin teacher was Professor Xiangrong Zhang. In 2010 he was introduced in Beijing to Professor Paul Roczek from the Mozarteum University Salzburg who recognised his exceptional talent and his great instrumental and artistic potential and invited him to study with him in Salzburg and to attend the International Summer Academy. Ziyu has lived in Salzburg since 2011 and studies Violin with Professor Paul Roczek and Viola with Professor Thomas Riebl, both at the Mozarteum University. He has attended masterclasses with Ivry Gitlis, Ani Schnarch, Schmuel Ashkenasi Vadim Gluzman, Chaim Taub, Petru Munteanu in Keshet Eilon, Israel and in Salzburg. Ziyu He plays the "Schneiderhan" Stradivarius violin from 1715 which is on a 1-year loan to him by Beare's International Violin Society.
