KUANG ZHOU
VIOLA · CINCINNATI · SEASON 26–27

Kuang Zhou is a violist pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM), studying with Brian Hong. He previously studied with Melissa Reardon in Bard College Conservatory of Music’s Graduate Instrumental Arts Program. He earned his bachelor’s degree in music performance at East China Normal University in 2024, where he studied with Dapeng Sun.

His work spans solo, chamber and orchestral performance. He appeared with The Orchestra Now (TŌN) under Leon Botstein in movements I–II of Telemann’s Viola Concerto in G major in 2025, and with the ECNU Symphony Orchestra in the first movement of Walton’s Viola Concerto in 2024. In October 2025, he served as principal viola of the Bard College Conservatory Orchestra in performances of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony and the North American premiere of Tan Dun’s Choral Concerto: Nine at the Fisher Center and Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center.

His festival experience includes the Green Lake Festival of Music Chamber Music Institute and the Hangzhou Liangzhu International (Youth) String Festival. His string quartet received “Highest Honor” at the Schubert International Music Competition in Moscow in 2023. At his May 2025 recital in Bard’s Olin Hall, he premiered his original Sonata Introduction for Viola and Piano, dedicated to Melissa Reardon.