American violinist Kevin Zhu, 1st Prize winner of the 2018 Paganini Competition, makes his Hong Kong Sinfonietta debut this September with one of the most virtuosic works in the violin repertoire — Lalo's Symphonie espagnole.
In This Guide
Who is Kevin Zhu?
Kevin Zhu is an American violinist who first drew international attention as a child, winning 1st Prize at the 2012 Menuhin Competition. He went on to take 1st Prize at the 2018 Paganini Competition in Genoa — one of the most prestigious violin competitions in the world, previously won by artists including Salvatore Accardo and Leonidas Kavakos — and placed 4th at the 2024 Queen Elisabeth Competition. He has since performed at venues including the Konzerthaus Berlin, London's Royal Festival Hall, the Kennedy Center and BOZAR Brussels, and received the Avery Fisher Career Grant in 2021.
One reviewer described his playing as showing "absolute virtuosity, almost blinding in its incredible purity" — a description that lines up neatly with the technical demands of the piece he's chosen for his Hong Kong debut.
What's on the programme?
Zhu's HKS debut centres on Lalo's Symphonie espagnole, Op. 21 — nominally a violin concerto but structured more like a symphony with a soloist woven through it, drawing on Spanish rhythms and colour across five movements. It's a piece built for a violinist who can combine flash with control, which is exactly the territory Zhu has built his reputation on.
The concert opens with the Asian premiere of Adrian Wong's Space Jump! (2024), a contemporary work by the Hong Kong-connected composer, and closes with Beethoven's Symphony No. 8 in F major — the shortest and, some say, wittiest of his nine symphonies. Christoph Poppen, Hong Kong Sinfonietta's Music Director, conducts throughout.
Why is a Paganini Competition winner worth catching?
Debut appearances by international prize-winners give Hong Kong audiences a first look at artists before their reputations fully arrive here, and the Paganini Competition in particular has a track record of identifying violinists who go on to major international careers. Zhu's debut lands in the same September stretch as Benjamin Grosvenor's two Hong Kong Sinfonietta concerts, making it a strong month for the city's classical concert calendar.
Date, venue and tickets
Great Violin Concertos: Kevin Zhu Plays Lalo
Hong Kong City Hall Concert Hall sits in the Low Block of City Hall, a short walk from Central MTR and the Star Ferry, with concession and group-booking discounts typically available through URBTIX.
Good to know: the Beethoven symphony that closes the programme runs under 30 minutes, making this one of the more approachable full-orchestra concerts of the season for anyone new to classical music. For more of the city's autumn line-up, see our guides to Hong Kong's autumn 2026 concerts and HK Phil's season opener with Manfred Honeck.
Frequently Asked Questions
A Paganini Competition winner's first Hong Kong outing
Kevin Zhu's HKS debut pairs serious virtuosity with an approachable programme — a strong pick for anyone building out their September concert calendar. Book through URBTIX before the good seats go.