Yao Zhao
Principal Cellist of the San Diego Symphony Orchestra
Faculty of Idyllwild Arts Academy

 

Yao Zhao

Hailed in the New York Concert Review as “a superb cellist with intense and sensuous sound,” and described by the Los Angeles Times as “being able to handle the most intricate musical works with unblinking ease and expressive zeal,” Mr. Yao Zhao performs with a rare and captivating dynamism that has already secured him a successful career as an artist.

The newly appointed Cello Principal of the San Diego Symphony Orchestra, Mr. Zhao has held the Associate Cello Principal position for the past two years, and prior to that, he has been the principal cellist of the San Diego Chamber Orchestra and a member of the Pacific Symphony Orchestra.  He is one of the youngest Chinese cello principals of any major symphony orchestras around the world.  Mr. Zhao also dedicates himself to the education of youth in the arts by teaching at the Idyllwild Arts, and Idyllwild Arts Summer Festival, where he is an alumnus and also a generous scholarship donor. 

Born in Beijing in 1976, Mr. Zhao began his studies on the cello and piano at the age of four under the instruction of his father, a distinguished cellist.  He made his first appearance in concert at the age of five, and solo debut in the Beijing Concert Hall at age nine.  That same year, he was also accepted to the China Central Conservatory of Music.  For his talent and exceptional performance in a master class held by Professor Eleonore Schoenfeld, Mr. Zhao was personally chosen by the renowned pedagogue to venture to the United States and continue his education on full scholarships at the Idyllwild Arts Academy and the Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California in 1991.

Since winning a top prize of the First Chinese National Cello Competition in 1987, Mr. Zhao has kept a winning streak of more than 13 competition, awards and honors.  His achievements and generous contributions to music performance and education have been recognized and highly commended by the City of Los Angeles. 

Mr. Zhao is known as one of the busiest musicians performing more than one hundred and seventy concerts per season at renowned concert halls in more than 40 cities around the world.  Some of which includes Konzarthaus in Vienna, KKL in Lucerne, Gasteig in Munich, Alte Oper in Frankfurt, Esplanade in Singapore, the Hollywood Bowl, and the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles.  He has frequently been invited to perform with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra, the Fort Worth Symphony, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Los Angeles Opera, and the Shanghai Festival Orchestra which gathers top Chinese artists worldwide.  Some of his summer festival appearances have included the Grand Teton Festival and the Ojai Music Festival and the Asia Philharmonic Orchestra in Korea and Japan.  The successful solo debut at the Weil Recital Hall of the Carnegie Hall in New York has been marked as one of his career highlights.