Born in Beijing in 1978. Jing ZHAO started playing the violoncello at the age of five. While studying at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, she was discovered by the Japanese cellist, Mr. Ryosuke Hori. Deeply impressed by her musical gifts, he arranged to invite her to Japan for further study. In 1996, she received a special scholarship for foreign students from the Tokyo College of Music and enrolled in its affliated high school. In March 2002, she graduated from the Tokyo College of Music and the Karajan Academy in Berlin. Jing ZHAO won first prize at the Second Cello Competition organized by Viva Hall in Japan. She has performed with almost all the major orchestras in Japan under noted conductors such as Seiji Ozawa. In 1999, Jing ZHAO performed before Claudio Abbado and won his high praise. In 2000, she made her European debut playing with Riccardo Muti and the Orchestra Filharmonica della Scala. Three CDs have been released from Victor Entertainment in Japan. In April 2002, she performed as a soloist in Beijing with the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Jean Fournet with great success. In the summer of 2003, she was invited as one of the soloists to perform Beethoven's triple concerto with Myung-Whung Chung and Daishin Kashimoto (violin) for a tour of the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra to Singapore. In August 2004, she participated in a chamber music festival in Salon de Provence (France) organized by Emmanuel Pahud (flute), Paul Meyer (clarinet), and Eric Le Sage (piano) and was highly acclaimed both by public and participating artists. In October 2004, she has performed a concerto at Kammermusiksaal of Philharmony Hall in Berlin under the baton of David Geringas (in the series of Philharmony Hall, Berlin). In 2005, she was invited to participate into a renowned La Folle Fournee festival in Nantes and in Tokyo and Lisbon in January and April respectively. Jing ZHAO has studied under Georg Faust, Ryosuke Hori, and Mario Brunello, and currently studying at the Hanns Eisler Academy in Berlin under David Geringas. Her future engagements include recitals, a duo tour with Yasuji Ohagi (guitarist), chamber music, and concertos with various orchestras both in Japan and Europe. With her deep musicality and virtuosity, Jing ZHAO is considered one of the most promising artists now establishing an international career.

(August 2005)