Ziyu He
A Chinese violinist who conquered Europe's most prestigious youth competitions, winning both the Menuhin and Eurovision contests as a teenager.
Born 1999 (age 27)·Chinese violinist·Birthday: April 24·Generation Z
Biography
Ziyu He's violin speaks with a maturity that has belied his years since he first gained international attention. Born in China, he moved to Salzburg, Austria, at age twelve, immersing himself in the heart of European classical tradition. His talent quickly crystallized on the competition stage. At fifteen, he won the 2014 Eurovision Young Musicians contest, a pan-European platform that made him a continental phenomenon. Two years later, he claimed first prize at the even more rigorous Menuhin Competition, solidifying his status as one of the most gifted young string players of his generation. These wins were not just trophies but passports to a global career, leading to performances with major orchestras and on the world's great concert stages. His playing combines technical precision with a lyrical, thoughtful intensity, suggesting an artist who moved from prodigy to profound musician with striking speed.
Generation Z
1997–2012
Born into smartphones, social media, and school shootings. The most diverse generation in history. Pragmatic about money, fluid about identity, anxious about the climate. They do not remember a world before the internet.
Ziyu was born in 1999, placing them squarely in the Generation Z. The events that shaped this generation — social media, climate anxiety, and a pandemic — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Ziyu Was Born
The biggest hits of 1999
#1 Movie
Star Wars: Episode I
Best Picture
American Beauty
#1 TV Show
ER
Ziyu's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1999Born
Columbine shooting; Y2K panic builds
Gas: $1.17/galHome: $113,900Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Believe" — CherBest Picture: American Beauty
2004Started school
Indian Ocean tsunami kills over 230,000
Gas: $1.88/galHome: $157,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Yeah!" — UsherBest Picture: Million Dollar Baby
2012Became a teenager
Curiosity rover lands on Mars; Sandy Hook shooting
Gas: $3.64/galHome: $143,200Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Somebody That I Used to Know" — GotyeBest Picture: Argo
2015Could drive
Paris climate agreement; same-sex marriage legalized in the US
Gas: $2.43/galHome: $171,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Uptown Funk" — Mark Ronson ft. Bruno MarsBest Picture: Spotlight
2017Could vote
#MeToo movement; solar eclipse crosses the US
Gas: $2.42/galHome: $195,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Shape of You" — Ed SheeranBest Picture: The Shape of Water
2020Turned 21
COVID-19 pandemic shuts down the world
Gas: $2.17/galHome: $248,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Blinding Lights" — The WeekndBest Picture: Nomadland
2026Age 27 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Won first prize at the prestigious International Menuhin Competition for young violinists in 2016.
- Was the winner of the Eurovision Young Musicians competition in 2014 at the age of 15.
- Has performed as a soloist with major orchestras including the London Philharmonic and the Finnish Radio Symphony.
Did You Know?
He moved from China to Salzburg, Austria, in 2011 to further his musical studies.
He studied at the Mozarteum University in Salzburg.
Following his Menuhin Competition win, he was loaned the 'Huggins' Stradivarius violin from 1708 for a period of time.
“The music is not in the notes, but in the silence between them.”
