Fifteen-year-old Zekai Chen, the 2025 Stulberg Silver Medalist, is preparing to perform Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto with the Western Michigan University Symphony Orchestra this Sunday at 7 p.m. in Miller Auditorium.
Chen, who still attends high school in Shanghai, describes his Stulberg competition experience as "a great learning opportunity," noting he competed "while overcoming 12 hours of jet lag." He studies violin with renowned teacher Mingen Zhou at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music.
WMU violin professor Dr. Sophie Tang, who serves on the Stulberg board, reports that this year's competition reached approximately 120,000 viewers online through platforms like YouTube and WeChat. She calls the competition "a treasure for Kalamazoo."
After attending rehearsals, Tang observes that Chen "doesn't sound like a boy who is only 15 years old. His music is more mature." She praises his clear communication with conductor Bruce Uchimura, describing it as "a wonderful collaboration."
Uchimura, the WMU Symphony director, says working with Stulberg finalists is always rewarding because "they're all deserving of winning some kind of place." He notes that despite having only three rehearsals with Chen, the orchestra has prepared well.
The concert program also includes a Beethoven overture and Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition in Maurice Ravel's orchestration. Tickets are available at the Irving S. Gilmore School of Music website and at the door for approximately $15.
Information about upcoming Stulberg events can be found at stulberg.org.
The interview was summarized by Claude AI and edited by the author.
