Chinese American violinist bags $100,000 prize money

Musician Nancy Zhou won the grand prize of the second Shanghai Isaac Stern International Violin Competition (SISIVC) on Sept 1.

The $100,000 prize money won by the 25-year-old Chinese American ranks among the highest monetary awards in international music competitions. Zhou said that she would use the money to further develop her music career.

Born in San Antonio, Texas, Zhou started to learn the violin from her father Zhou Long, who is also an internationally recognized musician. Since her orchestral debut at the age of nine, the Harvard graduate has won international awards such as the 2012 Queen Elisabeth Competition and the 2015 Jean Sibelius Violin Competition.