FEATURED ARTISTS

Born and raised in Beijing, China, Jingqi Zhu is a conductor and pianist, currently serving as Assistant Professor of Music and Director of Orchestral and Instrumental Studies at Binghamton University, State University of New York.
Professionally, Jingqi has conducted orchestras in the US and beyond, including Südwestdeutsche ...

Born and raised in Beijing, China, Jingqi Zhu is a conductor and pianist, currently serving as Assistant Professor of Music and Director of Orchestral and Instrumental Studies at Binghamton University, State University of New York.
Professionally, Jingqi has conducted orchestras in the US and beyond, including Südwestdeutsche Philharmonie Konstanz (Germany), MÁV Symphony Orchestra (Hungary), The Dallas Opera Orchestra, Spokane Symphony, Syracuse Orchestra, National Orchestral Institute Chamber Orchestra, among others.

A passionate advocate for community music building and music education, Jingqi Zhu has coached and guest conducted a variety of youth and civic orchestras, including the Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphonies, Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra, St. Cloud Symphony Orchestra, Buffalo Community Orchestra, and Golden Valley Orchestra. During her four years of doctoral studies in Minnesota, she actively engaged in numerous projects as a conductor and chamber musician, collaborating with composers, singers, and instrumentalists from the local community. As an experienced and dynamic choral conductor, Jingqi has frequently worked with the Minnesota Chorale, the principal chorus of the Minnesota Orchestra and one of the leading professional choruses in the United States.

With a versatile background in choral and orchestral conducting, Jingqi developed a deep passion for opera during her formative years studying at Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, where she served both as assistant chorus master and pianist for the productions at IU Opera and Ballet Theater every year. While pursuing her doctoral degree in at University of Minnesota, she gained extensive experiences conducting, assisting and preparing choruses for full productions of Verdi’s Il Trovatore, Puccini’s Suor Angelica, Mozart’s Don Giovanni and Strauss II’s Die Fledermaus with the University of Minnesota Opera Theatre.

These collegiate opera experiences soon propelled Jingqi to the professional stage. In 2024, she was one of only four conductors worldwide selected for The Dallas Opera’s prestigious program Hart Institute for Women Conductors, where she performed excerpts from Samuel Barber’s Vanessa with world-class singers and The Dallas Opera Orchestra under the mentorship of Emmanuel Villaume. Later that year, she returned to The Dallas Opera as assistant conductor and pianist for the season-opening production of Verdi’s La Traviata. In 2025, she will also serve as the assistant conductor and pianist for the Quad City Symphony Orchestra’s production of Omar’s Journey, a concert opera adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning work by Rhiannon Giddens and Michael Abels.

Jingqi has participated and performed in masterclasses and festivals with world-renowned conductors, including Marin Alsop and James Ross at the National Orchestral Institute + Festival, Johannes Schlaefli at the Internationale Sommerakademie, Jorma Panula at The 9th International Masterclass in Budapest, James Lowe and James Ross at the inaugural International Conductor’s Workshop at Spokane Symphony, and Carl St. Clair at the Wintergreen Festival, among others.

As an active pianist, Jingqi performed with the Indiana University Chamber Orchestra under Carl St. Clair as the winner of the piano concerto competition. She continues to perform extensively in solo and chamber recitals, as well as in choral and orchestral concerts. Additionally she continues to serve as pianist and coach in collegiate and professional opera productions.

Jingqi’s principal conducting teacher is Mark Russell Smith at the University of Minnesota. Her other conducting teachers include Kathy Romey and Matthew Mehaffey (University of Minnesota), Betsy Burleigh (Indiana University), and Kate Tamarkin and Michael Slon (University of Virginia). She studied piano with Jean-Louis Haguenauer and Mimi Tung. Beyond school, she is mentored by Carl St. Clair, Paolo Bressan, James Lowe, and Emmanuel Villaume.

The Central New York Ballet is an artist centered, inclusive professional ballet company dedicated to uncompromising artistic excellence. We are changing lives through dance. We are a new organization with deep roots. Our dancers and artistic staff have decades of combined experience dancing in and directing ballet companies. ...

The Central New York Ballet is an artist centered, inclusive professional ballet company dedicated to uncompromising artistic excellence. We are changing lives through dance. We are a new organization with deep roots. Our dancers and artistic staff have decades of combined experience dancing in and directing ballet companies. Our management team is comprised of business owners, attorneys, and others with deep experience in the arts, who are committed to bringing excellent art to our community while also giving dancers more control over their artistic lives.