Cellist Matthew Zhang got into music after joining the Houston Boy Choir. As a chorister, Matthew performed around the US, on tour in South Africa, and, in 2014, under the direction of Christoph Eschenbach and the Houston Symphony (HSO) in Mahler’s ‘Symphony of a Thousand’. As cellist, Matthew was Principal of the Houston Youth Symphony and winner of their 2019 Concerto Competition which led to a solo performance of Tchaikovsky’s Rococo Variations. In high school, Matthew was mentored by Christopher French (Associate Principal Cellist of the HSO) and complemented his studies with Professors Desmond Hoebig and Brinton Smith. Last summer, Matthew participated in Carnegie Hall’s National Youth Orchestra where he was coached by Mark Kosower and served as Assistant Principal Cellist. Currently, Matthew is a rising sophomore at the University of Michigan where he studies with Professor Richard Aaron.