Jin Min Zhang
Bassoon
Jin Min Zhang
Professor
at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music
Jin Min Zhang graduated from Beijing’s Central Conservatory of Music in 1982 and won a French government scholarship to study at the Paris Conservatoire where he obtained an advanced performance certificate and was awarded a gold medal for chamber music. From 1984 to 1985, he was the Head of the Brass and Woodwind Departments at the Central Conservatory in Beijing, and at the same time, managed the China National Youth Orchestra. Following this, he received a government scholarship to pursue the Master of Music degree at the Geneva Superior Conservatory. He was a member of the Orchestra de la Suisse Romande before joining the Singapore Symphony Orchestra as Principal Bassoonist in 1987. As of June 2017, he was appointed Guest Principal at the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra under invitation by Maestro Yu Long, and teaches woodwinds in the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra Academy. Effective September 2018, he will be appointed Distinguished Professor at the Tianjin Conservatory of Music.
As a soloist, Zhang has performed with the Singapore Symphony on several occasions. In addition, he has played with renowned orchestras including Chamber Orchestre de Lausanne, Biel, Reims, Fukuoka, Beijing Symphony Orchestras, Shanghai Broadcasting Orchestra, Malaysian, Hangzhou and Xiamen Philharmonic Orchestras. In 2016, he has been invited to perform with the Philharmonia Orchestra UK as the guest principal bassoon during a China performance tour under the baton of Vladimir Ashkenazy.
A widely respected performer and teacher, Jin Min Zhang has been a visiting artist at major conservatories in Europe. He has taught and conducted masterclasses at many conservatories in China. Zhang has been a member of the artist faculty at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory since 2003. Following his retirement after 30 years of long service in the Singapore Symphony Orchestra, he was appointed a full-time associate professor in YST, starting from July 2017. He is Head of Woodwinds, and was responsible for setting up and coordinating its woodwind chamber music program.