About Vincent Zhang

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Praised as “a formidable talent” (Harry Rolnick, ConcertoNet), Chinese-Canadian composer Vincent Zhang writes music shaped by the inner landscapes of human psychology and the natural world. Moving between theatrical intensity and subtle introspective dialogue, his work crafts heightened perceptual experiences through polychromic sonorities and intricate repetitions.

One of the very few Canadian composers in history admitted to Juilliard’s undergraduate composition program, Vincent won both the Juilliard Orchestra Competition and the Juilliard AXIOM Competition as an 18-year-old first-year student, becoming the youngest composer to receive both of these major Juilliard distinctions. His orchestral work Shaman on the Moon was premiered by the Juilliard Orchestra at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall in 2025. As part of the AXIOM prize, his Juilliard-commissioned work for soprano and chamber orchestra, The Iron Mass, was premiered at Lincoln Center the following year as part of The New Series 2025 to 2026 season. That same season, Vincent was also commissioned by the Juilliard Music Division to compose a new song cycle for Pride Songbook Vol. 3, presented as part of The New Series. Together, these achievements make him the youngest Canadian composer in history to be honored with two orchestral premieres at Lincoln Center and two formal commissions from The Juilliard School. At 19, Vincent received the ASCAP Foundation Morton Gould Young Composer Award, becoming the youngest Canadian composer to receive this distinction. He was also selected as one of three composers for the SOCAN Canadian New Music Workshop 2026–2027.

Raised in Vancouver and currently based in New York, Vincent sees his work as part of a new generation of innovative Canadian music on the global stage. His music explores modern vitality and the untapped potential of the human spirit, drawing from his upbringing, his Chinese-Canadian identity, and his enduring connection to the vast landscapes of Vancouver’s North Shore Mountains.

Beyond the concert hall, Vincent is deeply committed to interdisciplinary collaboration. In 2024, he was selected as the principal sound artist for James Turrell’s installation exhibition at the CICA Center for International Contemporary Art Vancouver. His work also extends into dance through collaborations with choreographers and dancers from Lamondance, who have set his 30-minute symphonic ballet and several of his chamber works to movement. 

Vincent has received commissions and performances from the Juilliard Orchestra, AXIOM New Music Ensemble, Ensemble Dal Niente, Loadbang Ensemble, The Glenn Gould School New Music Ensemble, Tacet(i) Ensemble, Amsterdam Brass Quintet, The Rhythm Method, West Coast Symphony Orchestra, Brightwork New Music Ensemble, University of Saskatchewan Wind Orchestra, and numerous chamber groups, choirs, and soloists across Canada and the United States. His compositions have been performed at esteemed festivals, including the Bowdoin Music Festival, Lake Champlain Chamber Music Festival, Lake George Music Festival, Mostly Modern Festival, INTACT Festival (Thailand), Impulse New Music Festival, Divergent Studio, DMICS - Del Mar International Composer Symposium, and the Zodiac Academy and Festival (France).

Vincent is currently pursuing undergraduate studies in composition at The Juilliard School under the mentorship of Dr. David Serkin Ludwig, Dean and Director of the Music Division and Chair of Composition.