As the only violinist to be both a Grand Laureate of the Montreal International Violin Competition and a First Prize winner of the Banff International String Quartet Competition, ​​American violinist Hao Zhou rose to unique international acclaim in 2019, captivating audiences with performances that are "personal, impassioned, courageous, and unostentatiously brilliant” (Musical America). An accomplished soloist and chamber musician, Hao has since appeared all over the world in cities such as Paris, Berlin, Brussels, Osaka, New York City, Beijing, Montreal, Banff, and London.

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Raised in Southern California, Hao made his solo debut with the Four Seasons Symphony Orchestra at the age of 9 and his Carnegie Hall debut at the age of 12. Since then, he has performed with the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, Downey Symphony Orchestra, and Peninsula Symphony Orchestra alongside conductors such as Esa-Pekka Salonen, Alexander Shelley, and Thierry Fischer. He has performed in concert alongside internationally distinguished artists such as Emanuel Ax, Elisso Virsaladze, Orion Weiss, Noah Bendix-Balgley, Roberto Diaz, Clive Greensmith, and Paul Coletti.

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Hao is a founding member of the award-winning Viano Quartet, currently in-residence at the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center as Bowers Artists and one of the youngest winners of the Banff International String Quartet Competition in 2019. Committed to engaging with communities outside the concert hall, the Viano has collaborated with actors and scriptwriters in a theater show called "Over The Top," a Musical Encounter Interactive presentation they scripted, developed and performed at the Colburn School for inner city school children. His many awards with the Viano Quartet also include the Grand Prize at the ENKOR Chamber Music Competition as well as Third Prize at the Wigmore Hall International String Quartet Competition.