Notes of Spring: A Lunar New Year Concert
Celebrate the Lunar New Year with captivating two classical performances at Mailbox! Presented in collaboration with Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, this free concert brings together outstanding young artists for moments of beauty, virtuosity and reflection – inviting you to soak in the sounds and welcome the new year through a programme of traditional and contemporary classical music.
Royal Birmingham Conservatoire is one of the UK’s leading music institutions, renowned for nurturing the next generation of international performers, composers and collaborators through world-class training and performance opportunities.
When: Saturday 21st February
Act 1 – 12:30pm-1pm, Act 2 – 1:15pm – 1:45pm
Where: Outside Level 2, Mailbox.
Act 1 – Shuwei Zuo & Yuwen Fan, Violin Duo
Yuwen Fan
Chinese violinist Yuwen Fan is an active soloist and chamber musician, he received multiple scholarships for outstanding achievement and completed his Master’s degree at the Conservatorio della Svizzera Italiana, studying with Massimo Quarta. Yuwen has performed widely across Switzerland, Italy, and the UK, receiving guidance from distinguished musicians including Shlomo Mintz, James Ehnes, and Tasmin Little. He is a founding member of the LANO Quartet, which has appeared at prestigious venues such as Wigmore Hall and St James’s Piccadilly, and collaborated with leading ensembles and composers. He also regularly performs as concertmaster with the RBC Symphony Orchestra.
Shuwei Zuo
Praised for her “finely judged and stunning playing,” violinist Shuwei Zuo has collaborated with leading orchestras and ensembles including the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, Royal Opera House, Britten Sinfonia, Manchester Camerata, and Manchester Collective. She is currently working with Sinfonia Smith Square. She completed her Master’s degree at the Royal Academy of Music and later graduated with distinction from the Royal Northern College of Music. She is currently studying on the Advanced Postgraduate Diploma at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire with a scholarship, and remains deeply committed to chamber music and collaborative performance.
Act 2 – Yizhe Lin (Piano) & Jianyu Song (Soprano)
Yizhe Lin – PianoY
izhe Lin is a collaborative pianist and opera répétiteur who began her musical training at the age of three. She holds a Master’s degree in Collaborative Piano from the Royal College of Music and is currently pursuing an Artist Diploma in Opera Repetiteur at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. Working closely with conductors and directors on opera productions, Yizhe is passionate about vocal collaboration and performs regularly across a wide range of musical settings.
Jianyu Song – SopranoSoprano
Jianyu Song has earned advanced degrees in Music Education, Chamber Music, and Vocal Performance from leading Parisian institutions, and holds the prestigious Artist Diploma. She has performed at distinguished venues including Salle Cortot, Paris City Hall, and with the Welsh National Opera. In 2025, she won First Prize in the Stuart Cameron Smith French Song Prize. Jianyu is currently undertaking an Advanced Postgraduate programme at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, studying with Jonathan Gunthorpe.