Jinchao Zhang

China

selected candidate

2026 CHENGDU INTERNATIONAL CLARINET COMPETITION

school affiliation

Haute École de Musique de Lausanne

Jinchao ZHANG is a Chinese clarinet player, currently pursuing his undergraduate studies at the Haute École de Musique de Lausanne (HEMU) in Switzerland, under the guidance of Professor Florent Héau. He was exposed to music at an early age, starting to learn the piano at the age of 5 and holding his first solo piano recital at 11. He began studying the clarinet at 9, and was admitted to the Middle School Affiliated to the Central Conservatory of Music (CCOM) with the top score in his major at 15, studying under Professor Yuan Yuan. He once served as the principal clarinetist of the CCOM Youth Symphony Orchestra.

Jinchao ZHANG has performed excellently in various international and domestic competitions and won many honors. In 2021, at the age of 14, he won the First Prize in the Professional Group (Under 18) of the 2nd Buffet Cup (China) Youth Clarinet Competition; in 2023, at the age of 16, he claimed the Second Prize in the Youth Group (Under 24) of the 2nd Sava Dimitrov International Clarinet Competition in Bulgaria; in 2024, at the age of 17, he secured the Third Prize in the Clarinet Category of the 52nd Belgrade International Youth Music Competition.