About

Born in Guangzhou, China, Danqi Zeng is a versatile performer, chamber musician, and educator specializing in both modern and baroque violin. Most recently, Zeng was awarded the Grand Prize at the 2025 Lillian & Maurice Barbash International J.S. Bach Competition on baroque violin, leading to upcoming soloist and chamber appearances with the Island Symphony Bach Festival, Washington Bach Consort Chamber Series, Gotham Early Music Scene, Amor Artis, and the Bach Choir of Bethlehem.

Zeng’s other achievements include winning the Indiana University (IU) Stravinsky Violin Concerto Competition (2025), the Saint-Georges Violin Concerto Competition (2024), and the Historical Performance Institute Vivaldi Competition (2024). She previously won the MASTA Solo Competition (2020), the MTNA Michigan Young Artist Competition (2020), and two Concerto Competitions at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) in 2016 and 2018, as well as being a semi-finalist at the 2023 Schoenfeld International String Competition in Harbin, China.

As a soloist, Zeng has appeared with the CCM Philharmonia, CCM Concert Orchestra, Starling Orchestra, IU Philharmonic Orchestra, IU Baroque/Classical Orchestra, and the Guangzhou Gamut Baroque Orchestra. She is a core member of IU Concentus and the IU Baroque/Classical Orchestra, and previously served as Concertmaster of the University Philharmonia Orchestra at the University of Michigan (Umich) and the CCM Concert Orchestra. Alongside her husband, keyboardist Benjamin Gittens, she co-founded the Z-G Duo, a keyboard-string ensemble presenting repertoire from the 17th century to the present, on violin, baroque violin and viola da gamba, across Bloomington, Ann Arbor, Cincinnati, Guangzhou, and Shanwei.

Zeng was invited to prominent summer programs and seminars, including the Oregon Bach Festival Berwick Academy, the Smithsonian Haydn String Quartet Seminar, and as a violin fellow at the Encore Chamber Music Institute. She has also attended the Bowdoin International Music Festival, High Peaks Music Festival, and Great Wall International Music Academy.

With over eleven years of teaching experience, Zeng maintains an active studio of diverse students spanning the United States, China, Mexico, and Kenya. Her teaching philosophy integrates technical mastery with historically informed stylistic interpretation and holistic musicianship. She has coached chamber music for the Edward Auer Summer Piano Workshop, taught pre-college students through the SA’OAXACA Strings Music Festival in Mexico and the Adventist Youth Music Association (AYMA) Summer Festival, and mentored students in the pre-college departments at IU, UMich, and CCM. In Bloomington, Indiana, Zeng and her husband co-founded the Adventist Christian Elementary Summer Music Academy, dedicated to providing accessible, high-quality music education.

Zeng is currently pursuing dual Doctor of Music degrees at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music in Violin Performance under Mauricio Fuks and Historical Performance (Baroque Violin) under Ingrid Matthews, while serving as an Associate Instructor in Music Theory. She also studies treble viol and pardessus de viole with Joanna Blendulf. Zeng holds dual Master of Music degrees in Violin Performance and Chamber Music from the University of Michigan and a Bachelor of Music from the University of Cincinnati. Her other mentors include Danielle Belen, Kurt Sassmannshaus, and Xin Lin.