Hitting the right note

"I have concerts every weekend, which is a totally different life from having classes at school. It allows me to gain more experience of performing onstage with professional symphony orchestras and conductors, which I cannot learn from my classes," says Zeng, who has had a hectic schedule since his victories at the XVI International Tchaikovsky Competition in 2019.

"Like I said, playing the French horn is very difficult, and it is easy for a player to miss or crack a few notes while playing. It's very rewarding to perform with professional musicians, who taught me to listen and how to produce beautiful sounds by working together," says Zeng, adding that French horn players rarely appear as a lead in a concert and he is happy to bring it into the front of the orchestra.

The young musician, born in Chengdu, Sichuan province, learned to play the French horn at the age of 6 with his father Zeng Jie, who is the principal French horn player of the Sichuan Symphony Orchestra.

In 2011, Zeng Yun came to Beijing to study the instrument at the middle school affiliated to the Central Conservatory of Music and later in 2017, he enrolled in the conservatory, where he gained his bachelor's degree in 2020.

Zeng Yun has won a number of awards both at home and abroad, such as second prize at the 8th Jeju International Brass Competition in 2013 and first prize at the Citta di Porcia International Competition-Horn in Italy.

However, Zeng says that it was the experience of competing during the XVI International Tchaikovsky Competition that witnessed his evolution as a musician.

Founded in 1958, the Tchaikovsky competition is an internationally celebrated contest held every four years in Russia and is usually only open to pianists, violinists and cellists between the ages of 16 and 32, and singers aged 19 to 32.