Los Angeles-based musician Dr. Alexander Zhu has performed solo recitals, concerti, and chamber, orchestral, pop, fusion, and film music across the United States, Europe, and China. He is also an established composer of pedagogical, film, and television music, with works showcased at film festivals across the US and Europe, and featured on Disney+, Netflix, and TF1 (France). His pedagogical piano works are published by Hal Leonard.
Dr. Zhu is Professor of Music at Occidental College and also serves on the faculty of Pierce College. He also chairs the Music Production, Theory, and Composition Department at the Pasadena Conservatory of Music. Prior to these appointments, he taught at the University of Southern California and New England Conservatory. Recent guest lecture engagements include Tsinghua University (清华大学) and Beihang University (北京航空航天大学) in Beijing. He holds a Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music, where he studied with Stewart Gordon and served as a lecturer in the Piano Department. He earned a Bachelor of Music degree summa cum laude from New England Conservatory, where he studied with Boston Symphony pianist Randall Hodgkinson and modern music specialist Stephen Drury. He also attended the Aspen Music Festival on fellowship, studying collaborative piano with Rita Sloan. Prior to his conservatory studies, he studied with Lydia Artymiw.