York Symphony Orchestra is pleased to announce the winners of its 2026 Concerto Competition: Christie Cheung and Oliver (Zihuan) Xu.
Christie Cheung will be performing on October 10, 2026 and Oliver (Zihuan) Xu will be performing on November 21, 2026 with the York Symphony Orchestra.
Christie Cheung Violinist
Christie Cheung is a 16-year-old violinist studying at the Phil and Eli Taylor Performance Academy for Young Artists as a Temerty Foundation Scholarship recipient, where she is under the tutelage of Barry Shiffman and Conrad Chow.
Christie has appeared as a soloist with the Glenn Gould Chamber Orchestra, the Burlington New Millennium Orchestra, the SEEN Worldwide Orchestra, and the Oakville Chamber Orchestra. She has also been featured as one of the outstanding young artists during the 2023 Violin Symposium at the Royal Conservatory of Music. Christie made her Carnegie Hall debut at age nine.
Among her accomplishments are winning the 1st prize in the Canimex Canadian Music Competition, receiving the Grand Trophy Award in the CCC Toronto International Music Festival, being selected as a finalist in the Ysaye International Music Competition in Belgium, and winning the 1st prize in the Little Mozart International Competition in New York.
Christie has participated in various summer festivals, including Morningside Music Bridge (2025), the Young Artist Institute at Chamber Music Northwest (2025), and the Heifetz International Institute of Music (2023).
Christie has had the privilege of performing in masterclasses and studying with renowned musicians, including Maxim Vengerov, Miriam Fried, Augustin Hadelich, Ida Kavafian, and James Ehnes. She co-founded Melodies of Tomorrow, a nonprofit music organization dedicated to providing everyone with the opportunity to learn and enjoy music.
Oliver (Zihuan) Xu Violinist
Oliver (Zihuan) Xu, a 17-year-old violinist began playing at age six and currently studies under Marko Dreher. He was accepted into the RCM Phil and Eli Taylor Academy in 2021 and has participated in masterclasses with renowned violinists including Ida Kavafian, Gwen Hoebig, Mimi Zweig, Sibbi Bernhardsson, Martin Beaver, and William Van der Sloot.
In 2026, Oliver won both the North York Concert Orchestra Concerto Competition and the York Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition, and won second in the Oakville Chamber Orchestra Concerto Competition.
In 2025, Oliver received third prize in the Canadian Music Competition age 15-18 Strings category, where he was invited to attend the Gathering with the Stars 2025 after winning first prize in the provincial category. In the same year, he won third prize and the Fondation Tonetti Award at the Geneva Junior Music Competition.
In 2023, he secured first prizes in the Canadian Music Competition and the Phil and Eli Taylor Academy Concerto Competition, alongside multiple awards at local music festivals.
Oliver recently received the Oakville Chamber Orchestra Youth Engagement Scholarship for the third year in a row, joining the orchestra for the 2026-27 season after previously playing in the 2024-25 and 2025-26 season. In addition to this, he was also a member of the Toronto Youth Symphony Orchestra, from 2024-26. Oliver spent the summer of 2024 at the Bowdoin International Music Festival, studying under Nelson Lee.
Oliver is also the violinist of the Inicio Trio. In 2025, they won first prize in the age 15-18 chamber category of the Canadian Music Competition. They also received third prize at the Geneva Junior Music Competition. Additionally, they placed first in the OMFA Provincial Finals as well as in local festivals. In 2023, they won first prize in the age 15 chamber music group in the Canadian Music Competition, various awards in the Peel and Kiwanis music festivals, and the OMFA Provincial Finals.
In addition to music, Oliver enjoys reading, photography, travelling, and math.