Born in Guangyuan, China, Mingzhao Zhou began studying violin at age four under her father’s guidance. Five years later, she was accepted to the prestigious Shanghai Conservatory. In 2001, she came to the US to study with Lucie Robert at Mannes College of Music on a full scholarship and continued her studies to pursue a master’s degree at The Juilliard School with Robert Mann. She has performed in masterclasses held by renowned violinists such as Ruggiero Ricci, Midori Goto, Cho-Liang Lin, and Pamela Frank.

Zhou has won a variety of awards, including first prize of the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Young Artist Competition, first prize of the Mannes Violin Concerto Competition, and third prize of the Bergen Philharmonic Concerto Competition. Since her solo debut performing Mozart's Violin Concerto No. 4 and Bach's Violin Concerto in A Minor with the Sichuan Youth Orchestra of China at age eight, she has performed actively in chamber music and has appeared as soloist with the Texas Music Festival Orchestra, the Mannes Orchestra, the California Chamber Orchestra, and the Camerata New York Orchestra. She has participated in music festivals such as the Verbier Festival Youth Orchestra in Switzerland, the Music Academy of the West in California, and the Texas Music Festival.

Before joining DSO, Zhou served as a violinist in the San Diego Symphony and Albany Symphony Orchestra.

Korean violinist Hae Jeong Heidi Han first picked up a violin at the age of five. Born and raised in Korea, she continued her studies with JaeKwang Song while attending Yewon School of Arts. When Han was 13, her family moved to Vancouver, BC, Canada, and she continued her studies with Robert Davidovici. While in Canada, she served as Concertmaster of the Vancouver Youth Symphony Orchestra and won first prize at the Kiwanis Competition, the Burnaby Clef Concerto Competition, and the Young Artists of British Columbia Competition.

Han received both her bachelor’s degree and graduate performance diploma from the Peabody Conservatory of Johns Hopkins University, earning the Peabody Merit Scholarship for both programs. During her time at Peabody, Han studied with Victor Danchenko and was the Concertmaster of the Peabody Concert Orchestra. While pursuing her degrees, she won the first prize in the Marbury Competition and was awarded the Josef Kaspar Award. She was also invited to join the Keshet Eilon International Violin Mastercourse in Israel to study with Shlomo Mintz.

Currently, Han plays with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra as a second violinist and lives in Detroit, Michigan where she enjoys making great music with her colleagues and husband, DSO violinist Will Haapaniemi.

Will Haapaniemi is a violinist born in Los Angeles with Finnish ancestry. He joined the Detroit Symphony Orchestra in 2014 alongside his wife and violinist Heidi Han. Haapaniemi wanted to be a violinist from the time he was two years old, when he saw Itzhak Perlman perform on Sesame Street. Many other interests competed with his practice time—some of his favorites being the martial art Capoeira, dance, and training for his glider pilot license.

Much is owed to Haapaniemi’s master violin teachers, Yoko Takebe and Michael Gilbert of the New York Philharmonic, who he studied with at the Manhattan School of Music. In high school, Haapaniemi was fortunate to study with Mark Kaplan and fondly remembers lessons with Ruggiero Ricci in his home in Palm Springs. Also of great influence was his cousin Paul Roby of the Philadelphia Orchestra and his aunt Linda Grace, whose tireless support encouraged him to be the musician he is today. Without the phenomenal support of Haapaniemi’s parents, none of this would have been possible.

Haapaniemi is active as a soloist and chamber musician, occasionally throwing viola into the mix. An avid outdoorsman, he hikes at every opportunity, and pays homage to his Finnish heritage by skiing during the winter.

David LeDoux joined the DSO in 2012, coming to the orchestra from the Syracuse Symphony where he previously served as Principal Cello.

LeDoux has appeared as a soloist with the Syracuse Symphony, the Skaneatelas Festival Chamber Orchestra, the Tulsa Philharmonic, the Oklahoma State University Symphony, the Louisiana Sinfonietta, and the Mid-Texas Symphony.

LeDoux is an active and avid chamber musician, performing for many years with the Syracuse Society for New Music. As a committed private teacher, he previously served as a cello instructor for Imagine Syracuse—a music program in an inner-city school that was modeled after the El Sistema program in Venezuela.

Past professional engagements for LeDoux include serving as Principal Cello with the Baton Rouge (LA) Symphony, the Mississippi Gulf Coast Symphony, and the Louisiana Sinfonietta.

LeDoux has studied with Ronald Leonard, Dennis Parker, and Kari Padgett Caldwell. A resident of Madison Heights, LeDoux’s hobbies include reading, running, and watching movies.