Chinese-born baritone Zhenpeng Zhang is pursuing his Doctoral of Musical Arts (DMA) in Opera Performance at the University of Texas at Austin Butler School of Music (UT BSOM) under the tutelage of soprano Leah Crocetto and pianist Tamar Sanikidze. He recently joined in the China National Opera House as the member of 2024 National Art Funds Young Artists, and he is also the one of Lehrer Vocal Institute Fellows of 2025 Music Academy of the West (MAW). He will be singing Pandolfe/Cendrillon at UT Austin Butler Opera Center new season.

     He holds the Professional Studies Certificate at the Manhattan School of Music (MSM) where he also received his Master of Music degree with Cynthia Hoffmann and pianist Kenneth Merrill, and earning his Bachelor of Music degree at the New England Conservatory. Zhenpeng was on full scholarship as the youngest singer in the Shenzhen Singing Festival 2020; A finalist of Opera Mississippi-The John Alexander National Vocal Competition and winning two Encouragement Awards of Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition (North Carolina District 2024 and Tulsa District 2025); A second prize winner of Young Golden Bell Award China-Tianjin Region.

     Highlights of Zhenpeng’s full opera performances include the title role of Don Giovanni (MAW), Le nozze di Figaro (MSM), Nardo/La finta giardiniera (MSM), Boniface/Angélique (MSM), English Ambassador/The Ghosts of Versailles (UT BSOM), Marchese/La Traviata (UT BSOM), and the role of Jingxian Chen in the premiered opera Jiageng Chen (celebration for the University of Xiamen’s centenary ceremony). 2023 and 2024 summers, Zhenpeng played Coppelius, Dapertutto and Miracle/Les Contes d’Hoffmann with the Opera Carolina and the title role of Don Giovanni at the Prague National Estates Theatre where Don Giovanni has its premiere in 1787. 2020-2021, Zhenpeng participated in one year study joint program at Shanghai Conservatory of Music (SHCM) where he performed Silvio/Pagliacci.