Born in Shanghai China, classical guitarist Bowen Zheng is a unique musician with a diverse background in psychology and computer science. With a profound passion for his craft, Bowen aims to connect with others through the classical guitar and inspire individuals to discover the boundless joy found in music. Through his teaching and performances, he aspires to empower people to harness the transformative power of music playing, facilitating positive change and personal growth.

As a soloist, Bowen strives to not only deliver exceptional playing with beautiful tone and musicality but also craft meaningful programs that weave together a compelling narrative, showcasing the inherent beauty of every composition to build a connection with the audience, helping them resonate with the music. Bowen has performed concerts at venues across the country like An Die Musik in Baltimore, MD, and The Rosette in Austin TX. Bowen also has collaborated with the South Bay Guitar Society based in San Jose, CA to bring classical guitar music into the Bay Area communities through a variety of outreach concerts. Bowen also actively performs in other community outreach programs such as Peabody Arts in Health-Live@Lunchtime at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, MD, and at retirement homes across the region.

Selected as a winner of the 2023 Ex-Aequo Emerging Artists Initiative from guitarists from all over the world, Bowen received the opportunity to premiere a commissioned piece by the renowned guitarist and composer Sergio Assad as well as perform a concert at The Rosette with the Austin Classical Guitar Society. He also recorded an upcoming album with Canadian guitarist Drew Henderson. Bowen has also played in numerous guitar masterclasses with renowned guitarists including David Russell, Manuel Barrueco, Judicaël Perroy, Sergio Assad, Marcin Dylla, and so on.

A member of the guitar trio Trio Tres Sonidos, Bowen and his peers Brandon Wong and Viola Monovich specialize in upbeat Latin American and Spanish pieces and also take an interest in modern commissions. Their repertoire is a mixture of compositions that they have either commissioned or arranged, including music from Isaac Albeniz, Astor Piazzola, Paulo Bellinati, and contemporary composers Grace Hughes and Jia-Yi Lee. With his trio, Bowen performed at the Board of Trustee’s Dinner at Peabody Institute, the Peabody Fret Fest Guitar Ensemble Concert, and opened for the Peabody Summer Guitar Intensive Final Concert. They also performed in numerous chamber music concerts in Cohen Davidson Hall at Peabody Institute.

Through performing, teaching, and community outreach, Bowen strives to also use music to help people who battle mental illnesses. After personally experiencing challenges with anxiety disorders, Bowen found music and playing the classical guitar to be great tools to support his mental health. Bowen has presented and spoken on panels at mental health conferences like the International OCD Conference in 2016 to support and inspire others. His mental health advocacy work was recognized by a scholarship from the Peace of Mind Foundation. He hopes to continue this work throughout his artistic career as he strongly believes in the power of music and its ability to help people build a better and healthier life.

Despite his great passion for the classical guitar, Bowen was not one of the young prodigies who set out to become a musician. Since his early teens, Bowen has been very interested in computer science and programming. Though mostly self-taught, he wrote and released many programs and software that received great reviews and media coverage. When he was 13, he was invited to deliver a developer keynote about software engineering and design at the Beijing International Convention Center in Beijing China, in front of an audience of over three thousand people. In college, he also participated in and won competitions in programming. With his background in computer science, he tries to bring a unique perspective and way of thinking to music and his guitar playing to demonstrate both his logical and artistic skills.

Bowen took up classical guitar at age 18 after being truly inspired by a performance from classical guitarist Yuri Liberzon, who would later become his first teacher. Despite this late start, he was able to progress quickly and develop all aspects of serious musicianship. One year and a half of studying later, he was accepted to the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University to continue his musical journey. His hard work helped him receive numerous scholarships such as the Steven C. Shea Memorial Guitar Scholarship, Deering Endowed Scholarship, and Charlie Byrd Memorial Endowed Scholarship in Guitar from the Peabody Institute as well as the Alhambra B Scholarship from Alhambra Guitarras. Bowen completed his Bachelor of Music degree in Classical Guitar Performance at the Peabody Institute while currently continuing to finish his Master’s degree and working as the Graduate Assistant, both under the tutelage of Dr. Thomas Viloteau.