Zhi’s musical path began at the age of seven, when he began formal classical piano study under the guidance of Russian multi-instrumentalist and educator Yakov Dyman. Under Dyman’s mentorship, he cultivated a profound connection to music and quickly became one of the school’s most accomplished students. The unique cultural atmosphere of Dyman’s Music School of Arts—often filled with Russian immigrant students, immersed Zhi in Russian traditions, fostering both discipline and expressive depth in his playing. At the same time, Zhi developed a love for rock and jazz.

Beginning at age 11, Zhi trained intensively with Maestro Ebralidze, who further refined his technical precision and interpretive maturity.

He later enrolled at Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts, where he expanded his musical circle and developed long-lasting collaborative relationships. It was there, in his music theory class, taught by violinist and educator Curtis Stewart that Zhi discovered his gift for composition—a turning point that would ultimately shape his creative identity. Alongside his piano training, he immersed himself in jazz improvisation and workshops at YOSL in the Dimenna Center and the Future Music Project at Carnegie Hall, laying the foundation for his emerging artistic voice.

In 2019, Zhi began studying with acclaimed pianist Jeffrey Biegel in preparation for conservatory auditions and was accepted into the Macaulay Honors Program at Brooklyn College, where he double-majored in Piano Performance and Music Composition. During this time, he earned top prizes at the Forte International Piano Competition and the Stars of Tenerife Online International Festival-Competition (2020), and participated in Score Relief 2021, a global film scoring contest supporting the Backup Hardship Fund.

During the pandemic, Zhi collaborated with Professor Biegel and orchestrator Harrison Sheckler on Three Reflections, a piano concerto inspired by American ideals and figures—John F. Kennedy (Freedom), Ruth Bader Ginsburg (Justice), and Martin Luther King Jr. (Equality). Zhi’s orchestral demos, created using Logic Pro X, helped bring the work to life and led to its premiere with the Space Coast Symphony Orchestra in Florida.

He later interned with legendary jazz drummer and composer Ronnie Burrage, contributing to big band arrangements, live performances, and technical production work with the Holographic Principle Jazz Orchestra in St.Louis, . Under the mentorship of Professors Douglas Cohen and Polina Nazaykinskaya, Zhi also further honed his compositional voice and prepared for graduate study at NYU.

Zhi is currently completing his Master’s in Screen Scoring at NYU Steinhardt, where he studies under Professors Shruti Kumar, D.D. Jackson, and Mark Suozzo. He is also the conductor and bandleader of The Chicken Combo Jazz Orchestra, a genre-blending ensemble that performs regularly throughout New York City. He strives to be an artist committed to dismantling cultural barriers and amplifying underrepresented voices through music and film.