Dr. Jacob Junbo Zhou is a baritone from China. He has served as an Assistant Professor of Voice at the Musical Theater Department of Beijing Dance Academy in Beijing, an Adjunct Professor at Xavier University’s Music and Theater Department, an Adjunct Professor at Mount St. Joseph University in Cincinnati, and a Graduate Assistant at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, where he taught Applied Voice and Voice for Non-Majors. In 2025, he was also invited to Chelyabinsk State University in the Russian Federation to present a masterclass and cultural exchange on Chinese Art Song.

Dr. Zhou holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Voice with a cognate in Choral Conducting from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM). His previous education includes a Master of Music in Voice from the University of Cincinnati, a Bachelor of Arts in Voice from Renmin University of China, and a Certificate in Contemporary Commercial Music Vocal Pedagogy from Shenandoah University. Additionally, he was accepted into the Master of Music in Musical Theater Vocal Performance at NYU and the Master of Fine Arts in Musical Theater Vocal Pedagogy at Boston Conservatory at Berklee (2024). Although he ultimately declined formal enrollment due to financial considerations, Dr. Zhou continued his training privately in New York City, studying with Broadway professionals to refine his skills in musical theater singing. He has also completed Estill Voice Training Level 1 and Level 2 Courses.

As a researcher, Dr. Zhou led a project promoting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, which won the “Ethics in Action Award” from the University of Cincinnati Office of Research in 2021.

As a soloist, Dr. Zhou has performed with several renowned opera companies and symphonies, including Pittsburgh Opera, Cincinnati Opera, Opera San Jose, Sarasota Opera, Queen City Opera, Nickel City Opera, and Kentucky Symphony Orchestra, as well as the CCM Philharmonic. In 2025, he made his role debut as Prince Yamadori in Madama Butterfly with Pittsburgh Opera. That same year, he also made his first European audition tour and advanced to the final rounds for Deutsche Oper Berlin, Hamburg Staatsoper, and the Royal Danish Opera.

Dr. Zhou has received awards from the Fort Worth Opera McCammon Competition, Atlanta Opera Guild, the China National Italian Art Songs Competition hosted by Central Conservatory of Music, and the China National Opera Competition hosted by China Conservatory of Music. Productions involving Dr. Zhou have been highlighted by NPR, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Playbill, and other American mainstream media.