Mr. Zhao graduated from Wuhan conservatory, after which he played at the Hunan Broadcast Orchestra for two years as the principle flutist. In 1984 he became the principal flutist at the National Ensemble Orchestral of China in Beijing, a post that he held until 1990 when he came to the United State to pursue his Master’s Degree at Indianan University. In 1992 he went to the noted repair school West Iowa Technical School and enrolled in the program of Band Instrument repair. At the end of 1992 he was hired to work for Verne Q. Powell Flutes, beginning his 15 year flute making career. During his over 13 years of work at Powell, Mr. Zhao mastered all aspects of flute production. He worked as a padder, headjoint maker, stringer, and body maker. Many of the flutes Di Zhao has made were for hundreds of famous flutists around world. In 2002 he was promoted to Powell’s Vice president of Quality. In his career out of Powell, Mr. Zhao has also worked at Williams Hayes Flute Inc as the Vice President and General Manager.


He has done consultant work for many other companies, and has also helped Sonare and Haynes establish factories in China, all the while continuing to produce excellent high-quality flutes. Now, Mr. Zhao has started his own flute business and has built a flute factory in China, working to produce the best quality flutes in China for the next generation.