[CHEN Jiebing] [Patty CHAN] [CHEN Tao] [Fred FUNG] [Hsu Fan FU] [GAO Hong] [GUO Wanpeng] [Karen HwaChee Han] [HOU Wei] [Thomas LEE]
[MA Li] [MA Jie] [Elaine Y Liu] [LIU Fang] [LIU Hecheng] [LIU Li] [LIU Weishan] [PU Hai] [Teresa SHIH] [John SIU] [SU Min][TAN Liangxin] [Rong Cindy TAN] [WANG Wei] [Winnie WONG]
[WU Changlu] [WU Wei] [Peikun XI] [Thomas Thu‰n Dang VU][YANG Yi] [YANG Qin] [ZHANG Xiaofeng] [ZHANG Xiaoli] [ZHU Xiaomeng]

Jiebing Chen Erhu (Chinese fiddle) Soloist Jiebing Chen, considered by many to be one of the foremost Erhu virtuosos in the world, gave her first recital at the age of six in her native Shanghai. By the age of 19, she had twice won first place national awards in China. In 1980, Jiebing entered the Shanghai Conservatory of Music and studied under China's most distinguished musicians. Graduating with top honors in 1982. That same year she won first prize in the National Competition of Traditional Instruments in Beijing, sponsored by the Ministry of Culture and open to all citizens of China. From 1985 to 1987, Jiebing represented China on three separate cultural exchange programs performing in Australia, Asia and Europe where her performances were praised as "Marvelous Strings". In 1987, she was officially recognized as a "National First Rank Performing Artist", the highest honor accorded to artists by the Chinese Government in recognition of their achievements. She was one of the youngest performers ever to receive this honor. In 1988, she gave performances as soloist with the Shanghai Symphony and Chamber Orchestras at the Shanghai Concert Hall which were attended by representatives from twenty-six countries. These performances were the first ever using the Erhu as a solo instrument with western orchestral accompaniment, and were broadcast on radio and television throughout China with high praise from critics. Since 1988, Jiebing has frequently appeared as soloist with the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, the Shanghai Chamber Orchestra and the Shanghai Opera House. Arriving in the United States in 1989, Jiebing continued her studies at the State University of New York in Buffalo. Two years later, she graduated with a M.A. in Music Theory. In 1990, the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra invited her to perform the concerto "The Butterfly Lovers" which won high acclaim among critics. Jiebing has performed as soloist with the San Francisco Symphony, the New Moscow Symphony, the Hungarian Symphony, the Shanghai Symphony, the Marin Symphony, the Sacramento Symphony, the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra, the Taipei Municipal Chinese Classical Orchestra and the Hollywod Bowl Orchestra. She was invited to both the First and Second Shanghai International Music Festivals where she collaborated with the world renowned violinist Cho-Liang Lin to perform the "Double Concerto for Violin and Erhu". Jiebing has performed in a series of concerts in New York City with prominent American jazz musicians of The Billy Taylor Trio and The Jon Jang Sextet, most recently at the Alice Tully Hall. She also participated in the 4th East West Music and Dance Encounter in Bangalore, lndia. Performing with the famous lndian guitarist Vishwa Bhatt in India, where she was received with widespread and exceptional acclaim for her performances and for the innovation which her music brought to the Indian music community. Since 1984, Jiebing has produced the greatest number of Erhu recordings in China and the US ever achieved by a single artist. More than twenty of her albums are now internationally available. She has recorded with the well known American Banjo player Bela Fleck, the renowned flutist James Newton and the well known Indian violinist Subramaniam. Tabula Rasa, a collaboration with Bela Fleck and Visha Bhatt was nominated at the 1996 Grammy Awards for the best World Music Album. Now living in California. Jiebing is dedicated to performing with orchestras and other groups to blend her traditional instrument with instruments of western origin in order to introduce exciting new music to both Western and Eastern audiences. [Artists] [Top]

Erhu Patty CHAN Patty Chan, born in Toronto, started playing the erhu at the age of 12. She went on to become principal erhu with the Chinese Instrumental Music Group of Toronto for many years. She has studied with virtuoso George Gao . In 1995 and 1996, Patty Chan won the first prize in the non-western string class of the Kiwanis Music Festival. She has appeared in Tapestry Music Theatre, as soloist with orchestras, on television, and has performed with members of the Toronto Symphony. She is one of a few who performs traditional Chinese, western classical, and contemporary music on the erhu. Patty Chan is a multi-talented musician who plays Chinese and Western instruments with equal ease. Currently, she is a violinist with Han Feng Chamber Orchestra. When not performing, she teaches piano, violin, and erhu. Contact Send e-mail to patty@arcosoft.com [Artists] [Top]

Dizi Soloist Tao CHEN An Introduction to Woodwind Artist Chen Tao Chen Tao: A well-known Chinese woodwind musician, is the founder and director of the Melody of Dragon, the artistic director and conductor of the Chinese Music Ensemble of New York. Before coming to the US, Chen Tao was an Associate Professor at the Central Conservatory of Music, a member of the Chinese Musicians Association and a member of the Chinese Folk Wind and String Instrument Association. ÊChen Tao graduated from the Central Conservatory of Music in 1986, from the Folk Music Department. ÊHis performing style combines the refined elegance of the southern school and the robust liveliness of the northern school. ÊThe sound of his flute is full, round, and rich, and is marked by a unique timbre that can truly be described ad enchanting. Chen Tao is not only a specialist on the flute, xiao and xun, but he is also a virtuoso performer on other wind instruments such as the bawu, koudi, chiba and other folk wind instruments. In 1989 he entered the National Folk Instrument competition and won first place. On several occasions he represented various groups of Chinese musicians, including the Chinese Buddhist Musicians Ensemble, and visited the US, Germany, Italy, France, England, Holland, Finland, Sweden, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macao. ÊDuring a trip to England he collaborated with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra and The Orchestra National de Lyon on the performances that won high praise. His playing can be heard on several soundtracks of Hollywood movies including Seven Years in Tibet, Corrupter (with the New York Philharmonic) and on the PBS documentary Under the Red Flag. In the US, The New York Times called him a "poet in music" and his playing "a miracle of the oriental flute." While on tour in Germany the maestro Herbert von Karajan praises him as an artist whom "performed with his soul." Since coming to the US in 1993, Chen Tao has been invited to perform and lecture throughout the country. His first solo concert in the New York area was successfully held in December 1993. He has performed at the Lincoln Center at the invitation of the Manhattan School of Music's Chamber Orchestra--The Music Consort, and China Institute in America invited him to perform and lecture on the Chinese flute during their spring 1995 season. His second flute recital concert was successfully held in October 2001 sponsored by The New York Flute Club. The New York City based World Journal and Tsingtao Daily have called him "the king of the flute" and a "master of the art of the flute." Chen Tao is not only a virtuoso performer of Chinese folk music. ÊHe has also performed and recorded modern compositions by such well known composers as Zhou Long , Chen Yi, Tan Dun, ÊJoan La Barbara, Carter Burwell, Bun-Ching Lam and Qu Xiao-song. He is acclaimed as a pioneer performer in the world of new music. The Central People's Broadcasting Station, the Beijing People's Broadcasting Station, and Radio Shanghai have all arranged special programs to introduce his art. ÊIn addition, cable stations in both New Jersey and New York (channel 31) have run programs devoted to Chen Tao and his craft. ÊOutside of performing, Chen Tao has also authored several professional articles on folk music. ÊHis music for flute "Leaves on Fall River", "Bawu Music" and "Phoenix Tail Bamboo beneath the Moon" and many others have been recorded on CD. ÊHe has been invited by Beijing University, Qinghua University, Fudan University, Columbia University, Syracuse University, Colgate University, College of Charleston, Peabody Conservatory of Music, Rutgers University, Yale University and New Jersey Performing Arts Center to lecture and perform. ÊIn February 1996, invited by Taiwan's National Music Ensemble in Taipei, Chen Tao held a concerto performance in the National Hall of Music and delivered a lecture on flute music, both of which garnered tremendous critical acclaim. Chen Tao is truly an outstanding figure in the realm of woodwind music, both in China and throughout the world. [Artists] [Top]

Fred Fung Yangqin, Percussionist After immigrating to the United States from Hong Kong, Fred undertook studies at Berklee College of Music, receiving his Bachelor of Music degree with a focus in percussion, studio recording, and world music. In 1995, Fred continued his Chinese traditional music performance in the San Francisco Bay Area, performing the yangqin (hammered dulcimer) with several opera and sizhu music organizations, including the Peach Valley Ensemble and several Cantonese Opera groups. His technique and stylistic mastery of the Cantonese repertoire has made him a prominent figure in the Cantonese music community of San Francisco. Additionally, he has researched the "hard-string" luogu ensemble of Cantonese Sizhu & Opera with Eva Tam, Laney College instructor of Chinese Opera and has studied Northern repertoire and performance technique on the yangqin with Yangqin Zhao, master yangqin soloist based in San Francisco. Fred currently resides in San Francisco where he maintains a busy schedule of composing, educating, and performing both Chinese and Western music around the Bay Area. [Artists] [Top]

Guzheng Soloist Hsu Fan FU Accomplished career of Guzheng (Chinese harp) performance began upon graduation from the National Taiwan Academy of Art in 1990, with a major in the Guzheng, Trained as a highly skilled musicain by renown experts in Taiwan and mainland China. Earned prestigious honors, including the 1989 Grand Champion award from the Taiwan Golden GuZheng Competition, and runner up in the Peach Grden Country Gu Zheng Competition in 1988. She performed in major concert halls in Taiwan, Hong Kong and mainland China, including a highly acclaimed and sold-out solo performance at the Tao yuan Cutural center in 1993. Performed in Symphonies and social engagements since her arrival in the United States in 1994. Established as a leading Gu Zheng instructor in the Bay Area, offering private and class instruction to students at all levels of proficiency. Currently, tutoring is available at the World Journal Cutural Center. [Artists] [Top]

Pipa Soloist Hong GAO Awards - 1997 McKnight Fellowship for Performing Musicians Artist Assistance Fellowship from Minnesota State Arts Board Jerome Foundation Travel and Study Grant Asian-Pacific Award from Council on Asian-Pacific Minnesotans Composers Commissioning Program Award from American Composers Forum Born in the city of Luoyang, Henan Province, in the People's Republic of China, Gao Hong began her musical studies at the age of nine, and became a professional musician at age 12. In 1990 she graduated with honors from the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, where she studied with the great pipa master Lin Shicheng. Following a long road of professional development in both performance and instruction on the pipa, she has received praise for her talent from the highest circles of China's musical establishment. In her many solo performances both in China and abroad, she has always received excellent reviews and awards. In 1997 alone, Gao Hong became the first Chinese musician to be awarded an Artist Assistance Fellowship from the Minnesota State Arts Board, as well as a McKnight Fellowship for Performing Artists, a Jerome Foundation Travel and Study Grant, and an Asian-Pacific Award from the Council on Asian-Pacific Minnesotans. Having introduced thousands of Americans of all ages to the pipa and to Chinese music for the first time, Gao Hong currently serves on the faculty of Metropolitan State University and MacPhail Center for the Arts, and is a roster artist for Young Audiences of Minnesota. Gao Hong has toured China, Japan and the United States, and in 1996 recorded the critically-acclaimed CD Hunting Eagles Catching Swans - Music for Chinese Pipa with her mentor, Lin Shicheng. E-mail:  IFTPA@aol.com  Website:GaoHong [Artists] [Top]

Sheng Soloist Wanpeng Guo Mr. Wanpeng Guo studied sheng, suona, guanzi and dizi in the Central National Orchestra and the China Conservatory of Music. He specially studied the sheng under sheng master/Professor Zhongfu Wu (1975-1979). He was the former principal Sheng player of the Central National Orchestra and was honored as a First Class Performer by Cultural Department of the People§«s Republic of China in 1997. Mr. Guo was also the principal sheng player of the Asia Orchestra that was an ensemble composed of top-level musicians from Japan, Korea and P.R. China. In 1997, as a vital member of the Central National Orchestra, Mr. Guo participated its touring performances that took place in the San Francisco Bay Area, New York, Washington DC, Chicago, Los Angeles, a total of seventeen cities in the United States. The ensemble also performed with the world-renowned cellist, Yoyo Ma, at Carnegie Hall in New York; Zellarbach Hall in Berkeley, The Music Center of Los Angeles, etc. It was first Chinese National Orchestra performance in Carnegie Hall. In 1997 and 1998, he was as a member of Orchestra Asia, a ensemble formed by national master instrumentalists from China, Japan, and Korea. In 1999, Mr. Guo performed with the Central National Orchestra at Goldener Sael Wiener Musikvrein in Austria, Berlin Philharmonic Hall in Germany and the Copenhagen Broadcasting Concert Hall in Denmark. In May of 2001, as a member of China- U.S. Cultural Exchange Group, he performed with the Central National Orchestra in New York, Chicago, Washington DC, Boston, Huston, San Francisco, Santa Rosa and Los Angeles. Currently, he is living in San Francisco as a member of Melody of China music ensemble. He also appears as a guest musician with other performing arts groups in the San Francisco Bay Area. [Artists] [Top]

Erhu Soloist Karen Hwa-Chee Han Karen Hwa-Chee Han is an internationally renowned Er-hu virtuoso, composer, and vocalist. She has performed for foreign dignitaries, Oscar winning movies, television, and radio programs, as well as in concerts throughout many parts of the world. Karen is the youngest person to receive her Mater's Degree in Performance Arts with honors from the best music academy in China, The Central Conservatory of Music. She was ranked as the top artist and a first class Er-hu soloist by the academy. She started the Er-hu at the age six from her father. In 1978, she won over thousands of other Er-hu competitors and gained admittance to The Central Conservatory of Music. Since graduation, Karen frequently performed for visiting foreign dignitaries such as former President Jimmy Carter, former Primer Minister Margaret Thatcher, and world-renowned tenor Luciano Pavarotti. In 1985 she was invited to join the Best Chinese Young Artists Group, which toured more than 15 cities in the United States in 1991, Karen was invited as an artist to the "Prague Spring Festival" in Czechoslovakia. Enamored with the West, Karen was enticed by Hollywood contracts to move to LOs Angeles in 1988, Studios such as Warner Brothers, Hollywood Pictures, and HBO have since used her talents. In 1997 she soloed at Hollywood Bowl Orchestra also i a concert with the New West Symphony, she performed a world premier Er-hu and orchestra concerto "Gates of Gold" as soloist. The composer Joseph Curiales had been warned of the difficulty of the solo part, which the soloist conformed. As originally written, the Er-hu occurs i the rapid passages with large tonal leaps. On a violin, a jump of an octave requires shifting a left finger only a inch or so, to another of the four strings. However, with the Er-hu two free floating strings and longer neck, the player must reach perhaps six inches. It took an Er-hu player of Karen's caliber to make it happen. In reputation she ranks as one of the best player in the world, a cultural treasure. Most of people have been hears her in movies like "The Joy Luck Club" and "The Last Emperor" (Which captured and Oscar for original music), as well as numerous television scores. Her playing of the concerto was remarkable, not only for its intricacy, but also for the emotion it conveyed. She brought forth from her diminutive instrument a song of poignancy and power. [Artists] [Top]

Suona & Sheng Wei HOU Mr. Wei Hou began his education on the suo-na in China at the age of thirteen. He studied under the direction of prestigious suo-na soloist, Yu Zhang. In 1994, with no need auditioning or testing, he was accepted into ÒBeijing School of the Performing ArtsÓ (one of Ten Mainly Technical Secondary School in China) on account of his exceptional skills and talent on the suo na. His creativity and diligent hard worked helped his talent develop immensely into the beautiful and moving musician and suo-na soloist you hear today. Also at the ÒBeijing School of the Performing ArtsÓ, he started his second career as a Sheng soloist (Chinese Mouth Organ) and studied under the direction of Professor Qi Shan, the Sheng Soloist of Central National Music Troup. Ê In the year 1993, he was awarded first prize in the ÔYouth Soloist Instrument CompetitionÕ and in 1995 he was again given top honors at ChinaÕs Ò1st Annual Youth Soloist FestivalÓ. After graduating from ÒBeijing School of the Performing ArtsÓ, he was immediately recruited into ÒBeijing Modern & Ancient Music TroupÓ and then became a wind instrumentalist. He was then invited to perform at various places all over China. His talent was also showcased on many of ChinaÕs most popular TV stations and Music Troups (CCTV, BJTV, ÔBei Jing Opera TroupÕ, ÔChina Central National Opera TroupÕ and more). As a wind instrumentalist, he also plays the Xiao (vertical flute), Bawu (copper-reed flute), Xun (Chinese ocarina). Ê Mr. Wei Hou is one of the most prestigous Youth Wind-instrumentalist in China's younger generation. His music has been said to touch the heart and spirit of his audiences. His passion and talent for his music are well shown through his performances. [Artists] [Top]

Gaohu Soloist Thomas LEE Mr. Thomas Lee was born into a musical family. Under the tutelage of his father, he started his gaohu training at the age of nine. by the time he was twelve he was a seasoned veteran of the Cantonese Operas. In 1979, he held the honor of head gaohu chair in both the Kowloon Youth Orchestra and the Hong Kong Youth Orchestra. In 1981, Mr.Lee immigrated to the United States and continued to perform and broadcast on television and radio to preserve the traditional music of China. His playing has gained Mr. Thomas Lee the praise of critics of the San Francisco Chronicle and Examiner. [Artists] [Top]

Guzheng Soloist Li Ma As a member of the Chinese Musician Association and a member of the Chinese Folk Wind and String Instrument Association, Ms. Li Ma is one of China’s most excellent Young players of Zheng (Chinese Zither). Born in the city of Xi’An, Shannxi Province, in the People’s Republic of China, Ms. Li Ma began her professional musical training at the age of eight. In 1990 she enrolled in Attached Middle School of the Xi’An Conservatory of Music, became a professional musician. In 2000, she graduated with honor from the China Conservatory of Music that is the best one of music schools in China. From 2000 to 2001, she was a Zheng director in Beijing Contemporary Music Institute. Following a long road of professional development in both performance and instruction on Zheng, she received praise for her talent from the highest circle of China’s musical establishment. In her many solo performance in China, she has always received excellent reviews and awards. In 1995, she won the Award of Excellent Performance in “95 Oriental Cup of National Juvenile (Youth Group) Competition of Zheng Performance”. In 1999 she held her first solo concert in Beijing. In 2000 she was invited to join the best Chinese Young Artists Group, toured Sweden for the Falun Folk Festival. In 2001 she took part in the recording of “Collection of Zheng music”. In 2002 she hold “Rhythm of Autumn” zheng recital in Lincoln city, Nebraska. In January 2003, she took part in “Chinese New Year Concert 2003” in Cincinnati city and Columbus city in Ohio. In March 2003, She successfully published her first CD – “Rhythm of Fall” in China. Meanwhile, she held her Zheng concert in Carnegie Hall in New York in May 26, 2003, which is one of the world's leading institutions in presenting great music. [Artists] [Top]

Pipa Soloist Elaine Y. Liu Elaine Y. Liu is a young talented person in many professions. When she was a little girl, she started to learn how to play the Pipa from her father Zhongyi Liu, a student of the great Pipa master—Dehai Liu. Her excellent performance in many occasions, such as on TV, radio music programs and city concerts has won her the title of Elegant China Scent, and recieved praise from the professionals, including those from another Pipa giant in China, Mr. Rengen Xia. Her wonderful performance has also won her the Championship in the Miss International Business beauty pageant, held in Chongqing, China 2002. (The picture was taken in the final round of that competition and was used on the newspaper). She was also a frequent figure on TV in south China before she came to the States. Now, she’s studying TV broadcasting in philadelphia and hosting TV shows in Chinese sattelite TV Station at the same time. She also teaches both Chinese and Americans how to play the Pipa and performs for some non-profit organizations, fraturnities or sororities gathering and holiday celebrations... You can reach her at music_lemon_tree@yahoo.com [Artists] [Top]

Pi-pa Soloist Fang LIU Liu Fang was born in 1974 in Kunming in the province of Yunnan. She started learning the pipa at the age of six years and gave her first public performance when she was nine years old, which marked her impressive performing career as soloist. Among many other concerts she gave in China and Japan, she performed, at the age of 11 years, in front of the Queen of England during her Majesty's visit to China. In 1993 Liu Fang graduated from the Shanghai Conservatory of Music where she also studied the zheng, a chinese zither. Liu Fang moved to Canada in 1996, and her great talent has been revealed to a broader public: She toured Europe on a regular basis and gave numerous solo recitals as well as concertos with orchestras, performed at a number of music festivals in Canada, Europe and the USA, made several TV appearances. Four of her concerts have been recorded by Radio-Canada in Montreal and CBC Radio in Vancouver in 1999. Liu Fang's performances have always received admiring comments from the listeners, the experts and neophytes alike. She has received several awards from the Canada Council for the Arts. As an extraordinarily talented interpret of the traditional Chinese music, Liu Fang's great interest goes beyond Chinese culture. She performed, for instance, with the Master of traditional Vietnamese music - Professor Tran Van khe in Paris, the Japanese Shakuhachi master - Yoshio Kurahashi (for a Radio-Canada concert in Montreal), the world renowned master of the Hindustani Slide Guitar - Debashish Bhattacharya, the Arabic ud virtuoso - Farhan Sabbagh (Berlin). She collaborates closely with the renowned Nishikawa Ensemble from Japan, and the Constatinopale Ensemble in Montreal. She also performed with western classical musicians such as the accomplished cellists - Yegor Dyachkov(Montreal) and Peter Mann (Berlin, Germany), as well as the flutist - Claire Marchand. Liu Fang wishes to create new music, new forms of music of high artistic values that brings different cultures together. She also wishes to discover new audiences and evoke more interests of the composers internationally to explore new possibilities. Liu Fang's playing is notable for its well-articulated dynamics and inspiring lyricism. Her music is warmly received and highly acclaimed wherever she appears. [Artists] [Top]

Pipa Soloist Hecheng LIU Liu, Hecheng is an outstanding Pipa virtuoso of remarkable talent. He is a unit member of Chinese Orchestra, Pipa unit member, and member of GuQing research institute. Liu began studying music when he was five. In age of 11, he was accepted as a gifted student by The central conservatory of Junior Division in Beijing, China, and studied Pipa Under the direction of the famous Pipa professor, Li Guang Hua. In 1980, he graduated with honors, earning his the privilege of studying at the Conservatory College Program without having to take the strict auditions. From 1980 to 1984, Liu studied under the nationally acclaimed professor Chen ze min at the Department of Chinese instrument of Central Conservatory of Music. In the same time, he studied Gu Qing under the well know professor Li Xiang Ting. He earned his Bachelor of Music degree in 1984. Since graduation in 1984, Liu He Cheng has been teaching and performing both in China and abroad. As a soloist of National Traditional Orchestra of China, Liu has performed in the USA, France, Germany, Sweden Greece, Denmak, Jugoslavia, Spain, former Soviet, Japan, Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, Hang Kong. He has won many competitions in Pipa performances in China and abroad. He is often invited by universities, museums, and research institutes to lecture or perform. Liu was featured by the Beijing Radio Broadcasting station, one of the largest radio stations in China, in a show entitled, 'Liu He Cheng Pipa perform art'. Liu He Cheng is a well know musician in this area. The criticle essay says "Liu' music gracefully combines strength and emotion to touch his listener' heart and soul. " [Artists] [Top]

Guqin Soloist Li LIU The renowned guqin artist LIU Li is currently a soloist for New York's Chinese Folk Music Ensemble and for Music From China. Before coming to the United States she was associate Professor at the Chinese Conservatory of Music, as well as soloist in their Experimental Orchestra. She was a member of the Chinese Folk Music Orchestra, the Beijing Guqin Research Association and the Shanghai Jinyu Guqin Society. In 1988, Ms.Liu graduated for the Folk Music Department of the Central Conservatory of Music. Her performance is noted for its generous, rich and mellow tones as well as its skillful execution, full feeling and variation of expression. She excels in the musical articulation of emotion, always with vivid highlights and a moving spirit. Since she moved to America in 1994, LIU Li has been invited frequently to perform and lecture throughout the country. Her collaboration with the New York Music Consort of the Manhattan School of Music's Chamber Orchestra received high praise from the critics. She was invited by China Institute in America to perform in their spring 1995 season, and delivered a performance that captured the attention of many in the music field. She has featured on a cable TV program in New Jersey and New York (Channel 31) titled "The Chinese Guqin- Liu Li Artistry." LIU Li Has been invited by both foreign and domestic companies to record a variety of famous guqin music, many of which are contemporary works. Hong Kong's Hugo Record Company and Germany's ZDF Broadcasting Station recorded the Liu Li Guqin Album." In addition, the Central People's Broadcasting Station and Radio Shanghai arranged special program to introduce her music. Radio International Beijing ran a special program that was broadcast to 80 countries around the world, and received many enthusiastic responses. Recently Ms. Liu has been engaged in research on the performance and teaching of guqin, and has gained experience in systematic teaching methods. Her students have been won first place in both domestic and foreign guqin competitions. She has lectured and performed at the invitation of Beijing University, Fudan University, the Beijing branch of Germany's Goethe Institute, Columbia University and other well known centers of learning. In February, 1996, invited by Taiwan's National Music Ensemble in Taipei, LIU Li held a concert in the National Hall of Music as well as a lecture on guqin music both of which were critically acclaimed. LIU Li is currently one of the only professionally trained guqin players in America. [Artists] [Top]

Weishan Liu Guzheng Soloist Director of San Francisco Guzheng Music Society Wei-Shan Liu is an outstanding guzheng (Chinese Zither) virtuoso of remarkable talent. Her music gracefully combines strength and emotion to move her listeners' heart and soul. She began studying the guzheng at the age of nine under guzheng masters Cao Zheng and Zhao Yu-Zhai. At a nationwide traditional musical instrument contest in 1975, she performed two original compositions, Glittering Pearl of Valley and On the Threshing Ground and won first prizes in both the composition and performance categories. She has dedicated herself to teaching guzheng since her arrival in the United States in 1982. Her students, ranging from five to seventy-five in age. She has performed in recitals as well as in annual concerts. She is often invited by universities, museums, and research institute to lecture or perform. She has toured more than 20 countries including Great Britain, Switzerland, Australia, etc. Ms Liu. joined by Todd Boekelheide, has recorded several soundtracks for such well-known movies as Dim Sum, Eat a Bowl of Tea, A Thousand Pieces of Gold, and Indiana Jones. She had been invited by the broadcasting stations KALW and KNBR, and television station KQED to perform for live broadcasts. She has also performed with Bay Area Women's Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra, and the Chinese Orchestra of Berkeley and Los Angeles. In January of 1992, she was invited by the Taiwan Chinese Traditional Orchestra to tour and perform in various cities of Taiwan. Her performances received rave reviews from music critics and audience alike. In 1996, she attended Festival of Harp at the Yerba Burne Theater. "Liu, bending over her instrument as if it were a musical universal at her command, gave an inspired performance, playing two Chinese pieces traditionally associated with the guzheng as well as one of her own compositions, titled "Bronze Gorge". Developing intricate patterns on the guzheng's shudderingly powerful bass strings, she showed fiery audacity in treble registers, plucking out melodies in fifths or in tremolo passages that sounded like an otherworldly mixture of mandolin and banjo. Notes are often stretched on the guzheng, giving it a blaze intonation." by Peter Stack of San Francisco Chronicle Staff Writer . [Artists] [Top]

Percussionist Hai PU Born into a musical family in Beijing, China, Mr. Hai Pu developed a special affinity with Chinese folk music at a very young age. In 1985 he began his formal music training as a percussionist when he passed the qualifying examination and was accepted to the Secondary School of Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing. By 1991 Mr. Hai Pu went on to study at the Central Conservatory of Music itself. At the same year he entered the China International Percussion Festival held at Shanshi Province and won the prestigious Golden Award for Percussion Performing Arts. In 1994 Mr. Pu Hai won critical acclaim and was warmly received by the public when he held his first solo recital at Beijing Hall of Music. Since 1992, Mr. Hai Puhas been touring with Li Zhen-Gui Percussion Ensemble of the Central Conservatory of Music to Singapore, Germany, Japan and Hong Kong and has performed in numerous concerts, both as a soloist and as part of an ensemble. He has also given many lectures and conducted workshops on Chinese percussion music. His musicianship and his encyclopedic knowledge of Chinese folk music have not gone unrecognized by the local media. Mr. Hai Pu has been interviewed by major newspapers, radio and TV stations. At the Central Conservatory of Music Mr. Hai Pu studied with Professors Li Zhen-Gui and Wang Jian-Hua, both renowned musicians and musicologists. His major areas of study include not only Chinese but also Western percussion music, in both theories and performance techniques. Having graduated at the top of his class, Mr. Pu Hai has been a Lecturer on Percussion Music in the Chinese Conservatory of Music, Beijing, China. In January, 1996 Mr. Hai Pu was invited by Music from China, a non-profit Chinese music ensemble in New York, to participate in the Chinese Music Festival. For two months Mr. Hai Pu has appeared both as a performer and a lecturer in a series of concerts and workshops focusing on Chinese traditional percussion music, at places that include Carnegie Hall, Museum of Natural History, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Taiwan Center, College of Creative Arts of West Virginia University, Yale University, and Dartmouth College. In April, 1996 he was invited by Dimension Performing Arts, a non-profit organization for promoting Chinese performing arts in the San Francisco Bay Area, and Mandarin Daily, a Chinese newspaper, to give a workshop on Chinese percussion music at the Bay Area. The workshop was favorably received by all the local Chinese newspapers, including the World Journal, Chinese Express, Sing-Dao Daily and International Daily.m's and CD about world wide music featuring Chinese traditional music. [ [Artists] [Top]

Pipa Teresa Shih Ms. Teresa Shih received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Music From the Chinese Culture University and Master of Science in Arts Administration from Drexel University in Pennsylvania. Started from the fourth grade, Ms. Shih has studied Pipa with distinguished teachers such as Professor Lin Ku-Fong, and Dr. Wang Cheng-Ping. She was also a member of the Taipei Youth Philharmonic and Chinese Music Orchestra during her college years. She won top prizes in the Taiwan Pipa Competitions including ÒThe Fifth National Chinese Traditional Instrument Concerto CompetitionÓ, ÒThe New Generations of Chinese Traditional Chamber MusicÓ, and ÒThe Fifth Golden Pipa CompetitionÓ. She has appeared in the National Performing Arts Center in Taipei many times and has toured Europe several times with the Kwang-Reng High School Chinese Music Orchestra and the Chinese Youth Goodwill Mission. Ms. Shih had her Pipa solo - ÒTeresa Shih Chinese Lute RecitalÓ at the Painted Bride Art Center in Philadelphia in 1996. She also taught Pipa at the Fidelity Chinese School in New Jersey. Currently, she works in a nonprofit organization as an Executive Assistant, and also a member of Melody of China Ð Chinese Music Ensemble. [Artists] [Top]

Gu-qin/Conductor John Siu John Siu (Xiao Guang Zhong) started his Western classical music training (violin, music theory and conducting) at a very young age in Hong Kong. After immigrating to Canada in the late 60's, he focused in choral music and served as Music Director and Conductor for the Vancouver Chinese Bible Church, the Ottawa Chinese Alliance Church, and the Ottawa Bible Church from the early 70's to the mid-80's. Since the mid-80's, Siu devoted his time to the study of Chinese music theory and, in the early-90's, was a much sought-after conference speaker "to explain Chinese music and its theory from the Western music framework". Siu is a competent Erhu, Gaohu, and Guqin player. His approach to the Guqin is most 'traditional' and conforming to the historical context. However, it is totally different from most other players. He believes that the Qin is an instrument for building one's character. It is far more important to learn the 'art of Qin and the philosophy encompassing the Qin than playing techniques. "If you know the joy of Qin, you don't need to bother with the sound from its strings". He firmly believes that one should only played the Qin for oneself, and at most for a few very close friends. He does not believe in giving a Guqin recital in a concert hall, particularly accompanied by an orchestra. Siu now lives in Vancouver. B.C., Canada and Beijing. He can be reached at johnsiu@netcom.ca He would love to hear from other music lovers. [Artists] [Top]

Pipa Min Su Min Su has played Pipa since she was six. She performed Pipa for Mikodo (the Japanese Emperor) during his visit to China. She has received many national, and international music awards including: Third Prize Winner of the Shanghai Folk Instrument Solo Competition in 1983; Third Prize in String Quintet in National Folk Music& Dance Competition in 1986; First Prize Winner of Shanghai Art Festival Folk Instrument Solo Competition in 1989; First Prize of the Instrument Division in the National Solo Competition in 1989; First Prize of Pipa Division in Shanghai Folk Instrument Solo and Orchestra Competition in 1989; First Prize at the San Antonio College Performing Arts Competition in 1994. She is a member of the Shanghai Pipa Association of Chinese Musician?s Association. She was a teacher at Shanghai and Hong Kong Cultural Arts Center. She was also a performer with the Shanghai Folk Orchestra and toured Japan in 1989 with the Shanghai Arts and Cultural Association. She also performed the PiPa for a San Antonio Cable TV station in a special program of the Chinese Language Around the World in 1995. She has been performing many concerts in DC area since 1997. And was invited by Indiana Chinese Professional Association for a concert in 2002. [Artists] [Top]

Liangxing Tang Master Pipa (Chinese lute) Soloist He born into a musical family in Shanghai. Tang Liangxing began learning the erhu at the age of seven, and at 13 was accepted into the Shanghai Chinese Orchestra with distinction in pipa and erhu. He studied the pipa under Niao Linsheng, Sun Yude, Ma Shenglong, Wei Zhongle and Li Tingsheng, and at 14 took lessons with maestro Chang Chihchien. He pursued his studies with such dedication that when he made his first appearance as a concert soloist at 15 his talent was immediately recognized and appreciated by the musical world. His solid technique and powerful musicality won him first prize in the 1974 pipa completion held in mainland China. when he was selected by the Central Symphony Orchestra as a special pipa soloist. His outstanding playing both in mainland China and on a tour of 16 cities in Japan brought him high critical acclaim. Subsequently he took part in major performances in Beijing and Shanghai and played as a pipa soloist with the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, the Shanghai Arts Orchestra, the Shanghai Soloist Ensemble, the Shanghai Ballet Orchestra and the Chinese Youth Artists Orchestra, as well we appearing on numerous occasions in Scandinavia, Central Europe, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Australia, Asia, and North America. He was greeted everywhere with effusive praise, being called"one of the world's most outstanding and moving soloist" and "without doubt one of the most notable Chinese pipa players", A series of pipa solo recitals in Hong Kong in 1981 proved a smash hit among local music lovers. Records of his major repertoire are sold around the world, and in 1986 his biography was included in the Dictionary of China Artists. Tan Liangxing's playing is compelling, magnificent and full of infectious warmth. He is adept at playing music of contrasting styles, and is universally acknowledged to be one of the premier modern Chinese pipa instrumentalists. After arriving the United States in 1986 he has given solo recitals at Lincoln center, Weill Recital Hall, the Asia Society, and the World Music Center, and given master classes at the universities of Columbia, Yale, Pittsburgh, west Illinois, and Manhattan Music College. He has also given acclaimed performances of the "Butterfly Lovers" and "Sisters of the Grassland" pipa concertos with the Southern Denver Symphony Orchestra, the Sacramento Symphony Orchestra, the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and the Queens Symphony Orchestra. Since 1991 he has given a number of successful pipa recitals throughout Taiwan and made two CD recordings. In May of 1993, he was one of 12 recipients of National Heritage Fellowships granted by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). [Artists] [Top]

Pipa Soloist Rong Sindy Tan Pipa Virtuoso Ms. Rong Cindy Tan started learning Pipa at age 9. She has studied with the most famous Pipa masters in China including GuangZu Li and Prof. DeHai Liu. She made her debut as a soloist in a prestigious youth art group at age eleven. Winning first-price award in Pipa competition at age fifteen. Ms. Tan has represented China in many diplomatic occasions, performed in the national "Chinese New Year" celebration in Beijing in 1978, and performed solo in the TV musical movie broadcast by CCTV network. She has given a Pipa recital in 1991 at Texas A&M Univ. and at school of music of UH in 1994. She received her Master of Music degree from school of music of UH in 1995. She played a Pipa Concerto in 1996 and 1997 with a symphony orchestra with CD recorded. She stays active in Houston with activities including Weekly Classical Music Series, Young Audience of Houston, Chinese music lecturing at universities. She teaches music and piano for ACP/Houston. She can be reached at (281)208-2726. [Artists] [Top]

Percussionist Wei Wang Wei Wang 's long interest in music began early and at home. In 1973, his father started teaching him to play the yangqin, the Chinese hammered dulcimer. This proved to be great preparation for the secondary school at the Music Conservatory of China in Beijing where Wei studied from 1983-1989 with China's best yangqin and percussion teachers. It was in Beijing that Wei began to focus on and explore a wide variety of percussion instruments. Mr. Xiaolin Zhu taught him to play traditional Chinese percussion and Guoqin Fang introduced him to western classical instruments including the xylophone, marimba and snare drum. Graduating first in his class from secondary school. Wei was immediately accepted to the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, Beginnings in 1989, he trained under the best percussion teachers in Shanghai.. He continued to study western classical music under Xue Baolun, Wei's Chinese percussion teacher was Professor Minxiong Li. He was frequenctly sought after by other musicians and composers for recording sessions and performances. Graduating at top of his class in 1993, he began to wirk as part of a Chinese pop music ensemble performing and recording in Shanghai. In 1994, Wei joined musicians from Germany, Inner Mongolia, nanjing, Chwengdu and Han Zhou to collaborated in an East-West fusion ensemble called Crossing. They won first place in a 1994 Beijing Jazz competition. Other competing groups came from as far away as Holland, England, Japan and the United States. The group recorded a CD Crossing which artfully blends the background of all the participants. In 1996, Wei was awarded a two year Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (DAAD) scholarship which allowed him to study and perform in Berlin. This Germany Academic Exchange Service made possible musical exchanges between Germany and other countries. During those two years he worked with many other musicians and performed for such notables as the president of Germany. In Berlin, Wei helped form the trio Omen which plays primarily Chinese music on sheng, piano and percussion. IN October of 1996 this trio competed against 120 other groups to win first place at Berlin's prestigious World Music Competition. In 1998, Wei completed his two year DAAD scholarship and enrolled in Berlin's Hochschule Für Musik Hanns Eisler. Here he is the school's first student ever to pursue a double major program. For his jazz component, he studies jazz with Professor Mario Würzerbeser. As part of jazz program Wei also studies piano, and pop and Latin music. For the world percussion with Topo Guioy and attends African percussion classes. He continued to be in demand for recording sessions and performances which delight audiences of all ages. He is currently living in the San Francisco, California. As a percussionist, he is working with Melody of China, a professional Chinese ensemble based in San Francisco. [Artists] [Top]

Guzheng soloist Winnier Wong Ms. Winnie Wong began playing the gu-zheng since 1983 at the age of four and a half and started performing by the age of five. She has performed in places all around California and parts of China. Throughout her career, her musical talent has been showcased at events for the San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown, U.C. Berkeley Chancellor Tien, Celebration of Chinese Medicine Day, the grand opening of the Main Library, San Francisco and the dedication of the permanent Chinese artifact exhibit and federal courthouse in Sacramento, and Summer Night Markets in San FranciscoÕs Chinatown. She has also been invited to perform at various conventions and concerts in Reno, Los Angeles and San Diego. In other occasions, she has lectured and demonstrated at University of California Santa Clara, City College of San Franicisco, San Francisco Conservatory of Music and various other universities and colleges here in the Bay Area.Ê Ms. Wong was promoted the position of the Director of the San Francisco Gu-Zheng Music SocietyÕs Youth Ensemble in 1990. Since then, she continues to perform, teach and assister her teacher, the director and president of the San Francisco Gu-Zheng Music Society, Ms. Wei-Shan Liu direct concerts. She began teaching in 1992 and began composing a year thereafter. In 1995, her artistry and creativity was recognized and awarded in open competitions for the performing arts scholarships sponsored by Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus, Channel 26, Sing Tao Daily News, and Hennessey.Ê [Artists] [Top]

Pipa Soloist Changlu Wu Pipa Virtuoso Changlu Wu started her Pipa training at the age of 6, and entered the primary school affiliated to the Shanghai Conservatory of Music at the age of 9. After years of training in primary school and middle school, she attended the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, majoring in Pipa playing, where she was awarded a bachelor's degree in 1990. She then came to the U.S. and started her study in University of Houston School of Music, majoring in Piano. Ms. Changlu Wu won numerous awards in China. She has represented our country in many diplomatic occasions to perform for foreign leaders visiting China. Those who have enjoyed her beautiful music include former president of the United States, Jimmy Carter. She also played in Isaac Stern's film "From Mao to Mozart". After she started her study in the U.S., she has been invited to perform in many cities, including Florida, San Antonio, Oklahoma, and Houston. Her performance was broadcast live by Houston Public Television. In 1995, she won the championship in the George Foreman International Musical Talent Showcase. She became the first musician in Chinese music history to win international music competition with Chinese music instrument. Ms. Changlu Wu loves to teach American young audience the beautiful Chinese music. She performs in the Young Audience Program in Houston. She teaches Pipa, Zheng, and Piano. Also she teaches at Chinese Culture Center. She is a very active musician in Houston. She was the President of Houston Chinese Orchestra. [Artists] [Top]

Sheng Soloist Wei Wu Wu Wei, born 1970 in Jiangsu.P.R. China, began his music education at the age of five, when he started to take erhu lessons with Wu Qiang. He studied the chinese mouth organ sheng with Liu Jinxiang at the Nanjing Arts Academy, and with the masters Weng Zhenfa, Mo Shanping and professor Xu Chaomimg at the Shanghai Conservatory. He performed as a soloist and an accompanist much sought after in many national and international concerts (including tours to Japan, Poland, the United States, Hongkong, Taiwan, Holland, Belgium and Czech among others), and won serveral awards in national and international competitions (for example in 1985 the Jiangsu Youth Erhu Competition with the predicate "outstanding", in 1992 second price in the International Competition of Jiangnan Silk Bamboo Instruments, and also in 1992 the award for the best accompainment in the National Suona Competition). From 1992 to 1993 he worked as a sheng teacher at the music academy for the young in Shanghai. From 1993 to 1995 he was sheng soloist in the Chinese Classical-Music Orchestra in Shanghai. In 1995 he was granted a DAAD scholarship for the study of Western contemporary music and jazz in Berlin. Since then he has taken part in many concert performances in Germany and Europe with different ensembles ("Sheng, Organ for the Mouth", "Crossing", "Tag Nutag", for example"). He took part in three times in the "Dance & Folk Festival" in Rudolstadt in Germany and "Sfinks" in Boechout in Holland , in the Asia Pacific Weeks in "Haus der Kulturen der Welt" in Berlin, and the "1st International Harmonica Festival Berlin" in Podewil. He has taken part in the "Concert for John Cage" in Leipzig. 1996 he won the first price of the world musical competition "Musica Vitale" in Berlin and Brandenburg. In 1996 and 1997 he was invited repeatedly by the Federal President Roman Herzog in Germany. He has played with many famous musicians, for example: Howard Levy, Brendan Power, John Cephas, Phil Wiggins, Volker Schlott, Sergei Starostin, etc. He does not only play the Sheng, including the lusheng from Yunnan, but also the chinese spike fiddle erhu, the Peking opera violin jinghu, hu-lu-si, xun and bawu. CD: "Sheng, Organ for the Mouth", "Crossing", "The Sounds of Siemens" , "Tag Nutag" [Artists] [Top]

Conductor/Composer Peikun XI Pei-Kun Xi was the principal conductor of the Shanghai and Peking Opera companies. Since 1970, he has conducted more than 600 performances of 6 Chinese operas. From 1978 to 1985 he served as the Music Director of the Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra and conducted more than 40 programs during each season. At the same time, he also served as the principal conductor of the Shanghai Youth Orchestra. He also served as the music director and conductor for three major Chinese films and several Chinese television productions. He has three commercially available recordings of his orchestral works and Dances of Modern Chinese Classical Composers. Pei-Kun Xi graduated from the Shanghai Conservatory of Music in 1969, majoring in Bassoon, and continued private studies in conducting with Jean Perison and Yi-Jun Hung in Shanghai. Since coming to the United States, he has pursued further studies at the San Francisco Institute of Music and Art as a conducting major under Peter Black in 1987. He then obtained a Master's Degree in Music Conducting under Carl St. Clair at the New England Conservatory of Music in 1989. In 1990, he attended a special Conducting Fellow seminar with Seiji Ozawa at the Tanglewood Music Center. In the same year, he became an Artist Diploma Candidate in Conducting at Boston University under David Hoose. From 1992, he serves as the music director and conductor of the Dun Huang Music Ensemble, East Philharmonic Orchestra of San Francisco, South Bay Chamber Orchestra, San Francisco Guzheng Music Society and California Chinese Orchestra. [Artists] [Top]

Gu-zheng (Vietnamese zither) Soloist Thomas Thu‰n Dang Vu Thomas Thu‰n Dang Vu was born in Saigon, Vietnam where he learned to play the dˆn tranh (Vietnamese zither) in his youth. At the age of sixteen, he immigrated to the United States with his family, settling in Atlanta, Georgia. He attended Savannah College of Art and Design and graduated summa cum laude, receiving his BFA in Painting. Immediately after college, he moved to New York City and began to focus his creativity on studying the gu zheng (Chinese zither). From his experience with the dˆn tranh, Thomas quickly mastered the basics of the gu zheng with his first teacher, the world renown Wang Changyuan, and began to perform publicly as a member of the Overseas Chinese InstrumentalistsÕ Orchestra of New York. He has further enhanced his performance skills under the guidance of Nguyen Ch‰u, former professor of the Saigon National Conservatory, and Min Xiaofen, master of the pi pa (Chinese lute). Thomas has performed at Lincoln CenterÕs Alice Tully Hall and the Tribeca Performing Arts Center in New York City, the New York Asian Festival, and the Montclair Performing Arts Center in New Jersey. He has also performed solo at numerous fundraisers and events around New York City, including the Summerfest in Chinatown: 2002 and the Earth Day Celebration at the United Nations. This past May, he and Wang Changyuan were invited to perform in London for the 2002 Nobel Prize Laureates at the Athenaeum Club at Pall Mall and the Linbury Studio Theatre at the Royal Opera House. [Artists] [Top]

Gu-zheng Soloist Yi Yang Yi Yang, “was fascinating and surprising (New York Times), "she did an extraordinary job by giving an intensive and passionate performance,"(West German News), “She really sets the instrument on fire”(Daily Record, New Jersey). A Master on Zheng (a 21-stringed Zither), winner of the 1989 Arts Cup International Chinese Instruments Competition and many Chinese domestic awards. Yi Yang is a highly appreciated concertmaster, soloist, instructor and frequent lecturer both in China and in the USA. She’s also a current New Jersey AIE (Arts in Education) program Roster Artist, designated by "NJ State Council on the Arts". . A graduate of the China Conservatory of Music, one of China’s three best Music Conservatories and the only music Conservatory which offers professional Chinese music training exclusively, she had majored in Zheng under the world famous Zheng master Dean and Professor Qiu Da Cheng. In addition to teach Zheng major at the China Conservatory of Music and as a Zheng soloist for the China National Union Arts Ensemble after graduation, Ms. Yang has appeared as soloist with some of the best Chinese Music Groups such as Central Philharmonic of Chinese Music, Central Broadcasting Philharmonic of Chinese Music, Central Music & Dance Group and Beijing Music & Dance Group before coming to the US in 1991. Ms. Yang has toured extensively throughout Asia, Europe and the U.S., including the prestigious concert halls at Royal Albert Hall (UK), Historische Stadthalle Wuppertal (Grosser Saal)(Germany), Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Merkin Concert Hall, 92nd Street Y. (NYC), Freer Gallery of Art (D.C.), Richardson Auditorium (NJ), and many more. Her repertoires include many of her world premiered works such as the premiere of Chen Yi(Charles Ives Living Award winner)'s "Song in the Winter" at Carnegie Hall; Tan Dun(Grawemeyer, Grammy and Academy Award winner) 's "CAGE" and Zhou QinRu's "Ancient Poem in Three Verses" on "BBC Proms 95" at Royal Albert Hall in London; Lutz-Werner Hesse’s "Sky and Earth” concerto for Zheng and orchestra op. 42 (UA) at Historic Stadthalle Wuppertal in Germany; Lee Tzyy-sheng's "Reversing" Concertino for Zheng and String Orchestra at Taipei Theater (NYC), and many other new music works by renowned composers. In addition, her exceptional teaching record not only earned her three times the “Outstanding Teacher Award” from the government in Beijing after many of her students received domestic and International competitions awards (including three first prizes), but also became a great help to many of her successful US lecture / performance presentations, including those at Hunter College (NY), Fairleigh Dickinson Univ.(NJ), Univ. of Massachusetts (MA), The Settlement Music School (PA), Rutgers Univ. (NJ), Yale Univ. (CT), Cooper Union (NYC) , Princeton University (NJ), Warren County College (NJ), and etc.. Her musical recordings can be found on many publicly released CDs; movies / TV series, such as the well-known movie "Hong Lou Meng"(Dream of the Red Chamber); She has been profiled in many documentary radio programs - Yang Yi and her Zheng Music by Radio Stations such as - Voice of America, China National Broadcasting Radio Station, Beijing Radio Station and many other regional radio stations. She is the founder and the music director at Eastern Culture and Performing Arts Center, the 1st professional Chinese music center of its kind in New Jersey. Some of her glowing reviews include: New York Times (New York) Mar.13, 1995 Yang Yi was fascinating and surprising. She gave an extraordinarily beautiful performance on the Zheng ( a 21- stringed zither ). West German News (New Jersey) Jan.22, 2004 This is a well sounding music full of melodies. The audience liked it and celebrated it with “Bravos”. The orchestra and Yi Yang, the worldwide known soloist, conducted by George Hanson, did an extraordinary job by giving an intensive and passionate performance. The lucid orchestra showed clearly the well build form of the piece. Daily Record (New Jersey) Mar.10, 1996 Yi Yang is like the Mick Jagger of the zither. She really sets the instrument on fire. New Creation Connection (New Jersey) Dec. 17, 1993 Besides the varied , sophisticated techniques; pure Chinese national style; and the beautiful, clear timbre, Yang, Yi also has her unique understanding and expression of the music. China Weekly News (New Jersey) May 28, 1993 Yang, Yi's performance was extremely wonderful. After hearing her performance, you would be lost in thought, and think about the poem..... [Artists] [Top]

Pipa Soloist Qin Yang Ms. Yang, Qin has been highly praised as a Pipa soloist and instructor in China. She is a member of China Pipa Research institute and the member of the Association of Chinese musicians, JiangSu branch. Ms. Yang, Qin underwent professional musical training at age seven from the Nanjing Little Red Flower Arts Group, a well-known professional music training center for children, and completed her formal training at the NanJing College of Arts where she majored in the performance of the Pipa . Thereafter she became a Pipa soloist with the JiangSu Traditional Arts Ensemble, and Eastern Culture Exchange Center. She has received many awards from various competitions. She has toured many countries throughout Southeast Asia (including Taiwan) and Europe as a concert soloist with few other artists. She has made many radio and television broadcasts in China and the United States. She is currently a visiting artist in residence with Music From China (World Renowned New York based Music Group), and has been actively involved in musical performance in the East Coast in the U.S.A. Her recent appearances include solo performances in Manhattan School of Music’s "Week of Music Concerts" Program (NYC), Colgate University's "Concert Series 1997 - 98" (NY), Wesleyan University (CT), Oswego school of the State University of New York (NY). Settlement Music School (PA), World Culture and Sports Festival Concert (Washington, D.C), University of Pennsylvania (PA), Rutgers University (NJ), "24th Annual New Jersey Folk Festival" (NJ) and etc. [Artists] [Top]

Erhu Soloist Xiao-Feng Zhang Zhang Xiao-Feng specializes in the Chinese two-stringed fiddle, the erhu, and has performed with renowned orchestras, ensembles, and as a soloist all over the world. Raised in a musical family, Zhang began her musical training young, with her father as her first formal teacher. In 1978, she began studying Erhu under the direction of the famous Erhu professor, Liu Zhen Hua. At the age of 17 years old Zhang was accepted by the Central Conservatory of Junior Division in Beijing, China. In 1980 she graduated with honors, earning her the privilege of studying at the Conservatory College Program without having to take the strict auditions. From 1980 to 1984, Zhang studied under the nationally acclaimed professor Lan Yu Song at the Department of Chinese instrument of Central Consevatory of Music. She earned her Bachelor of Music degree in 1984. Since graduation in 1984 Zhang Xiao Feng has been teaching and performing both in China and abroad. From 1984 to 1997, Zhang was a member of the National Traditional Orchestra of China, touring within China and abroad. As a soloist, Zhang was featured by the Beijing Radio Broadcasting station, one of the largest radio stations in China, in a show entitled, "Xiao Feng Zhang's Solo Performances." Additionally, Zhang has performed Erhu with traditional ensembles touring throughout China as well as Singapore, Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong and the United States. In 1997, Zhang Xiao Feng immigrated to the United States and is continually active performing Erhu with the Jumping Buddha Ensemble in various festivals and world music performances. [Artists] [Top]

Erhu Soloist Xiaoli Zhang Xiaoli Zhang-King is a world class Erhu player. Xiaoli was born and raised in People's Republic of China. At the age of seven, she began to learn to play the Erhu taught by her father , Zhang Shou Kang, a well know musician in China. After years of diligent practice she became a fine musician, and she has earned many first prizes in internatioanl and national music competitions: Awarded first prize for Erhu, Chinese International Instrumental Competition, Beijing, 1989 Awarded first prize, Theatrical Festival of Shandong universities, 1991, 1990, 1989, 1988, and 1987 Awarded first prize, Trials of Beijing Erhu Invitational Tournament, 1985 Invited to the United States to give series of lectures and demonstrations on Chinese traditional literature and music, and gave concerts and lectures at 18 universities, high schools and elementary schools throughout Southern California, March-April 1994 Concert tour in Italy and France, September ~ October 1999 [Artists] [Top]

Guzheng Soloist ZHU Xiaomeng Zhu Xiaomeng graduated from the Shanghai Music Conservatory of China. She paved the way for solo Guzheng Performances playing great Chinese concerto pieces: “Orchid” (also known as "Lan") and “Snow of June” ("Dou Er Yuan") for a concert. organised by the Chinese Musicians Association and the Shanghai Film Orchestra in 1992.   Zhu Xiaomeng is actively promotion Guzheng music in the UK. In 2002 and 2003, She had successful public performance in Trafalgar Square with her student’s during Chinese New Year. In April 2003. Junior Guzheng Ensemble has awarded first prize in instrumental group of Croydon music festival, it was the first step that Chinese music has ever made in Britain’s history. Also She has her own CD sell at China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Malaysia andSingapore Canada UK.  welcome to visit our website -- www.guzheng.co.uk or contact us at guzheng_uk@yahoo.co.uk [Artists] [Top]

[Home] [Artists] [Top]

---