Gao Weijie 高為杰

Professor Gao Weijie is an accomplished composer, a music theorist, and an outstanding teacher.  Born in Shanghai in 1993, he grew up to become a musician of significant importance.  After graduating from Sichuan Conservatory of Music in 1960, he taught at his alma mater and later became professor of composition and chair of Composition Department.  Since 1989 Professor Gao has been teaching composition and music analysis at Composition Department of Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing. 
Professor Gao’s compositions enjoy a rich and expansive variety, ranging from symphonic music, to chamber music, to ballets, to film and TV music, to many songs.  His musical accomplishments have yielded him many awards. In 1981 he won a 2nd prize in the First National Composition Competition with Symphonic Ballade’s “An Old Story of the Grassland.”  In 1983 he won a first prize in the Third National Composition Competition with “An Evening Banquet in Shu Palace” (for Chinese orchestra). In 1987 the Ministry of Culture of PRC presented him with a prize for his ballet music “The Savage Land.”  His chamber music for Chinese instruments, “Dizi Music Drifts in Luocheng on a Spring Night,” was awarded  an Art Program prize in 1994 by the Thirty-first Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union.
Professor Gao’s recent compositions include “Faraway Dreams” (for percussion and orchestra) performed in Beijing in 1994 and in London in 1998; Symphony No. 1 in 1990; “Images of Baima” (Concerto for two Erhu’s and orchestra) performed in Hong Kong in 1991; “Shao I” performed in France and USA in 1998; “Shao II” commissioned by Radio France and first performed in Paris in 1996; “Dreams of Meeting II” performed in Hong Kong in 1998; Dreams from the Heaven” performed in Canada in 1998; and “Late Spring” commissioned by Loos Ensemble and performed in The Hague in 2000.
Professor Gao is a member of Chinese Musicians Association and serves as President of Exploratory Union for Musical Composition. He was a jury member for the 4th, 6th, and 8th National Composition Competitions as well as for ACL Young Composers International Competition in New Zealand in 1992.  He has been invited to give lectures, workshops, and master classes at different institutions, including Kingston University (England), University of Maryland, University of Cincinnati, Butler University, Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, Guanajuato University (Mexico), and Taipei Municipal Chinese Classical Orchestra.  Most recently, Professor Gao has been invited by University of Cincinnati, the Musicians Association of Washington D.C., and the International Music Festival Callejon del Ruido Composition Ideas and Technology (in Guanajuato, Mexico) to perform his music and to give lectures.
 

Bright Sheng 盛宗亮

Bright Sheng is currently Professor of Music (composition and music theory) at the University of Michigan’s School of Music. Born in Shanghai, China, Professor Sheng started piano study with his mother at the age of four. During the Cultural Revolution, he worked as a pianist and percussionist in a folk music and dance troupe in Qinghai Province near the Tibetan border—where he also studied and collected folk music.  In 1978, when universities in China reopened, he was one of the first students accepted by the Shanghai Conservatory of Music—where he earned his undergraduate degree in music composition.  Since moving to New York in 1982, he earned an M.A. from Queens College in 1984 and a Ph. D. from Columbia in 1993.
“Bright Sheng has established himself as one of America’s foremost composers,” observed University of Michigan School of Music Dean Karen Wolff in congratulating Professor Sheng for winning the prestigious MacArthur Fellowship in 2001—this award will give Sheng $500,000 over five years with “no strings attached.” Affiliated with the University of Michigan since 1995, Sheng has been commissioned by and performed at orchestras and opera houses in New York, Chicago, Washington, D.C., Japan, Russia, Great Britain, and Germany.  He is artist-in-residence with Washington Performing Arts Society, a post that runs from 2001-2003. He has been co-artistic director of the Pacific Music Festival with the Seattle Symphony (2001).
Aside from the MacArther fellowship Professor Sheng has recently won, his national honors and recognition include: a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1990, first runner-up for the Pulitzer Prize in 1989 and 1991, a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship in 1995, an AT&T Foundation Award in 1997, and a University of Michigan Award in 2001.  His discography includes “Seven Tunes Heard in China,” featuring Yo-Yo Ma, on Sony Classics; his orchestra album of “China Dreams,” “Flute Moon,” and Postcards;” his chamber music album of his third and fourth string quartets; piano trio on BIS; a recording on Delos records of the “The Song of Majnun;” and his “Two Folk Songs from Qinghai: on, Koch International.
 Professor Sheng describes his own music as embodying “a mixture not only of Eastern and Western influences but of Tibetan and Chinese within the Eastern.”  He is able, therefore, to allow his inter-cultural experiences to come through his music in some most stimulating and stunning manner.  In doing so, Professor Sheng embraces what he calls “cultural license”—“the right to reflect my appreciation and understanding of both cultures in my work.” His work, as a result, takes on heteroglossic significance: it speaks to both Chinese and Western audiences, and it celebrates beauty, harmony, and human creativity. No wonder that Professor Sheng is now recognized as one of the world’s leading composers.

Hu JianBing胡建賓

JianBing Hu, a Sheng soloist and composer, who is the president of Chinese performing arts of North America. Mr. Hu was born in a musical family, accepting criticism training from his father since he was little. In 1983, he won the first prize of the first Chinese instruments competition in Gansu Province. Two years later, he got into Central conservatory of China by his excellent playing. In 1989, he graduated in double major, which are composing and performing. Latest years, he performed many concerts with National traditional orchestra of China in Southeast Asia and Europe countries. Since Mr. Hu came to America, he attended a great number of concerts, which were held in Merkin Concert Hall, Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center.  During the period of 2000 – 2002, he cooperated with cello master Yoyo Ma in concerts series of “Silk Road Project”.
During these years, he was contributed to the combination of Chinese modern and traditional music composition. His famous piece  “Still the fragrance” won The First Kataka Typical Buddhist Musician Competition. In 1997, his first personal composition concert, which named “Autumn Melody”, was successfully held in Beijing Concert Hall.

Binyang Li 李濱揚

A 1985 graduate of the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing with major of music composition (bachelor degree), Li, Binyang taught at Conservatory for a number of years. He received a master's degree in composition from Louisiana state university in 1992. Has won many prestigious composition competition in China, with his major works “First Symphony”, “God of Mountains” (concerto for Chinese instrument guan), "Violin and Piano", "Four Pieces for Piano", "Southern Feature"(for qin and xun). and album of piano pieces "My Favorite Chinese Folk Songs" was published in Taiwan in 1988. During 1990, his "God of Mountains". was one of seven compositions from China selected to be performed by the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra at the Asian Music Festival in Tokyo, Japan. His "Southern Feature "and "Nine Variations” were performed at Merkin Hall, New York in October 1990 and October 1991. He is the winner of the second annual composition contest of Yavanavich Society contest in 1992 in Louisiana (for flute, piano and percussion). In 1997, his "The Prelude of 1997 for Hong Kong Returning to China” was performed at Pasadena, California by America China Symphony Orchestra in July 2001. His music was selected by China Olympics Committee for the voting in Moscow for 2008 Olympics and, his concerto for Zhudi, "The Spirit of the South", was performed at the Hong Kong City Hall Concert Hall in August, 2001. His 2002 work "Beyond Poems" was performed at the Merkin Hall in New York in October and his 2003 work "Yong" scheduled to be performed at he Herbst Theater in San Francisco on Jan. 26, 2003. His works have been performed in Beijing, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore and the U.S. He has been a freelance composer living in southern California since 1992.

G a o, Pi n g 高 平

G ao, Pi ng is a na tiv e of C hi na an d cu rr en tly pu rs ui ng his D oc to ral D eg re e at th e Ci nc in na ti C oll eg e- C on se rv at or y of M usi c, w he re he w or ks wi th Jo el H off m an on co m po siti on an d Ja m es T oc co on pi an o.
Mr. Gao’s music has been performed in North and South America, Europe, New Zealand, and China. His music has been heard on the National Public Radio's Performance Today in the US, the Classical Concert FM in New Zealand and the Chinese Central Broadcast. In a recent review, the Cincinnati Enquirer calls ‘Dawn’, a piece for violin and piano,the highlight and beautiful. His recent work ‘Nightingale, for Narrator and chamber orchestra received a world-premiere in the Aspen Music Festival. The Story Teller, a work commissioned by the Ensemble Pyramide, was performed in Zurich and Geneva. Other commissions come from the Starling Chamber Orchestra, ShenZhen Dance Company in China, Dutch flutist Eleonore Pameijer, and pianist Marcel Worms. His Concertino for Violin and Strings was premiered in Beijing and performed throughout China and the States. "Dance Fury - homage to Astor Piazzolla" has been performed widely in Argentina, Holland and China. His Nocturnes III for marimba solo is prepared for publication by the HoneyRock Pu! blishing Co.. Gao Ping has studied with composers such as Frederic Rzewski, Michael Schelle, and Gao Weijie.
As a pianist, he has performed in Europe, China, Australia, New Zealand and the States. On his recent tour in New Zealand, a critic wrote ‘a remarkable pianist’. His playing had a concentration that was almost uncanny. Everything he did was in place, with no spare gestures or sounds.  Mr. Gao has appeared as a soloist with many orchestras in America, China, and Europe. He has worked with living American composers performing their compositions, such as George Crumb and Joel Hoffman. He also gave US premieres of non-American composers, including many composers from his native China as well as the New Zealander, Jack Body. Mr.Gao has recorded for the Waiteata Label of New Zealand and the Starling Label with Chinese violinist Liu Yang.   
Mr. Gao is a recipient of numerous awards from international and national piano competitions in China, US, and Spain. Among his piano teachers were Zhou Guang-Ren, Sedmara Rutstein, Panayis Lyras, and he has worked with renowned pianists such as Dimitri Bashkirov, Emanuel Ax, Gary Graffman, and Anton Kuerti.
Mr.Gao has presented lectures and master-classes in music schools in China and New Zealand, such as the Shanghai Conservatory, China Conservatory, the School of Music at the Victoria University of Wellington and University of Auckland. He serves as the music director of the Franktown Art Center which is located in the Carson-Tahoe area of Northern Nevada.

Lu, Pei -- Composer

Dr. Pei Lu has written works for diverse genres, such as for orchestras, chamber groups, chorus, as well as for dance dramas, TV theaters and motion pictures. His compositions won him many national and international prizes. Recently, some of his awards/honors are: Jerome Composers Commission Program, American Composers Forum, The Margaret Fairbank Jory Copying Assistance Program of American Music Center, the Michael Hennagin Memorial Composition Prize, the International Electronic Music Festival/Composition Competition in Italy. In 1997, Mr. Lu won the Silver Prize of '97 Composition Competition in Beijing, for his Symphony No. 3. He has also won the first prize of the Sixth International Composition Competition of New York City in 1997. Among the prizes Lu Pei has won including the award of the YeuhFei International Composition Competition In 2000 in Chicago, for his sonata for violin and piano, anjianghong: Legend of An Ancient Hero, which was premiered in Chicago Museum of Contemporary Arts by the renowned violinist Rachel Barton Pine and pianist
Metthew Hagle; Taiwan Golden Horse Award for Music; and the Award of Japan International Animated Cartoon Festival for his music for the sound track of The Fire.
Pei Lu's other commissions are from Yo-Yo Ma's Silk Road Project, institutions and ensembles such as the Chicago Institute of Arts, the Grant Park Orchestra of Chicago, Norfolk Music Consort of Virginia, the University of Wisconsin at Oshkosh, the Oshkosh
Symphony Orchestra of Wisconsin, Amelia Piano Trio, Western Kentucky University, also the San Francisco Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the Chicago Symphony, as well as institutions from Mainland-China, Singapore, Taiwan and Hong Kong. Mr. Pei Lu’s
music has already appeared in many countries such as France, Belgium, Canada, Mainland China, The Netherlands, Taiwan, Japan, Hong Kong, British, South Africa, Italy as well as in the U.S.

Xie, Wenhui

Dream of the Red Chamber and Chinese Folk Song Concerto
Wenhui Xie is one of the emerging young composers from Beijing, China. Her works cover many genres, including instrumental solos, art songs, choral, chamber, orchestral works, music for dance and film.
Wenhui’s works were awarded prizes in several competitions and have been performed at concerts in China and the United States. Recently, at the request of the GCCMS, Wenhui arranged four Chinese folk songs for the CCM Orchestra. She composed music for the ballet The Reverie of Baoyu, choreographed by Jiang, Qi. This work was performed by the Dance China, NY in September 2006.  Furthermore, Wenhui’s works, Pulsation of Life for piano sextet and Rondo, Bell for piano solo, have been performed at the Music06 Festival in Cincinnati and at the International Summer School UPBEAT in Korcula, Croatia in July 2006. In addition, Wenhui’s Piano Concerto was awarded a prize at the Vienna-Chinese New Year Concert, and A Ballad of Lovesickness for a cappella was awarded a prize at the Chicago Great Wall Composition Competition in early 2006.
She is pursuing a Masters Degree at the China Conservatory of Music and is currently an exchange student at the University of Cincinnati, College-Conservatory of Music. She is studying composition with professors Wanchun Shi, Joel Hoffman and Michael Fiday.

Zhao, Jiping - Composer

Zhao, Jiping came from a family of artists, graduated from the prestigious Xi'an Conservatory of Music, and is now serving as president of his Alma Mater. A most prolific and versatile composer, Zhao has traversed various genres such as symphony, Chinese traditional orchestral music, symphonic poem, concertos, chamber music, film, television, art songs, and dance.
A number of Zhao's works have been premiered outside China. Among these works are his symphonic poem Sunbird, his symphonic ballad Farewell My Concubine performed by the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra at Berlin Forest Concert, his Symphony No. 1 played and recorded by the Lisbon Symphony Orchestra, and his work of chamber music Guan Shanyue presented in New York by Yo-Yo Ma to the accompaniment of three Chinese instruments: sheng, pipa, and a drum called “tabula.”
Zhao Jiping has composed for fifty movies and numerous TV series such as Red Sorghum and Farewell My Concubine, Dazhaimen and Qiaojia Dayuan. The huge volume of his outstanding artistic creations has made him a two-time winner of the Golden Rooster Award for Best composer, a four-time winner of the Golden Eagle Award, and a recipient of many other prestigious awards in performing arts.
赵季平 , 著名作曲家, 出身于艺术世家，毕业于西安音乐学院作曲系，现任西安音乐学院院 长。 创作了大量音乐作品，体裁涉及交响乐、民族管弦乐、交响诗、协奏曲、室内乐、舞剧、 电影和电视剧音乐、艺术歌曲等。 其中交响音画《太阳鸟》交响叙事曲 《霸王别姬》 于2000年由柏林爱乐交响乐团在 “柏林森林音乐会”上首演。 为大提琴与笙、琵琶、塔不拉鼓创作的室内乐《关山月》由大提琴家马友友在纽约首演。 《第一交响曲》由葡萄牙里斯本交响乐团演 奏并录制唱片。
大型舞剧《大漠孤烟直》由台北新古典舞团在台北首演。 2007年, 震撼人心的乔家大院交响 组曲在北京首演.  至今，为50多部电影和数百部(集)电视剧作曲，两度摘得电影 “金鸡” 最佳作曲， 四度获得电视“金鹰奖”和一个“飞天奖”以及20世纪华人经典作品奖。 与中国影视音乐节下了不解之缘。从上个世纪八九十年代的《红高粮》《霸王别姬》《菊斗》 到近几年的《大宅门》《乔家大院》《笑傲江湖》《狼毒花》等电视剧中的音乐新作， 使得成为中国 影视音乐的代表人物.

Guan, Xia - Composer

Guan, Xia, composer. Guan is the director of China Symphony Orchestra. Among his major works are the First Symphony “The Call” (also translated as “Calling For”), the Second Symphony “Hope,” the First String Quartet, and Cello Rhapsody. His First Symphony Overture has been widely performed; it was in the repertoire of the 2006 Chinese New Year Concert in Vienna’s Golden Hall.
关峡，作曲家，曾任中国歌剧舞剧院歌剧团团长、中国东方歌舞团副团长，现任中国交 响乐团团长. 主要作品有第一交响曲《呼 唤》、第二交响曲《希望》，第一弦乐四重奏； 大提琴狂想曲； 2004年创作的《第一交 响序曲》被广为演出，并被选入2006维也纳 金色大厅新春音乐会曲目.

Bao, Yuankai - Composer

Bao, Yuankai, composer and educator. Bao studied the flute and composition in the affiliated Middle School of the Central Conservatory of Music in China and graduated from the conservatory in 1967 with a BA in Composition and Composition Theory. Bao has been writing music of various genres including symphony, chamber music, cantatas, musicals, movie and television sound tracks. The most important piece of his work is entitled Rhapsody of China. It includes seven chapters of symphonic music based on Chinese traditional themes and motifs. It was performed in forty countries from 1991 to 2001. Its DVD has been released by Deutsche Grammophon, Philips, and Hugo Records.
鲍元恺（1944—），著名作曲家，音乐教育家。1957年至1962年在中央音乐学院附中先后学习长笛和作曲，1962年至1967年在中央音乐学院作曲系。
鲍元恺先生的音乐作品包括交响乐、室内乐、清唱剧、歌曲、舞剧音乐、影视音乐和儿童音乐。 1991－2001十年间，他以西 方音乐形式展现中国传统音乐的交响系列 《中国风（Rhapsody of China）》（包括《炎黄风情》《台湾音画》《华夏弦韵 》 等七个篇章）， 已在亚洲、东西欧洲、 南北美洲、非洲和大洋洲四十个国家与地区上演。