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Qiang Zhang

A world-famous pipa virtuoso, Professor Zhang Qiang is the Director of the String Instrument Division of the Chinese Music Department at the China Central Conservatory of Music (CCMO). After graduating from CCMO in 1987, Professor Zhang had devoted himself to teaching at CCMO as a pipa instructor for almost three decades. He has been a judge at major domestic and international instrumental music competitions and has been invited to give lectures at many educational institutions. In addition to his traditional approach in systematic technique training, Professor Zhang focuses on the cultivation of students' music awareness and strongly urges his students to explore and display personal character in performing. Many of his students stand out as national winners of China’s highest-level competitions. Professor Zhang is an active performer throughout China and abroad. He has regularly appeared in international music festivals: the Edinburgh International Festival, Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival, Tanglewood Music Center Festival of Contemporary Music, Berlin Art Week, Torino Art Festival, and other festivals held in mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao. His musical collaborations also include the St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Brooklyn Symphony Orchestra and China National Symphony Orchestra, Dutch New Orchestra, China Symphony Orchestra, Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, China Radio National Orchestra, Shanghai National Orchestra, Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra, Taipei National Orchestra, Guangdong National Orchestra, Macau Chinese Orchestra and Singapore Chinese Orchestra. He was invited to perform at Carnegie Hall, Berlin Philharmonic Concert Hall, Musikverein (Golden Hall in Vienna), Lincoln Center in New York City. His work features solo pieces for pipa, concertos, traditional repertoires, and he actively engages in contemporary chamber music. Professor Zhang maintains a lifelong devotion to academic research. Together with three professors from CCMO, he has been working on a historical preservation project, Xian Suo Bei Kao, imparing, performing and eventually completing the full-scale (1814 manuscripts) music on the ancient spectrum of the Qing Dynasty.

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Shiqi Zhong

Shiqi Zhong is an acclaimed percussionist and DMA candidate at New York University, recognized for his extensive cross-cultural expertise and academic background in percussion. His varied career spans world, classical, contemporary, and popular music, showcasing his versatility and commitment to advancing the art of percussion.

A graduate of the China Conservatory of Music Affiliated Middle School, Juilliard Pre-College, Curtis Institute of Music, Yale School of Music, and New York University, Shiqi Zhong’s comprehensive education forms the bedrock of his emerging career. As deputy editor of the Percussive Arts Society (PAS) China and board member of the Asian Youth Musician Alliance (AYMA), Shiqi Zhong has made significant contributions to percussion education and outreach. His mentorship has led to the acceptance of his former students into prestigious institutions such as the Curtis Institute of Music, Juilliard Pre-College, Manhattan School of Music, and San Francisco Conservatory.

An active percussionist, Shiqi Zhong has played with renowned ensembles including the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, the American Symphony Orchestra, and the Composer Symphony Orchestra. He has worked with esteemed conductors such as Leon Botstein, Xian Zhang, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Vladimir Jurowski, and Osmo Vänskä. As a prominent percussion soloist, Shiqi Zhong has received numerous international accolades, including awards from the World Percussion Competition, the Piazzolla International Music Competition, the PAS KoSA Marimba Competition, and the Singapore Chinese Percussion Competition.

In addition to his performance career, Shiqi Zhong is an innovative composer. His works include China’s first electronic music and traditional Chinese percussion piece, The Monkey King’s Havoc in Heaven, as well as Unity, a Chinese Drum Ensemble piece, and Nezha, for solo timpani and drum ensemble. His educational method books, Rhythm Master and Handpan for Beginners, reflect his dedication to expanding and bridging cultures through percussion music.