Contemporary Chinese Symphonic Concert

2025.5.19 (Monday) 19:30

Contemporary Chinese Symphonic Concert

2025.5.19 (Monday) 19:30

CCOM Opera & Concert Hall

CCOM Symphony Orchestra

LI Jingzhan, Conductor

Melody WANG, Violin 

LAN Weiwei, Pipa

SU Zhen, Viola  

CHEN Guang, Trumpet  

CUI Shan, Guzheng

XIONG Xiaohan, Zhudi  

Program

YAO Chen      Symphonic Overture Garden: Unearthing the Way Home（2021）        10’

XU Zhitong        Symphony Suite The Port Connects the World. （2022）            12’

             Movement II   Flourishing for Violin and Orchestra

            Movement III   Beautiful Landscape for Pipa and Orchestra

Xiaogang YE        The Memories of Mount Jing Gang for Viola and Orchestra(2019)    11’

------------------------Intermission----------------------

HAO Weiya         Peking Click：Fantasia for Trumpet and Orchestra（2025）          10’

ZOU Hang  Guzheng Concerto The Green Mountain Share the Same Clouds and Rain（2021） 13’

            Movement I  Qing

Movement II  Mountain

ZHANG Shuai         XI XI XI (Panda Suite) for Zhudi and OrchestraI（2018）          20’ 

Introduction

Central Conservatory of Music Symphony Orchestra

Founded in 2017, the Central Conservatory of Music Symphony Orchestra is an internationally recognized professional orchestra affiliated with the Central Conservatory of Music (CCOM) in Beijing. The orchestra is under the artistic direction of Mr. YU Feng, a renowned conductor, professor of conducting, President of CCOM, and Vice Chairman of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles.

The Central Conservatory of Music Symphony Orchestra is renowned for its academic excellence and commitment to fostering the next generation of musical talent. The orchestra actively engages in creative performance, international collaboration, and participation in prestigious music festivals and competitions both domestically and internationally. These endeavors are integral to supporting the university's mission and vision. As a leading international symphony orchestra, the ensemble is deeply rooted in Chinese cultural heritage while embracing contemporary Chinese realities. It is dedicated to promoting music that reflects modernization, global engagement, and a forward-looking spirit. Since its establishment, the orchestra has delivered hundreds of captivating concerts, establishing itself as one of China's most influential orchestras. It has successfully introduced the unique allure of an international symphony orchestra to audiences around the world.

Notably, in 2017, the orchestra performed at the establishment ceremony of the "Belt and Road" Music Education Alliance, held at the Central Conservatory of Music. Under the baton of President YU Feng, the orchestra presented Scheherazade to an audience of distinguished international guests. This performance was highly acclaimed, and the live recording of Scheherazade won the Best Instrumental Performance Award at the 10th China Golden Record Awards.

In October 2018, Mr. Yu Feng conducted the orchestra in a performance of the Italian opera Turandot in the courtyard of the Central Conservatory of Music's campus, a historic site that once belonged to Prince Chun during the Qing Dynasty. This unique and historically significant performance drew a large and diverse audience. It received high praise from government officials, as well as ambassadors and cultural attaches from various countries, making a lasting impression on the Beijing music community.

The orchestra has collaborated with numerous world-renowned Chinese composers. In 2018, it presented two concerts titled "Music Contemporary from China 2018 - World Premiere of Works by Composers of the Central Conservatory of Music" at Lincoln Center in New York, a cultural hub of the USA. The program featured new works by distinguished composition professors from the Central Conservatory of Music and received high acclaim from New York's music enthusiasts. In December 2019, the orchestra was invited back to New York City to perform at the legendary Carnegie Hall, where it presented a concert of Chinese contemporary orchestral premieres, offering American audiences another rich musical experience.

On October 1, 2019, the Central Conservatory of Music Symphony Orchestra participated in the gala celebration marking the 70th Anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. As a prominent member of the "Thousand People Symphony Orchestra," the ensemble was invited by the National Day Celebration Ceremony Headquarters to perform at Tiananmen Square. This performance highlighted the orchestra's exceptional skill and artistry to a global audience.

Since 2017, Professor Yu Feng, President of the Central Conservatory of Music, has initiated "Music Party Classes," leading the Central Conservatory of Music Symphony Orchestra and Chorus in performances that integrate lecture and performance. These events provide clear and engaging insights into the significance and value of iconic works such as the "Yellow River Cantata," using the power of these moving revolutionary classics to inspire and motivate, and to shape students' personalities and spiritual development. These classes have garnered high praise, including from former Vice Premier Sun Chunlan, who attended the event and commended it at the national higher education conference.The Music-themed Party Lectures have been featured as a special column on the national study platform, reaching a broad audience across China.

As the only professional symphony orchestra affiliated with a higher education institution in China, the Central Conservatory of Music Symphony Orchestra actively supports the Ministry of Education's initiative to introduce highbrow arts to schools. With the themes of "approaching maestros, experiencing classics, cultivating sentiments, and enhancing accomplishments," the orchestra has performed a wide range of classical masterpieces for dozens of universities and colleges across the country, receiving widespread acclaim from its audiences.

Composers

According to the repertoire order

YAO Chen

In recent years, YAO Chen’s music has garnered significant acclaim from leading musicians and prestigious festivals worldwide, including Radio France’s Festival Présences and Alla Breve, Tanglewood Music Festival, Aspen Music Festival, ISCM’s World Music Days, Centre Acanthes Festival, Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s Chamber Series, Hong Kong Arts Festival, Juilliard School’s Focus Festival and Japan’s Pacific Music Festival.

Distinguished ensembles such as the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, France’s Orchestre National de Lorraine, Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra of St. Luke’s, ProMusica Chamber Orchestra, China Philharmonic Orchestra, Beijing Symphony Orchestra, Suzhou Symphony Orchestra, Pacifica String Quartet, Quatuor Diotima, Eighth Blackbird, Tang Quartet, and Civitas Ensemble have performed his works. The China NCPA Orchestra featured his orchestral pieces on two national tours, earning widespread acclaim.

YAO Chen has received commissions and accolades from prominent institutions, including Radio France, Harvard University’s Fromm Foundation, the Leonard Bernstein Foundation, Mellon Foundation, Suzhou Symphony Orchestra, and Hong Kong New Music Ensemble.

YAO Chen serves as Professor of Composition at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing.

XU Zhitong

Composer；Music Educator；Professor of the Composition Department of the Central Conservatory of Music；Director of the Institute of Musicology at the CCOM.

Main awards: Symphony Wenhua Award of the Ministry of Culture, “Five One Project” Award of the Central Propaganda Department's, Wenhua Drama Award of the Ministry of Culture, Second Prize of the 2018 “Singing Beijing” Song Creation, the highest honor “Golden School Emblem” Award of the Central Conservatory of Music, the Gold Award for Orchid Award Creation at the 11th Zhejiang Music and Dance Festival, and the 2022 “Praise for the New Era” - Exhibition of Original Excellent Symphony Works.

Main works: large-scale symphonic suite Splendid Red Flag, Hong Kong Connect to the World; symphonic poem Heroic City, Ancient Road Poetry; symphonic choir Hello Beijing, Winning the Championship; The national chamber music works Elegy, Pi Wu Spicy, and On Baota Mountain have been widely performed by folk music groups across the country. Songs such as The Mountains and Rivers Are Safe, Beautiful, and Pretending have been widely circulated among the audience.

Xiaogang YE 

Xiaogang YE is a music educator, professor of composition, and doctoral tutor at the Central Conservatory of Music. And YE is the founding dean of School of Music, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen since May 2021. He has been a member of the Committee of the 10th Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), and a member of the Standing Committee of the 11th, 12th and 13th Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference. He is currently vice chairman of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles, chairman of the China Musicians Association, an international honorary member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, international chair in composition at the Royal Northern College of Music, distinguished professor of the Xinghai Conservatory of Music in Guangzhou and Shanghai Conservatory of Music, honorary professor of the Ukrainian National Tchaikovsky Academy of Music, and a consultant to the Tianjin Juilliard School. YE is the founder and artistic director of the Beijing Modern Music Festival, Shenzhen Belt & Road International Music Festival, Tsingtao International Music Festival, Guangdong-Hongkong-Macau Greater Bay Area Music Season, and International Music Competition Harbin. He is one of the members of Talents Project selected by the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China, and an expert who enjoys a special allowance of the State Council. YE is a representative figure of contemporary Chinese music and one of the most well-known composers in the country.

HAO Weiya

Professor, Composer and Dean of the Composition Department, Central Conservatory of Music. 

Visiting Scholar, Conservatorio Santa Cecilia di Musica (Rome, Italy)

Columbia University (New York, USA).

ZOU Hang

ZOU Hang is a professor and master’s supervisor, of the Central Conservatory of Music in China, he is also council member of China Musicians Association, council member of Composition Committee of China Nationalities Orchestra Society.

His works have received numerous accolades, including the only annual award at the International Gaudeamus Prize in the Netherland, the Best Composer Award in the 5th “China Dance Lotus Award” competition, the 10th and 12th Anniversary of the “the Five one project Award” of the Central Propaganda Department in China, among others. His works have also been selected for the national projects such as the “China National Arts Fund” by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of People’s Republic of China, symphony  works exhibition of the “Praise the Era” by the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles and the China Musicians Association, the "Symphony of the Times – the Support Project of Chinese Symphonic Music Composition" by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of People’s Republic of China, and others.

ZOU’s works have been performed in over 30 countries across Europe, North America, Asia, and Oceania, with notable performances at prestigious venues including the Berliner Philharmoniker Concert Hall (Germany), the Kennedy Art Center Opera House (USA), the Jazz at Lincoln Center, The Frederick P. Rose Hall (USA)，the Golden Concert Hall(Austria), the Wiener Konzerthaus Mozart saal(Austria), UNESCO hall(France), the Jordan Hall in New England Conservatory(USA), the National Centre for the Performance Arts Concert Hall(China), among others.

ZHANG Shuai

Chinese composer, a principal of the Middle School Affiliated to Central Conservatory of Music, and a Phd of composition, professor of Composition at Central Conservatory of Music, doctoral supervisor.He is also the music director of Xinhua News Agency's "Voice of China" program, and the composer of the theme song Snowflakes of the opening ceremony and Closing ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games. His works have won several national awards,for instance,The Three Preludes has been won “The Golden Bell Awards” twice.

ZHANG Shuai persists in composing for significant repuirements of China, and pursue the responsibility of our time. He always devote himself to communicate Chinese culture and tell the story of China with his music to all of the world. As an academic composer, Zhang Shuai is skilled in a variety of musical styles,based on his early experience on writing and performing of pop music and rock music. His works straddles a number of areas,whether classical music and contemporary music, or pop music and electronic music. His unique characteristic in multivariant music language are gradually formed over time.

Representative work：Snowflakes, The Three Preludes, Dizi Concerto“XiXiXi”, Happy Birthday To Our Country, Red Boat Spirit, Daughter of The Sun, Never Give In, Oceangoing Voyage, Moon Heart, Jiangxi Suite, and so on.

Performers

LI Jingzhan,Conductor

Central Conservatory of Music young conductor teacher. Assistant conductor of symphony orchestra of Central Conservatory of Music and standing conductor of Ningbo Symphony Orchestra of China. Doctor of Conducting Department of Central Conservatory of Music. First prize winner of the Vlencia conducting competition in Spain,silver conductor in Latvia World Chorus Competition 2017.

Entered the 14th European Berlin International Conducting Master Class as the only Asian player, Praised by Lior Shambadal (The director of the Berlin Sinfonietta） as “a startling conducting talent”.Global top 50 in The 10th Polish Fitelberg International Conducting Competition.

Entered Conducting Department of Central Conservatory of Music in 2011 as the first place and learned from professor Yu Feng（A famous conductor and president of the Central Conservatory of music）Be sent to Conducting Department of Central Conservatory of Music on recommendation to study for master’s degree as the first place in 2016 and became the only master of Conducting Department of Central Conservatory of Music.

SU Zhen, Viola

International renowed viola performer SU Zhen is the head of viola study at Central Conservatory of Music (CCOM) in Beijing.

In addition, she is a visiting professor at Royal Academy of Music in London, and she is an instructor at the China Conservatory of Music in Beijing, ABRSM China Consultant and a much sought-after consultant for the Asian Youth Orchestra and the Syndicate of Beijing Musicians’Association. She is highly honored to be a representative of the Tenth Chinese National Women’s Congress.

In 1996, Ms. SU Zhen won a full scholarship to study at the Royal Academy of Music (RAM) in London, where she pursued postgraduate studies with the distinguished professor John White. She won the majority of the viola awards at RAM, and was a prize-winner at the 1997 Lionel Tertis International Viola Competition. Ms. SU Zhen was also the only violist ever to be awarded the Principal’s prize at the RAM (the highest prize for graduates issued by RAM) since the Royal Academy was founded more than 180 years ago.

From 2000 to 2004, Ms. SU Zhen held the post of assistant principal viola of the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra. Furthermore, as a solo violist and chamber musician, she was invited to give solo and ensemble concerts all over the world, including the International Music Festival in Edinburgh, Geneva, the International Arts Festival in Tokyo, and the International Viola Arts Festival in UK.

In 2004, Ms. SU Zhen was invited to return to CCOM in Beijing to become the youngest full professor of viola. Her concert activities have taken him around the world, and she regularly holds master classes around the world, including Great Mountains International Music Festival、Austria Academy of Music、France International Music Festival etc. In 2014, Stone Records Company in London released her “British Rhapsody” CD and the CD received excellent reviews from both “Gramophone” and “Strad”magazines. Amazon called her“one of the best violists in the world”.

Melody Wang, Violin

Associate professor at Central Conservatory of Music, concertmaster at the Central Conservatory Symphony Orchestra. Melody was born in Ningbo, China. She began learning the violin with her father at the age of four. At the age of ten she was accepted by the Shanghai Conservatory of Music where she studied until 2003. She was then studying as a full scholarship holder at Sydney Conservatorium of Music. In 2023 she got the PhD degree at Central Conservatory of Music.

Melody has awarded numerous awards including the Third Prize at the Lipinski and Wieniawski International Violin Competition in Poland, the Third Prize at the Novosibirsk International Violin Competition and the First Prize at the Kendall National Violin Competition in Australia. 

Melody has appeared as a soloist and guest concertmaster with China Symphony Orchestra, China Opera Orchestra, Philadelphia Symphony Orchestra, KBS Symphony Orchestra, Macao Orchestra, Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra, Shen Zhen Orchestra, Qingdao Symphony Orchestra, Ningbo Symphony Orchestra and Chengdu Symphony Orhcestra under baton of Maestro Yu Feng, Li Xincao, Yu Long, Zhang Guoyong, Lu Jia, Christoph Eschenbach, Michael Tilson Thomas, and Yannick Nezet-Zeguin.

Melody plays on the 1712 David Tecchler violin.

CHEN Guang, Trumpet

CHEN Guang is a Professor of Trumpet at the Central Conservatory of Music, a doctoral supervisor, and a distinguished jury member for international competitions. He studied with renowned teachers JI Ruikai, Josef Pomberger, and Adolf Holler at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna, where he was awarded the prestigious Zubin Mehta Scholarship in 1999. During his studies, he frequently collaborated with leading European ensembles, including the Vienna State Opera Orchestra, the Vienna Chamber Orchestra, and the Vienna Strauss Orchestra.

He has also held the position of principal trumpet with several international orchestras, including the Asia Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Myung-Whun Chung (2008–2012), the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra (2011–2013), the Singapore Symphony Orchestra (2012–2014 season), and the Worldwide Chinese Festival Orchestra’s New Year’s Concert in 2010.

CHEN was featured in CCTV’s "Top Ten Wind Instrumentalists" program (2013–2014) and has conducted masterclasses at many conservatories in China, earning widespread acclaim from the music community. In addition to his performing career, CHEN is highly regarded as an educator. His students have achieved notable success, winning awards in both domestic and international competitions, including the Dokshitser Trumpet Competition, the Porcia International Trumpet Competition, the Jeju International Trumpet Competition, the Maurice André International Trumpet Competition, the Lieksa Brass Week Competition (Finland), China’s Golden Bell Brass Ensemble Competition, and the Central Conservatory of Music Solo Competition. Many of his graduates now hold positions in top orchestras in China.

LAN Weiwei, Pipa

LAN Weiwei is a Pipa artist and chamber musician. She currently serves as a professor at China’s Central Conservatory of Music (CCOM). Over the years, she has dedicated herself to the performance and promotion of contemporary music. She has premiered more than 100 pipa solo, concerto and chamber works.

Since her first performance of the Pipa Concerto with maestro TAN Dun, the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra and the Beijing Symphony Orchestra in 2004, LAN Weiwei has performed the work for multiple times: in 2006, she was recommended by TAN Dun to perform the Pipa Concerto and the Ghost Opera with the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra and the NYYD String Quartet; in 2018, she toured Italy with the Xi'an Symphony Orchestra; in 2022, she toured with conductor CHEN Lin and the CCOM Symphony Orchestra. In addition, LAN Weiwei has collaborated with several top Western contemporary chamber orchestras, such as Nieuw Ensemble, Atlas Ensemble, Freiburg Percussion Ensemble, and Ensemble Modern. The New Music Concerts in Canada has given her three Pipa chamber music concerts. She has also collaborated with many prestigious conductors such as YU Feng, BIAN Zushan, CHEN Lin, ZHANG Li, TAN Dun, LIN Tao, LIN Musen, WANG Fujian, LIU Sha, etc. Furthermore, she has performed with the China Symphony Orchestra, Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra, Mexico OFUNAM Symphony Orchestra, St. Petersburg Philharmonic String Orchestra, Kitchener Waterloo Symphony Orchestra, Chengdu Symphony Orchestra, Nanjing National Orchestra, Henan Chinese Orchestra, Chengdu Chinese Orchestra, Guangdong Chinese Orchestra, etc.

CUI Shan, Guzheng

CUI Shan is a renowned contemporary Chinese Guzheng performer and educator, celebrated for her outstanding artistic achievements and multidisciplinary development. Currently a Ph.D. candidate in Guzheng Performance at the Central Conservatory of Music (CCOM), she studies under the tutelage of Professor ZHOU Wang, a distinguished guzheng virtuoso and educator. While deeply rooted in traditional musical culture, Cui actively explores innovative pathways on international stages and in popular music realms.  

Her illustrious career is adorned with prestigious accolades: she has been named one of "China's Top Ten Young Guzheng Artists" by CCTV, listed on Forbes China's "30 Under 30" elite roster, and recognized as a "Top Innovative Talent" under CCOM's BOB Program. She has claimed top honors in China's most esteemed music awards, including the Golden Bell Award and the Culture and Arts Award, alongside the WU Bochao Memorial Scholarship, National Scholarship, and the Grand Prize at the Princeton International Music Competition, solidifying her international acclaim. 

XIONG Xiaohan, Zhudi

XIONG Xiaohan, a young bamboo flute player, is a young teacher of the bamboo flute major at the Department of National Music of Xinghai Conservatory of Music. She was admitted to the master's program at the Central Conservatory of Music through a recommendation. She is also the deputy secretary-general of the Jiangxi Province Bamboo Flute Professional Committee and studied under Professor DAI Ya, a renowned bamboo flute player, educator, and doctoral supervisor at the Central Conservatory of Music.

She was shortlisted for the 6th National Youth Ethnic Musical Instruments Education and Teaching Achievement Exhibition, won the "Star of Chinese Music" and "Best Teacher Award" in the professional group of the first "Guoyun Cup" National Ethnic Musical Instruments Art Exhibition; in 2012, she won the championship of the non-professional group in the CCTV National Ethnic Musical Instruments TV Competition; the "Best Teacher Award" in the second Jiangxi Province Ethnic Musical Instruments Art Exhibition; the title of "Outstanding Teacher" in the 4th "Songting Cup" National Flute and Xiao Invitational Competition; and the "Outstanding Teacher Award" in the 8th "Central Conservatory of Music Youth Art Exhibition" in 2024. During her school years, she received the FU Chengxian Music Memorial Scholarship and the first-class scholarship for postgraduate students at the Central Conservatory of Music.

Program Notes

YAO Chen  

Symphonic Overture Garden: Unearthing the Way Home（2021）

Chinese literati view gardening as a way of expressing their living style and enthusiasm for life, and furthermore a way of embodying the unity of nature and mankind. Gardens, as the spiritual home of Chinese literati, provide an apt demonstration of the Chinese philosophy toward life and its vicissitudes. Creating a garden implies a quest for a way back home, a path to mankind's spiritual homeland.

My piece Garden: Unearthing the Way Home is in no way impressionistic or imitative of any gardens. I sought instead to highlight the momentum inherent in the notion of “gardening”, and to convey via sonic means the yearning for “unearthing the way home”. 

XU Zhitong 

Symphony Suite The Port Connects the World. （2022）

Movement II   Flourishing for Violin and Orchestra

Movement III   Beautiful Landscape for Pipa and Orchestra

The work is a five-movement symphonic suite, composed from July to October 2022. The music describes the customs and historical features of Ningbo, a famous port in China. The second movement, Flourishing for Violin and Orchestra, describes the vast and prosperous scene of the port through the ages; The third movement, Beautiful Landscape for Pipa and Orchestra. Describes Yongcheng People's Daily life of reading, farming, weaving, winemaking and fishing.

Xiaogang YE

The Memories of Mount Jing Gang for Viola and Orchestra (2019)

The piece the Memories of Mount Jing Gang was commissioned by the China National Symphony Orchestra in 2019, which was the slow movement composed for the viola concerto Mount Jing Gang Notes (Chinese: Jing Gang Shan San Ji). The piece showcases the great history of Mount Jing Gang, eulogizes the unwavering faith of Jing Gang Spirit,and projects an image of the ideal monument that the forefathers built with their lives and efforts through music, expressing a firm and resolute spirit that echoes the saying “An insignificant cause can have a massive effect”.

Hao Weiya 

Peking Click: Fantasia for Trumpet and Orchestra（2025）

A fantastical musical odyssey, capturing Beijing's fleeting wonders in a sci-fi era's dynamic gaze.

ZOU Hang

Guzheng Concerto The Green Mountain Share the Same Clouds and Rain（2021）

movement I   Qing

movement II   Mountain

The title and inspiration of the work derive from the famous Tang Dynasty poet Wang Changling's poem "Farewell to Chai, the Attendant" with the lines "One range of green hills shares clouds and rain, the bright moon has never been two places apart." These lines are rich in philosophy, conveying a sense of emotional connection that transcends geographical boundaries: no matter where we are, we are in the embrace of the same green hills, share the grace of clouds and rain, and look at the same bright moon, with no real distance between our hearts. The author has drawn on the profound meaning of these lines and incorporated them into music composition. By using traditional guzheng playing techniques and non-traditional tuning methods, and integrating traditional Chinese musical language with contemporary musical vocabulary and techniques, the work aims to capture and showcase the natural beauty and wonder of Chinese landscapes. This piece is not only a tribute to China's natural scenery but also a heartfelt song in praise of the concept of harmony between humans and nature.

ZHANG Shuai

XI XI XI (Panda Suite) for Zhudi and Orchestra（2018）

XI XI XI (Panda Suite) for Zhudi and Orchestra. The entire piece is divided into three movements. The first movement: Xi, the musical mood is lively, smooth and flowing, and unrestrained and free-spirited. It takes bamboo culture as its foundation and vividly presents the inner spirit of Chinese scholars. The second movement: Xi, the musical mood is continuous, ethereal and mysterious, and it is a retrospective of the Chinese civilization. The third movement: Xi, it implies the meaning of joy and happiness together. The musical mood is positive and unrestrained.