Known as the "King of Folk Music", the pipa has the sound of "large pearls and small beads falling on the jade plate". As one of the ancient national musical instruments in China, the pipa, with its unique artistic charm, has drawn a strong and colorful stroke on the splendid and brilliant long volume of Chinese cultural history.
In the hands of pipa player Zhao Cong, this ancient instrument is more like having "magic", integrating different musical styles such as symphony, rock, electronic and so on, so that more young people can enjoy contemporary Chinese new classical music through the "erected guitar" in front of them.
Source: Shandong Provincial Capital Grand Theater
Zhao Cong
Head of the China Central Chinese Orchestra
Principal lute player
National level actor
The National Endowment for the Arts funds young composers
It enjoys a high reputation in the international classical music scene
He is the 13th Standing Committee Member of the All-China Youth Federation and the Director of the Cultural and Artistic Circles; the Vice Chairman of the First Committee of the Youth Federation of Central and State Organs; the Director of the Ninth Council of the Chinese Musicians Association; the Consultant of the Peking University Art Troupe; the First Art Visiting Scholar of Stanford University in the United States; the Art Visiting Scholar of the University of Cambridge, the United Kingdom; the Certified "International World Music Performance Master" in the United States; the Judge of the National Arts Fund, the CCTV Folk Music Competition, the International Chinese Musical Instrument Competition and many other competitions; and the first National Arts Fund focuses on funding musicians He is a distinguished artist of China day at Harvard University in the United States; a distinguished professor of Fudan University in Shanghai; an expert with special allowances from the State Council; a "cultural master" and a "four batches" of talents and excellent discipline leaders of the Central Propaganda Department.
Zhao Cong, who came from a musical family, began to learn pipa at the age of 6. She has always defined herself as a "pipa practitioner". The word "cultivation" condenses Zhao Cong's devotion to Chinese culture, she said, "Heaven gave me a pipa, I have nothing, I can only give it away for a lifetime."
She takes the promotion of Chinese national music as her own responsibility and has been committed to the promotion of pipa art in the world for many years. Inheriting the tradition, having the courage to innovate, creating one first and only one after another, and becoming an outstanding representative of Chinese musicians.
Character evaluation
The British Guardian commented: "Zhao Cong's perfect performance makes Chinese folk music full of hope."
Hans Nelson, famous international recording master and chairman of the jury of "Sound Asia": "Zhao Cong is a top performer with first-class international performance standards".
Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd: "Your music makes me so excited that I have to stand and listen..."
Shen Danyang, Vice President of International Marketing of Universal Music: "Zhao Cong's music allows us to see more possibilities for Chinese folk music, and at the same time, her music gives us strength and constantly inspires us to introduce Chinese music to the world!" ”
Many mainstream media such as American television and the official website of the Kennedy Center for the Arts have repeatedly carried special reports for her, and she has been praised as a "music diplomat". "Zhao Cong used the pipa to tell the world about the beauty of contemporary Chinese music and made outstanding contributions to the globalization and promotion of Chinese music."
In Zhao Cong's pipa world, in addition to superb playing skills, traditional and modern musical elements also shine together. Over the years, Zhao Cong has been committed to the promotion of traditional Chinese music in the world, and has visited more than 50 countries and regions such as Europe, the Americas, Asia, and Australia. More than 40 foreign heads of state have listened to her piano. He has won the "First Prize" of the National Youth Professional Pipa Competition for many times, the "Overseas Promotion Individual Contribution Award" of the Ministry of Culture, and the Gold Medal of the San Jose International Musical Instrument Competition in the United States.
Zhao Cong has published his solo albums "Carmen", "Listening to China", "Classic Eternity", "Pipa New Language", and personally composed the pipa concerto "Silk Road Flying Sky", the pipa concerto "Fudge Tianchang", and the pipa suite "Music Singing Oriental".
Listening to China became the first Chinese national instrumental solo album released in the history of Universal Universal Records, and was collected by the National Library of China and the National Library of the United States. The personally designed "Piggyback Pipa" has won the national patent; Zhao Cong's original pipa solo song "Silk Road Flying Sky" has won the first National Arts Fund Review Excellent Funding Project, and foreign media have commented that "Silk Road Flying" is a powerful Chinese work with an international musical vocabulary. In 2019, he created the song "Red Flag Rising", and in 2020, he created the song "Kunpeng Zhi" and distributed it globally, with more than 30 million views on the whole network.
Important state events such as the 2016 China G20 Summit "The Most Memorable is Hangzhou" concert and the 2017 "Belt and Road" International Summit have all served as representatives of Chinese music, showing the charm of Chinese music to heads of state. In 2019, he participated in the concert of the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Russia attended by the heads of state of the two countries in Moscow.
Concert track list
1. Lute, piano and string quartet
Bloom
2. Quartet of pipa, piano and strings
"Liang Zhu", "Romeo and Juliet"
3. Solo piano
Argentine Dance
4. Lute and piano
"Spring River Flower Moon Night"
5, Biwa solo
"Silk Road Flying Sky"
6. "Rubik's Cube" string quartet
The Witch
7. Lute, piano and cello
The Most Beautiful Time
8. Lute and string quartet
Rose Tango
9. Music and song
"Red Flag Raising"
*The repertoire and order of the performance are subject to the scene
Concert guests
Liu Xingchen
Famous pianist
Professor of piano at the Central Conservatory of Music
He is a member of the Youth Federation of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China
Senior judge of the Central Conservatory of Music at home and abroad
Under the tutelage of the famous piano educator Professor Li Qifang, he has won the "People's Scholarship" and the "Fu Chengxian Scholarship" for three consecutive years. He served as the president of the 11th Central Conservatory of Music Student Union and was awarded the title of "Outstanding Student Cadre of Beijing". He received the special prize of the "Ukraine~Kiev Horowitz International Piano Competition". Silver Medal of "China's Second National Golden Bell Award Piano Competition" and Special Award for Chinese Works Performance. The 27th "April Spring" International Friendship Arts Festival Performance Gold Award. The title of "Three Education Talents" Outstanding Teacher of the Central Conservatory of Music. He was invited by the United States to serve as a judge of the International Piano Competition of the University of San Jose and Hawaii, and won the Outstanding Mentor Award of the San Jose International Piano Competition. "China Youth Music Piano Competition ~ Hummingbird Music Award" Excellent Mentor Award.
As a music producer, the piano and pipa album "Spring River Flower Moon Night" published by the performer won the 13th 2017 Fever Album Chart ~ Best Artistic Performance Album Award; as a representative of Chinese musicians, he performed for General Secretary Xi Jinping, Premier Li Keqiang, Russian Prime Minister Medvedev, and former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, which was personally received and praised by the national leaders!
Liu Xingchen takes the development of Chinese music as his own responsibility, cooperates with many top folk music performers, and creates a large number of folk music works, which was published by Cambridge Kanghe Publishing House in the United Kingdom in 2020. I hope to use the combination of Chinese and Western cultures to better integrate Chinese music into the world.
Rubik's Cube Ensemble
Initiated by the famous pipa player Zhao Cong, it was established in July 2016 and premiered its first work "Rose Tango" at the National Centre for the Performing Arts. The Rubik's Cube Ensemble consists of a string quartet + lute + N. "Rubik's Cube" takes its unpredictable and harmonious and unified meaning.
The Rubik's Cube Ensemble aims to pursue the constant change and innovative development of music, and the playing style blends between classical music and modern world music. He has a unique understanding of tango, jazz and ethnic fusion music, and his performance is very popular with the audience.
Rubik's Cube Ensemble Cello Qiu Shuhao
In 2002, he studied cello with Professor Yu Mingqing of the Central Conservatory of Music, and in 2003, he was admitted to the fourth grade of the primary and secondary school attached to the Central Conservatory of Music with the first place in the major.
In 2006, he was admitted to the Affiliated Middle School of the Central Conservatory of Music with the first place in his major, and served as the principal of the cello department of the fuzhong chamber orchestra, and participated in the China Junior Symphony Orchestra in the first year of high school as the principal of the cello vocal department.
In 2008, he won the second place in the junior group of the 6th VC Cup Cello National Youth Competition.
In 2010, the quartet "String Wind and Cloud" held a special concert at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, and in October of the same year, it won the second place in the first Chamber Music Competition of the Central Conservatory of Music "Cullar-Nathan" Cup Chamber Music Competition.
In April 2011, he won the first prize in the first quartet competition of the Central Conservatory of Music.
In November 2011, he won the first prize of the Fu Chengxian Outstanding Student Scholarship of the Central Conservatory of Music.
In December 2011, he won the Gold Medal for String Quartet at the 8th Golden Bell Awards in China.
In January 2012, he obtained the qualification of cello professional guarantee of the Central Conservatory of Music.
In December 2012, he was selected into the "Top Innovative Talents" program of the Central Conservatory of Music.
On August 25, 2014, he won the second place in the youth category of "1st International Music Competition Presented by Players of Busan".
In December 2014, he won the Best Performance Award at the 8th "Yanhuang Cup" Accordion Solo Ensemble Composition Competition sponsored by the Department of the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing.
In November 2015, he was sent to the Central Conservatory of Music as a graduate student in the Orchestra Department.
From 2018 to 2019, he went to the Royal Danish Conservatory of Music for exchange studies.
In September 2019, he was admitted to the Central Conservatory of Music with a doctorate in cello performance.
During his school years, his professional achievements ranked among the best, and he represented the college to participate in performances and exchange activities at home and abroad for many times, and participated in large-scale performance activities inside and outside the school.
The first violin of the Rubik's Cube Ensemble Xie Lingjie
A young violinist, he was admitted to the Central Conservatory of Music in 2019 with the first place in his major. In 2001, he won the first prize in the Beijing Violin Competition and the Chinese Works Performance Award, in the same year he won the first prize and the Chinese Composition Award of the Fifth National Children's Violin Competition; in 2003, he was admitted to the Affiliated Elementary School of the Central Conservatory of Music with the first place; at the age of 9, he was invited to perform the "Bruch No. 1 Violin Concerto" with the Beijing Symphony Orchestra led by Mr. Tan Lihua, which received a strong response; at the age of 16, he won the third place in the Mozart Concerto Competition organized by the China Symphony Orchestra In 2011, he won the Excellence Award of the First Quartet Competition of the Central Conservatory of Music, recorded the teaching materials such as the road to learning the piano and the examination course for many times; won the first prize in the chamber music professional group of the Hummingbird Music Award of the China Youth Music Competition in 2016, and won the best performance award of the Yanhuang Cup New Works Competition of the Central Conservatory of Music in the same year; in 2017, he was invited to Japan to participate in the Ozawa Seiji Music Academy founded by a famous Asian conductor; and the top six players of youku variety show "Let's Band Together".
Rubik's Cube Ensemble Viola Lee Byung-hee
A young viola player, he graduated from the Central Conservatory of Music and studied under Professor Shen Xiti and Professor Wang Shaowu. He has won the first place in the Shandong Violin Competition three times, the second place in the International Orchestra Competition, and the principal of the Viola Department of the China Youth Symphony Orchestra. In 2016, he participated in Meng Jinghui's studio drama "Dou E"; in 2017, he was selected by the whole country to participate in the film "Fanghua" directed by Feng Xiaogang; in October 2018, he premiered the musical "Proof of Black and White" as the male number one Qin Yu; in November 2018, he starred in Lin Chuhan's directorial work "Invisible" as the male protagonist; in December 2018, he participated in the movie "Call Crazy"; in 2018, he participated in the TV series "Come On, You Are the Best" as Dong En; and in 2018, he went to Dunhuang to record" The 2019 Sailing New Year Concert was broadcast simultaneously on CCTV1, CCTV3, and CCTV music channels; the top six contestants of Youku Variety Show "Let's Band Together".
Rubik's Cube Ensemble Second Violin Zhao Yinan
He learned to play the piano at the age of four. In 2008, he studied under Mr. Suda. In 2011, he was admitted to the Affiliated Middle School of the Central Conservatory of Music under the supervision of Professor Xue Wei and Zhang Jia. In 2016, he graduated with the first place in the major in the affiliated high school of the Central Conservatory of Music. He is currently a student at the Central Conservatory of Music, studying under Professor Zhang Ti. In 2011, he won the Gold Medal for Special Performance in the Beijing Division of the Cooper Cup Violin Competition in the United States. In 2011, he won the fifth place in CCTV violin. In 2016, he participated in the master class of the Mozart Summer Academy to study with Famous Teachers such as Yair Kless.
On the evening of June 20th, "The Most Beautiful Time" Zhao Cong and her friends will perform, "Pipa Goddess" Zhao Cong will work with a number of outstanding musicians to present an extraordinary interpretation of pipa combined with piano, string quartet and other instruments, this performance will refresh your understanding of traditional Chinese folk music.
It will be a combination of East and West
An audiovisual feast
When the ancient oriental charm
Infused with a new era of Western air
Will collide with the super pioneer,
Super dazzling music spark~
"The most beautiful time"
Zhao Cong and her friends at a concert
Show date: June 20, 2021
Sunday 19:30
Duration: 90 minutes (no halftime)
Venue: Shandong Provincial Capital Grand Theater Concert Hall
Performance team: Zhao Cong, Liu Xingchen, Rubik's Cube Ensemble
Ticket price: 80/180/280/380/580 yuan
Children and adults are required to enter with a ticket
Limited quantities available on a first-come, first-served basis
Source: Shandong Provincial Capital Grand Theatre