Zhao Cong
President of the China National Traditional Orchestra (CNTO), virtuoso of a traditional Chinese stringed instrument pipa, honorary state musician, National Art Fund young composer and a respected figure in the international classical music world who boldly combines tradition and innovation.
Committed to the promotion of indigenous music, she has been performing it all over the world for many years. She is the standing committee member and director of cultural and artistic sector of the 13th All-China Youth Federation, a member of the Central Committee of the National Youth Federation, an advisor to the Peking University Art Troupe, and an invited artistic visiting scholar of Stanford University (USA) and Cambridge University (UK). In the United States, she received the certificate of “International World Music Master”. She has served on the jury of international music competitions such as the National Art Fund, the CCTV National Music Competition and the International Chinese Instrument Competition.
She is a specially appointed artist for China Day at Harvard University. She is a distinguished professor at Fudan University in Shanghai, awarded and honoured by the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee. She holds a degree from the Central Conservatory of Music (2000) and a degree in Cultural Management from Peking University (2015).
Zhao Cong has performed in more than fifty countries, and her music has been heard by more than forty foreign heads of state. She has recorded several albums, including Carmen, Listen to China, Classic Eternity and New Language of Pipa. She is also the composer of two pipa concertos: Silk Road Flying and Heaven and Earth Eternal Happiness, and the suite Music Resounding in the East.
The artist has repeatedly presented the beauty and richness of Chinese music at important national and international events, such as the G20 Summit (2016) and the Belt and Road Initiative (2017) in China. A journalist from The Guardian wrote: “Zhao Cong’s excellent performance filled Chinese folk music with hope”.
[2024]