Bio

Full Bio

In 1994, Xiang became the first Chinese violinist to join the roster of Columbia Artists Management (Wilford/Tucker division) and began his professional solo career. Highlights of the recent season's engagements include the North American premiere of Eduard Tubin's violin concerto No. 1 with the Detroit Symphony; the 2011 world premiere of Kristin Kuster’s “Two Jades” for solo violin and symphony band in Disney Hall, Los Angeles and the National Center for Performing Arts, Beijing, China; the U.S. premier performance of Eino Tamberg's violin concerto with the Absolute Ensemble in Merkin Hall, New York City; solo performances with more than 100 orchestras worldwide including the Czech Philharmonic, the Gothenburg Symphony-National Orchestra of Sweden, the St. Petersburg Philharmonic of Russia, the Estonia National Symphony, the Mexico State Symphony, the Kansas City Symphony, the Memphis Symphony, the Alabama Symphony, Aspen Music Festival orchestras and the Knoxville Symphony. Mr. Gao frequently appears at Carnegie Hall, the Finlandia Hall in Helsinki, the Aspen Music tent, the Shanghai Grand Theatre, the Smetana Hall, the "Prague Spring" International Music Festival, the Singapore International Music Festival, the David Oistrakh International Music Festival, the Spoleto Music Festival, the Tallinn International Festival, the Interlochen Festival, and the Meadow Brook Music Festival. Mr. Gao gives master-classes and recital performances throughout North America, Asia, Europe and South America.

As a multifaceted musician and singer songwriter, Mr. Gao composes, arranges and performs in the styles of Jazz, funk, bluegrass, Asian folk, pop and Latin American music. The 40th anniversary of Earth Day’s theme song “Sleep now, O Earth,” - composed by Xiang Gao for children’s choir, Erhu, Indian drums and chamber orchestra - was successfully premiered in Delaware in April of 2010. As a member of the "China Magpie" ensemble established by Yo-Yo Ma's Silk Road Project, and the “6ixwire Project”, a crossover duet he and Erhu soloist Cathy Yang formed in 2009, Xiang is frequently featured on CCTV, China's leading TV station, performing live concerts for more than one billion TV viewers worldwide. Both crossover ensembles combine multiple styles, from Chinese folk to western classical and rock music.

With his strong interest in theater and Asian traditional music, Xiang Gao solo performed in the Nederlander Theatre on Broadway. He created the acclaimed Butterfly Lovers Multimedia Violin Concerto, which recreates a popular ancient Chinese fairytale similar to "Romeo and Juliet" for the western world. This production was successfully premiered in the Grand Opera House of Wilmington, Delaware in 2004 and was most recently awarded a grant by the National Endowment for the Arts. An orchestral debut with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra took place on February 17 of 2007. Xiang Gao is also the creator and producer of very creative and engaging "iMusic" productions, which successfully humanizes classical music in multimedia violin concerts that brings the audience of all ages and performers together with delightful artistic elements and special effects. His current projects include producing and directing “Encounters - the Qing and the West” – a theatrical concert he created to transport the audience on a musical journey of interactions between the Chinese Qing Dynasty(1644-1912) and the West, promoting cultural exchange and understanding. Xiang Gao’s musical theatre production “Campus Chatter” will open in April of 2015.

As a devoted chamber music performer and promoter, Xiang Gao has collaborated with some of the world's leading chamber musicians, such as members of the Guarneri String Quartet, Opus One, Orion String Quartet and the Beaux Arts Trio; violinists Cho-liang Lin, Pamela Frank, David Kim, Jonathan Carney and Paul Kantor; violists Steven Tenenbom, Daniel Foster, and Hongmei Xiao; Pianists Orli Shaham, Fou Ts'ong, Charles Abramovic and Martin Katz; cellists Andres Diaz, Erling Bengtsson and Peter Wiley; leading members of Yo-Yo Ma's Silk Road Ensemble, and many others. Xiang Gao is the founder and director of two non-profit art organizations: "China Virtuosi" ensemble and China Music Foundation (USA).

Mr. Gao lives in Newark, Delaware, where he is the Trustees Distinguished Professor of Music and the producing artistic director of the Master Players Concert Series at the University of Delaware, a flagship performing art presenter in the state of Delaware. As the first Chinese concert artist to be named an endowed professorship in the U.S., he is also the ZiJiang Professor of Music at the East China Normal University in Shanghai, China and the founder of the American firm “Blue Resources” providing personalized consultation service to Sino-U.S. educational and performing art projects. He performs on a fine violin made by master maker G.B. Ceruti of Cremona, Italy in 1794. The University of Delaware purchased this rare instrument to support Mr. Gao's international performing career. In 2007, the Stradivari Society in Chicago selected Mr. Gao to be a recipient of world famous Stradivarius violins for his international solo concerts.

Between his busy performing and teaching careers, Mr. Gao can be found cooking Chinese cuisine, watching Michigan football or skiing with wife Renee on the beautiful mountains of Vail, Colorado. Their daughter, Samantha Rae Gao, was born in May of 2005 and is attending the Newark Charter School. Xiang Gao has been honored to work with many talented young musicians in the past 15 years who have inspired him.

YouTube Channel: Youtube.com/user/xianggaomusic

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500-word bio

Xiang Gao is recognized as one of the world's most successful performing artists of his generation from the People's Republic of China. His musical integrity and virtuoso technique have gained accolades from audiences and reviewers around the world, and he has performed for many world leaders. Most recently, Mr. Gao was a featured soloist performing for the Chinese President Hu JinTao and the visiting King Carlos I of Spain. In October of 2014, Xiang Gao was granted the Delaware Governor’s Award for his contribution in the Arts. In addition to being a performer and composer, Xiang is also a professional producer in performing art in the U.S.

Highlights of the recent season's engagements include the North American premiere of Eduard Tubin's violin concerto No. 1 with the Detroit Symphony; the 2011 world premiere of Kristin Kuster’s “Two Jades” for solo violin and symphony band in Disney Hall, Los Angeles and the National Center for Performing Arts, Beijing, China; the U.S. premier performance of Eino Tamberg's violin concerto with the Absolute Ensemble in Merkin Hall, New York City; solo performances with more than 100 orchestras worldwide including the Czech Philharmonic, the Gothenburg Symphony-National Orchestra of Sweden, the St. Petersburg Philharmonic of Russia, the Estonia National Symphony, the Mexico State Symphony, the Kansas City Symphony, the Memphis Symphony, the Alabama Symphony, Aspen Music Festival orchestras, the Knoxville Symphony among others. Mr. Gao frequently appears at Carnegie Hall, the Finlandia Hall in Helsinki, the Shanghai Grand Theatre, the Aspen Music tent, the Smetana Hall, the "Prague Spring" International Music Festival, the Singapore International Music Festival, the David Oistrakh International Music Festival, the Spoleto Music Festival, the Tallinn International Festival, the Interlochen Festival, and the Meadow Brook Music Festival.

As a multifaceted musician and singer songwriter, Mr. Gao composes, arranges and performs in the styles of Jazz, funk, bluegrass, Asian folk, pop and latin American music. The 40th anniversary of Earth Day’s theme song “Sleep now, O Earth,” - composed by Xiang Gao for children’s choir, Erhu, Indian drums and chamber orchestra - was successfully premiered in Delaware in April of 2010. As a member of the "China Magpie" ensemble established by Yo-Yo Ma's Silk Road Project, and the “6ixwire Project”, a crossover duet he and Erhu soloist Cathy Yang formed in 2009, Xiang is frequently featured on CCTV, China's leading TV station, performing live concerts for more than one billion TV viewers worldwide. Both crossover ensembles combine multiple styles, from Chinese folk to western classical and rock music.

With his strong interest in theater and Asian traditional music, Xiang Gao has solo performed in the Nederlander Theatre on Broadway. He created the acclaimed Butterfly Lovers Multimedia Violin Concerto, which recreates a popular ancient Chinese fairytale similar to "Romeo and Juliet" for the western world. This production was successfully premiered in the Grand Opera House of Wilmington, Delaware in 2004 and was most recently awarded a grant by the National Endowment for the Arts. An orchestral debut with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra took place on February 17 of 2007. Xiang Gao is also the creator and producer of very creative and engaging "iMusic" productions, which successfully humanizes classical music in multimedia violin concerts that brings the audience of all ages and performers together with delightful artistic elements and special effects. His current projects include producing and directing “Encounters- the Qing and the West” – a theatrical concert he created to transport the audience on a musical journey of interactions between the Chinese Qing Dynasty(1644-1912) and the West promoting cultural exchange and understanding. Xiang Gao’s musical theatre production “Campus Chatter” will open in April of 2015.

Xiang Gao is the founding director of China Music Foundation of the University of Delaware's Master Players Concert Series. As the first Chinese concert artist to be named an endowed professorship in the U.S. - Trustees Distinguished Professor of Music at the University of Delaware, Xiang is also the ZiJiang Professor of Music at the East China Normal University in Shanghai. In 2007, the Stradivari Society in Chicago selected Mr. Gao to be a recipient of world famous Stradivarius violins for his international solo concerts. Xiang Gao has been honored to work with many talented young musicians in the past 15 years who have inspired him.

YouTube Channel: Youtube.com/user/xianggaomusic

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350-word bio

Highlights of the recent season's engagements the 2011 world premiere of Kristin Kuster’s “Two Jades” for solo violin and symphony band in Disney Hall, Los Angeles and the National Center for Performing Arts, Beijing, China; solo performances with the Detroit Symphony, the Czech Philharmonic, the Gothenburg Symphony-National Orchestra of Sweden, the St. Petersburg Philharmonic of Russia, the Estonia National Symphony and others. Mr. Gao frequently appears at Carnegie Hall, the Finlandia Hall in Helsinki, the Shanghai Grand Theatre, the Aspen Music tent, the Smetana Hall, the "Prague Spring" International Music Festival, the Singapore International Music Festival, the David Oistrakh International Music Festival, the Spoleto Music Festival, and the Tallinn International Festival.

As a multifaceted musician and singer songwriter, Mr. Gao composes, arranges and performs in the styles of Jazz, funk, bluegrass, Asian folk, pop and latin American music. The 40th anniversary of Earth Day’s theme song “Sleep now, O Earth” composed by Xiang Gao was successfully premiered in Delaware in April of 2010. As a member of the "China Magpie" ensemble established by Yo-Yo Ma's Silk Road Project, and the “6ixwire Project”, a crossover duet he and Erhu soloist Cathy Yang formed in 2009, Xiang is frequently featured on CCTV, China's leading TV station, performing live concerts for more than one billion TV viewers worldwide. Both crossover ensembles combine multiple styles, from Chinese folk to western classical and rock music.

With his strong interest in theater and Asian traditional music, Xiang Gao has solo performed in the Nederlander Theatre on Broadway. He created the acclaimed Butterfly Lovers Multimedia Violin Concerto, which was recently awarded a grant by the National Endowment for the Arts. An orchestral debut with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra took place in 2007. Xiang Gao is also the creator and producer of the "iMusic" productions, which successfully humanizes classical music in multimedia concerts that brings the audience of all ages and performers together with delightful artistic elements and special effects. His current projects include producing and directing “Encounters- the Qing and the West” – a theatrical concert he created to transport the audience on a musical journey of interactions between the Chinese Qing Dynasty (1644-1912) and the West promoting cultural exchange and understanding. Xiang Gao’s musical theatre production “Campus Chatter” will open in April of 2015.

Xiang Gao is the founding director of China Music Foundation and the University of Delaware's Master Players Concert Series. As the first Chinese concert artist to be named an endowed professorship in the U.S. - Trustees Distinguished Professor of Music at the University of Delaware, Xiang is also the ZiJiang Professor of Music at the East China Normal University in Shanghai. In 2007, the Stradivari Society in Chicago selected Mr. Gao to be a recipient of world famous Stradivarius violins for his international solo concerts. Xiang Gao has been honored to work with many talented young musicians in the past 15 years who have inspired him.

YouTube Channel: www.Youtube.com/user/xianggaomusic

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100-word bio

YouTube Channel: www.Youtube.com/user/xianggaomusic