Presented by: Gao Hong, Pipa Player and Composer
Date: Saturday, November 3, 2018
Location: Forum Hall, Palmer Commons


Gao Hong, a Chinese pipa player and composer, graduated from the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing where she studied with pipa master Lin Shicheng. A recipient of many prestigious awards, Gao has performed in many countries and has participated in the Lincoln Center Festival, San Francisco Jazz Festival, and international festivals in Paris, Caen, Milan, and Perth. She has performed numerous U.S. and world premieres of pipa concerti with organizations such as St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Heidelberg Philharmonic, Buenos Aires Philharmonic, Louisville Orchestra, Hawaii Symphony, Pasadena Symphony, and the Women’s Philharmonic among others. In 2017, she became the first Chinese musician to play the National Anthem at a Minnesota Timberwolves NBA game at Target Center in Minneapolis.

In 2016, Gao Hong completed the first pipa method book ever written in English and had it published by Hal Leonard. She teaches Chinese musical instruments and directs the Carleton Chinese Music Ensemble and the Global Music Ensemble at Carleton College in Minnesota. She is also Guest Professor at the Central Conservatory of Music, China Conservatory of Music, Tianjin Conservatory of Music, and Hebei Provincial School for the Arts in China.