Ziying Zhao

About the Artist

Ziying Zhao, a guqin performer in the United States, is a member of The Global Outstanding Chinese Artists Association and the World Chinese Musicians Association. Praised for her talent, a guqin educator from the Tianjin Conservatory of Music once remarked, “She must have been a guqin artist in her previous life.” She has achieved top honors in prestigious international music competitions. Her journey with the guqin began at the age of 15 in China, and at 16, she pursued her college education in the United States. In the U.S., she continued her guqin studies under the guidance of instructors from the Tianjin Conservatory of Music and the Shanghai Conservatory of Music in China.

Ziying Zhao serves as a jury member for several music competitions, including the International Youth Music Competition, 21st Century Talents Music Competition, Rocky Mountain Music Competition, Red Maple Music Competition, Royal Sound Music Competition, Charleston International Music Competition, and the “德润音才筑梦未来” Music Exhibition (a Chinese guqin National Music Competition). In 2023, she showcased her solo Guqin concert in Houston. Her talent has led to invitations to perform the guqin at renowned venues such as the Seattle Center, University of Washington, Texas A&M University, Asian & Pacific Culture Center, California WorldFest, and other esteemed organizations. Additionally, she has delivered guqin presentations at numerous universities and schools.

The guqin, an ancient and enigmatic musical instrument with a history spanning over 4,000 years, is considered one of the quintessential representations of traditional Chinese culture. Many guqin compositions date back hundreds or even thousands of years, and the revered Chinese philosopher and educator Confucius used the guqin as a teaching tool for his students. Ziying Zhao aspires to introduce this ancient musical heritage to modern society, sharing the timeless melodies of millennia past with the world.