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Photo courtesy of the artist.
Winnie Wong
Chinese guzheng
Winnie Wong was born in Hong Kong and raised in San Francisco, CA. She started her training on the guzheng in 1982 at the age of four under the expertise of guzheng virtuoso, Ms. Weishan Liu. At the age of 5, she had her first debut. The unconditional bond between Ms. Wong, the guzheng and its culture was immediate. From the beginning, she was surrounded, nurtured and inspired by the world of solo performance, ensemble, choral and orchestral music. Being from a Chinese immigrant family, guzheng allowed her to stay connected to her roots, but more importantly, share with the community the beauty and importance of diversity.
Ms. Wong’s aspirations are to share and promote cultural experiences through performing arts, giving to the community and sharing with the world her love and passion for music. In her youth her performances were a part of universities and college concerts, Asian Arts Museum grand openings, as well as grand openings of Sacramento’s federal courthouses and SF Main Library.
In her young adulthood, she founded the “China’s Spirit Music Ensemble” to give her growing population of guzheng disciples a “home” to share and develop their skills and understanding for the guzheng, its culture as well as an outlet to share their musical achievements.
Also in the early millennium, she ventured into the exploration of jazz and contemporary guzheng. The passion and collection during her first two decades of experiences in performing led for deeper exploration into the genre of “World Music” and improvisation. In recent years, she’s hosted numerous recitals and productions with collaborators from all over the Bay Area and different cultures from around the world. She is currently the director and instructor for “China’s Spirit Music Ensemble”, principal guzheng soloist for a world Jazz ensemble, “The Ultra World X-tet” and a member of the very uniquely fused Irish-Chinese trio “The Lucky Pluckers” alongside Irish harpist, Diana Rowan and Irish violinist Colm O-Riana (combining improvisations with folk Irish and Chinese music as well as new arrangements). Her improvisational work can also be heard on the collaborated piece “Overcame” by word artist, “Son of Paper’s” latest album. “FROM A ROOFTOP IN CHINATOWN” (released summer 2022).
Through all her live performances, her audiences respond to her as a passionate and deeply captivating artist who touches the hearts, souls and transcends the senses of the listeners into a world that stretches beyond their imagination. On March 28, 2016 “Listen for Life” presented Ms. Wong with the”Musician of the Heart” award for her performances, achievements and her dedication towards bridging cultures through music and to encourage a new generation of cultural musicians!
Living Cultures Grant
2023
“General’s Aria | Emotion’s Passage in War”
Funding will support Wong’s music composition, two large-scale guzheng concerts focusing on “General’s Aria”, complete with a 20-member ensemble, soloists, and cross-cultural music collaborations.