Born in Shanghai in 1955, Xiaogang Ye is regarded as one of China’s leading contemporary composers. He is a professor of composition at the Central Conservatory of Music, Beijing, and as of May 2021 he is also the founding dean of the School of Music at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen. Ye is chairman of the China Musicians Association, vice-president of the International Music Council and an honorary member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He is the founder and artistic director of the Beijing Modern Music Festival, Shenzhen Belt & Road International Music Festival and International Music Competition Harbin. Ye is committed to promoting the development of contemporary music in China and the exchange of Chinese and foreign music culture. Ye has composed in a variety of genres, including symphonic music, chamber music, dance drama and opera, as well as music for film and TV. Among his important works are Horizon, The Last Paradise, The Song of the Earth, Twilight of the Himalayas, Scent of Green Mango, Mount E’mei, The Heroes (Symphony No. 7) and The Macao Bride. Ye has also composed music for more than thirty important Chinese movies and TV series, granting his work unprecedented exposure in China and leading to him being named of ‘Man of China’ in 2005. In 1995 Ye became the first Chinese composer to sign with the publisher Schott Music. Xiaogang Ye’s music can be heard throughout the world in leading opera houses and symphony halls, international festivals and on radio and television. His works are performed by major orchestras and ensembles including the New York Philharmonic, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Orchestra del Teatro alla Scala, Russian National Orchestra, Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, Singapore Symphony Orchestra, China National Symphony Orchestra, Ensemble Modern and the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. In August 2008, his work Starry Sky was premièred during the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in Beijing by Lang Lang. Accompanied by dance and light shows, the live broadcast was watched by three billion people worldwide. Ye has been the recipient of many prestigious honours including a 2012 Guggenheim Fellowship Award, a 2013 China Arts Award, and a Distinguished Alumni Citation from the Eastman School of Music in 2011. Recordings of Ye’s music can be found on several international labels.
