Gao Hong

Gao Hong is an award-winning pipa virtuoso, composer, and educator whose career spans over five decades. Born in Luoyang, China, she began performing professionally at age 12, later studying under legendary pipa master Lin Shicheng at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing.

Since moving to the U.S. in 1994, Gao has performed at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, the San Francisco Jazz Festival, Smithsonian, and international festivals across Europe, Asia, and Australia. She has appeared as concerto soloist with orchestras including the Minnesota Orchestra, Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, and the China National Traditional Orchestra, and in 2017 became the first Chinese musician to perform the U.S. National Anthem at an NBA game on pipa.

Her cross-genre collaborations have earned numerous honors, including 11 Global Music Awards Gold Medals (Best Album, Best Instrumentalist, Best Duo, and Creativity/Originality), the Bush Artist Fellowship, five McKnight Artist Fellowships, and the Sally Award for commitment to the arts. ARC Music’s re-release of Hunting Eagles Catching Swans with Lin Shicheng was named a Songlines “Best New Album from Around the World.”

Gao is a Grammy® Voting Member, serves on multiple arts boards, and teaches at Carleton College, where she directs the Chinese Music Ensemble. She also holds guest professorships at top music conservatories in China.