Zhu Changyao is a famous erhu virtuoso and composer in China with National Class One Musician standing. He is also director of the Chinese Musicians' Association, Executive Director of the China Nationalities Orchestra Society, Vice President of the China Erhu Society, Vice Chairman of the Jiangsu Chapter of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles, and Chairman of the Jiangsu Musicians' Association. He is currently General Manager of the Jiangsu Performing Arts Group, and an adjunct professor at the Nanjing University, Southeast University, China Conservatory and Nanjing University of the Arts. He graduated from the Nanjing University of the Arts in 1976 where he studied music under Gan Tao, Qu Anhua, Ma Youde and Chen Yaoxing. Zhu has won many awards and accolades, including an Outstanding Performance Award (First in Erhu) at the All China Ethnic Instrumental Solo Competition, a Zijin Culture Medal of Jiangsu Province, and the Government Special Allowance presented by the State Council.
Zhu is also a prolific composer. Some of his notable compositions include Celebration Gongs and Drums (which won a Class Two Award for Composition by the Ministry of Culture); Spring in Jiangnan for erhu solo (co-written with Ma Xilin) and the erhu concerto Mooring by the Maple Bridge at Night (co-written with Cui Xin), both of which won a Class Three Award at the 3rd All China Accreditation Awards for Music Compositions; and an instrumental piece For the Love of Gusu (which won first place in the Class One Award category at the All China Awards for Chinese Instrumental Works). His discography includes a dozen solo albums, released under many labels in China and overseas.
Zhu has been on many overseas tours to perform, give lectures or serve as jury on music competitions. Among these tours, he has been to Taiwan dozens of times to give erhu solo recitals. Other tours took them to the U.S., the U.K., Germany, France, Italy, Switzerland, Austria, Japan, Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea and North Korea. Everywhere he went, he won popular acclaim.
