Bei Bei He
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[edit] Bei Bei He 荷蓓蓓
Gu Zheng Artist and Instructor
Bei Bei He, aka Bei Bei is a Gu Zheng artist and instructor in Los Angeles and Orange County area, California, U.S.A. She was born in Cheng Du, China in 1982. When she was 7 years old, she began playing the Gu Zheng [1], an ancient Chinese zither. Her first instructor was Professor Li-Jing Sha at Si Chuan Conservatory. From the age of 9, she performed on stage as both a soloist and with Gu Zheng ensembles and Chinese instrument ensembles. Between 9 and 12, Bei Bei was a member of the Golden Panda Performing Arts Group of Si Chuan Television, appearing frequently on stage and television. She was featured at the 1993 Cheng Du International Television Festival, and at the 1994 SCTV Chinese New Year Concert. Bei Bei also won several awards around the nation, such as the Golden Prize at the “Sangshen Cup” Chinese instruments Competition of Cheng Du, and the first runner up prize at the National Chinese Instruments Competition. Her talent has been hailed by audiences across China, and by music professionals such as Gu Zheng master Da-Cheng Qiu, and Pipa master De-Hai Liu.
After grade school, Bei Bei was admitted to the middle- and high-school programs of the Music Department of the Central University of Nationalities[2] in Beijing, where she began her professional musical training, majoring in the Gu Zheng. During those six years, Bei Bei received comprehensive training from several Gu Zheng masters such as Professor Mu-Lan Hai, Ms. Chun-Jiang Teng, and Ms. Ling-Zi Xu, stars of the world-famous Chinese National Orchestra and the China National Song and Dance Ensemble. Bei Bei has been trained in both traditional Chinese music and contemporary compositions, and has shown that she is capable of integrating a modern contemporary spirit into traditional Chinese culture. She was a member of the Central University of Nationalities Chinese Orchestra. She performed numerous concerts with the orchestra, including the State Banquet Concert at the Great Hall of the People, and she toured with the Orchestra throughout the nation. In 1999, she won the first runner up award at the College Students Arts Festival Music Competition in Beijing.
In 2000, at the age of 18, Bei Bei received a full scholarship to continue her studies in Gu Zheng at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts [3]. In that melting pot of western and eastern culture, Bei Bei was exposed to a wide variety of music and art. She also took courses in theatre and music technology, which had a profound influence on both her music and her mind. While at the Academy, she performed the Gu Zheng concerto “Songs of the Great Sea” with the Hong Kong APA Chinese Orchestra at a concert of works by the renowned composer Wen-Jin Liu. She also premiered experimental compositions at the HKAPA concert at Hong Kong City Hall[4] in 2002.
Bei Bei came to United States in 2003 both to perform, and to study music recording. She has been featured as a musician and composer at Revolution 626, the Chinese Moon Festival Concert, Knitting Factory in Hollywood [5], a solo recital in Old Town Pasadena, Cal Poly Pomona, the Folk Music Center in Claremont, the Barclay Theater [6] in Irvine, UCI Claire Trevor Theater, Ford Amphitheater [www.fordamphitheatre.org/] in Hollywood, and more. She is also collaborating with musicians from other musical genres such as Classical, Acoustic, Alternative, Jazz and Hip-Hop. Their collaborations create a unique encounter of Western and Oriental music and culture. She also works with dancer/choreographer Mandarin Wu to bring live Gu Zheng music with dance performances. The feedback that she has received as she has introduced American audiences to Gu Zheng and its broad and varied repertoire has been extremely positive. Her passion for her instrument and the beauty of her music have touched people across the world. She is also featured in the documentary "寻梦洛杉矶“ a story about her experiences as a musician and dream seeker in America. The film has been broadcasted on CCTV 1[7], CCTV News, and CCTV 4 in China and other parts of the world. In 2006, she released her debut solo album "Moon of Jian Chang" (建昌月).
