YAQING GUO
Graduated from the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, specializing in trombone performance. Participated as a performer in the publication of a trombone textbook authored by his teacher.
Released China's first jazz trombone album, "Bop Within," and collaborated extensively with well-known domestic musicians and bands, experimenting with new musical elements.
From 2001 to 2002, served as the music director, producer, and composer under the invitation of Wang Xiaojing, a renowned pop music producer and agent in China. Successfully founded and launched the internationally acclaimed modern music ensemble "12 Girls Band." In the ensemble's debut album "Charming Music," he was responsible for all music production, composition, and artistic direction. His work "S·D Garden" became one of the most representative pieces of the 12 Girls Band. Supervised and arranged the albums "Seasonal Love Songs," "Tokyo Love Story," and "Celebrating the New Year in Joy" for the 12 Girls Band.
In 2002, arranged the song "Thank You, My Friend" performed by 12 Girls Band at the CCTV Spring Festival Gala.
Composed and adapted music for the "Urban Romance" series of concerts for the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra, performing with the 4+1 music group and large national orchestra in Hong Kong to critical acclaim.
In 2008, released his own New Age music album "Beijing, The Voices," which received great acclaim and was included in the official gifts of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the 2008 Olympic Games. The album was highly praised by European music critics, jazz musicians, and Francis Marmande, the culture editor of France's Le Monde.
In 2021-2024, composed the theme music for the CCTV documentary "Playing with Antiquity."
YAZHI GUO
Yazhi Guo is the Co-founder and Founding President of the American Academy of World Music. A world-renowned suona virtuoso, educator, and musical instrument innovator, he has performed extensively on the international stage. In addition to the suona, he is an accomplished performer of a wide range of Chinese and Western wind instruments. Widely regarded as one of the world’s leading suona artists, he has devoted his career to bringing Chinese music into meaningful dialogue with musical traditions from around the world. He is also an artist with the Grammy Award-winning Silkroad Ensemble, part of Silkroad, the arts organization conceived by cellist Yo-Yo Ma.
Guo graduated from the Department of Traditional Instruments at the Central Conservatory of Music in 1990 and subsequently joined the faculty. In 2000, he was appointed Principal Suona of the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra. After moving to the United States in 2012, he continued his artistic and educational work through performances and lectures at institutions including Harvard University, the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, and Berklee College of Music.
He received the Pro Musicis International Award in New York in 1998 and was named Artist of the Year in Hong Kong in 2013. In 2015, he earned an Artist Diploma from Berklee College of Music. He has also led Berklee ensembles on multiple concert tours to China and Singapore.
Guo has recorded more than ten solo albums, many of which have been released internationally. As an innovator of traditional musical instruments, he developed a movable-core system for the suona, which received the Second Prize for Scientific and Technological Progress from China’s Ministry of Culture in 1993. His other innovations include the polyphonic hulusi and a double-slot transposing bridge for the guzheng, both of which have attracted significant attention within the field.
In 2021, he co-founded the American Academy of World Music and established the World Music Ensemble at Henderson House. That same year, he was recognized as one of China’s “Top Ten” Innovators in Traditional Musical Instruments.