About Artist

 

Lei Gu, well known for her distinguished guzheng instructor who founded the Washington Dunhuang Guzheng Academy in Washington Metropolitan area was born into a family of musicians from the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. She started learning instruments at the age of seven. She was well trained by famous guzheng instructors from Shanghai Conservatory of Music, Professors Sun Wenyan and He Baoquan. In the eighties, with her refined performing skills and exquisite artistic presentation, Lei Gu has won first place in the Shanghai Traditional Musical Instruments in the guzheng category.

 

Growing up in such a musical family under early influence, in her youthful years, she joined the Shanghai Youth Art Ensemble led by the renowned music conductor Qu Chunquan and composer/conductor Zhou Zhongkang. She often represented the city of Shanghai in cultural exchange performances in various provinces and cities. In addition, the women's string quintet, of which she was a member, won nationwide acclaim.

Lei Gu's diligence and solid performing skills were recognized by Pintan performing artist Zhao Lifang of the Suzhou Pintan Ensemble. She invited Lei Gu to collaborate with her, and the two successfully presented a number of major performances that won high praise from audiences. They collaborated with a record company and produced several recordings.

 

 

 

 

With her talent and strength, Lei Gu applied for the Zhejiang Province Song and Dance Ensemble and was accepted. She became the ensemble's major solo performer of guzheng. She continued to set high standards for herself and took lessons from both professor Sun and professor He at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. She trained in a variety of guzheng techniques and styles, such as Shandong, Henan, Zhejiang Provinces, as well as the performing techniques of another instrument, zhongruan. In addition to frequent performances, she produced a number of professional recordings and played music for several television shows. Prior to her arrival in the United States, she was active on the stage in the Jiangsu and Zhejiang areas.

 

 

Before she moved to Washington, Lei Gu has been active in performing with other musicians while she lived in Virginia Beach. Now, Lei Gu is an active member of the Washington Chinese Traditional Orchestra, being the assistant head of Washington Chinese Traditional Orchestra. In recent years she has performed on stage all over the Washington area, as well as at many federal and local government events. She has been widely praised by Chinese and American audiences

 

 

After she founded the Washington Dunhuang Guzheng Academy, she has received wide recognition as a musician and a teacher. She has excellent attitude and passion for music and teaching. She emphasized that skill training for both adults and children are all greatly benefit. In order to create their unique performance style, she began to showcase her talent in various venues across Washington area. In 2010, she and her students successfully held the "The Dream of Dunhuang" guzheng concert, Lei Gu fully displayed her creativity and innovative style in the concert. Her work has been highly acknowledged amongst professional musicians in the Washington Chinese music field.

 

In addition to her duties as a guzheng and zhongruan instructor, Lei Gu is also promoting the Chinese musical culture. She is introducing guzheng, an elegant and beautiful "Oriental Piano", to the western community. She is deeply committed to providing high standard and excellent quality musical education.