Hailed as one of the most exciting, innovative and respected erhu masters today, the Gemini Award-nominated George Gao began studying the erhu at the age of six. The recipient of several awards as a young student, he continued his studies at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music and the Royal Conservatory in Music in Toronto. After winning First Prize in the Beijing National Erhu Competition, he embarked on an international performing career with tours to North America, Europe and Asia.

An enthusiast of many musical styles, George organized the Beijing rock group Red Maple Leaf, and the pop group Snowman. He has performed with many world music artists including Jesse Cook, Donald Quan, Ron Korb, and ensembles such as Bowfire, Silk Orchestra, the George Gao Ensemble, and Memento. He has pioneered the development of new music for the erhu, fusing traditional Chinese music with jazz, western Classical music, New Age, and ethnic music from diverse cultures.

George Gao is also much in demand as a session player and is featured on the soundtrack for the popular science fiction television program, Earth: Final Conflict. He has also written music for several films. In 2003 he collaborated with composer Brian Keane on the score for the award-winning PBS documentary Becoming American, the Chinese Experience. He co-composed and recorded music for two notable short documentary films, The Blood of Yingzhou District, awarded an Oscar in 2006, and The Warriors of Qiugang, nominated for an Oscar in 2011.

George Gao is currently a professor in residence at the Shanghai Institute of Visual Art and a guest professor at several conservatories of music in China, Taiwan and Japan. He is also the guest concertmaster of the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra.

Tickets: http://www.tixonthesquare.ca/event/detail/9663/