Muhai Tang (; born 1949 in

Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...

) is a Chinese conductor. He is the youngest son of celebrated Chinese film director Tang Xiaodan and brother of painter and poet Tang Muli. Tang initially learned music with his parents, and later studied composition and conducting at the

Shanghai Conservatory of Music The Shanghai Conservatory of Music (SHCMusic) is a municipal public college in Shanghai, China. It is affiliated with the City of Shanghai and is part of the Double First-Class Construction. The college was founded on November 27, 1927. The Sh ...

, receiving his diploma in both. He furthered his studies in conducting with Hermann Michael at the Hochschule für Musik in

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. His international career started when

Herbert von Karajan Herbert von Karajan (; born ''Heribert Adolf Ernst Karajan''; 5 April 1908 – 16 July 1989) was an Austrian conductor. He was principal conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic for 34 years. During the Nazi era, he debuted at the Salzburg Festival, ...

invited him to conduct the

Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra The Berlin Philharmonic () is a German orchestra based in Berlin. It is one of the most popular, acclaimed and well-respected orchestras in the world. Throughout the 20th century, the orchestra was led by conductors Wilhelm Furtwängler (1922� ...

during the 1983–1984 season. This invitation was later renewed. He was the chief conductor of the Gulbenkian Orchestra in

Lisbon Lisbon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...

from 1988 until 2001. From 1991 to 1995, he was chief conductor of DePhilharmonie (now known as the Antwerp Symphony Orchestra). He made his US debut with the

San Francisco Symphony Orchestra The San Francisco Symphony, founded in 1911, is an American orchestra based in San Francisco, California. Since 1980 the orchestra has been resident at the Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall in the city's Hayes Valley neighborhood. The San Franci ...

in 1988. In 1991 Tang was chief conductor of the

Queensland Symphony Orchestra Queensland Symphony Orchestra (QSO) is an Australian symphony orchestra in the state of Queensland. The orchestra is based in the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's building in South Bank. The Orchestra is funded by private corporations, the ...

(QSO), the last chief conductor prior to the orchestra's renaming as the Queensland Orchestra. In November 2005, he became the orchestra's conductor laureate. From 2003 to 2006, Tang served as Chief Conductor of the

Finnish National Opera The Finnish National Opera and Ballet (; ) is a Finnish opera company and ballet company based in Helsinki. It is headquartered in the Opera House on the coast of the Töölönlahti bay in Töölö, which opened in 1993, and is state-owned throu ...

. From 2006 to 2011, Tang was artistic director and principal conductor of the Zürcher Kammerorchester (Zurich Chamber Orchestra), and became principal guest conductor in 2011. From 2010 until 2015, he was chief conductor of the

Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra The Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra () is an orchestra located in Belgrade, Serbia. It is regularly considered one of the finest in the country. History Unlike most European countries and cities, Serbia and Belgrade were rather late in receivin ...

. As conductor, he was awarded the 2002 Grammy Award for Best Classical Contemporary Composition for Christopher Rouse's '' Concert de Gaudí''.

References

External links

The Queensland Orchestra, 2005 Annual Report
1949 births Living people University of Music and Theatre Munich alumni Musicians from Shanghai 21st-century Chinese conductors (music) Shanghai Conservatory of Music alumni 21st-century Chinese male musicians 20th-century conductors (music) 20th-century Chinese musicians 20th-century Chinese male musicians Chinese musicians Chinese art directors Chief conductors of the Antwerp Symphony Orchestra {{china-musician-stub