Qu Xiao-Song ( 瞿小松; surname Qu, b.

Guiyang Guiyang; Mandarin pronunciation: ; Chinese postal romanization, alternatively as Kweiyang is the capital of Guizhou, Guizhou province in China. It is centrally located within the province, on the Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau, eastern part of the Yun ...

Guizhou ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = , image_map = Guizhou in China (+all claims hatched).svg , mapsize = 275px , map_alt = Map showing the location of Guizhou Province , map_caption = Map s ...

province,

southwest China Southwestern China () is a region in the People's Republic of China. It consists of five provincial administrative regions, namely Chongqing, Sichuan, Guizhou, Yunnan, and Xizang. Geography Southwestern China is a rugged and mountainous region, ...

, September 6, 1952) is a Chinese composer of

contemporary classical music Contemporary classical music is Western art music composed close to the present day. At the beginning of the 21st-century classical music, 21st century, it commonly referred to the post-1945 Modernism (music), post-tonal music after the death of ...

. He is a 1983 graduate of the

Central Conservatory of Music The Central Conservatory of Music (CCOM; ) is the national music academy of China, located in Beijing. It is affiliated with the Ministry of Education. The academy is part of Project 211 and the Double First-Class Construction. Overview Fo ...

Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...

, where he studied composition with Du Mingxin. In 1989 he was invited by the Center for US-China Arts Exchange of

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

to be a visiting scholar, and he continues to live in

. He has received commissions from the

Holland Festival The Holland Festival () is the oldest and largest performing arts festival in the Netherlands. It takes place every June in Amsterdam. It comprises theatre, music, opera and modern dance. In recent years, multimedia, visual arts, film and architec ...

American Composers Forum The American Composers Forum is an American organization that promotes and assists American composers and contemporary classical music. It was founded in 1973 as the Minnesota Composers Forum and is based in Saint Paul, Minnesota, with activities ...

Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra The Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra (; abbreviated HKCO) was founded in 1977. The orchestra has won the accolades as “a leader in Chinese ethnic music” and “a cultural ambassador of Hong Kong”. It is often invited to perform at famous venues ...

, and

Boston Musica Viva Boston Musica Viva is a Boston, Massachusetts-based music ensemble founded by its music director, Richard Pittman, in 1969 and dedicated to contemporary music. Composers and compositions In its 44-year history, Boston Musica Viva has performed mo ...

. His operas ''Oedipus'' and ''The Death of Oedipus'' were premiered in 1993 and 1994 respectively, in

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

and

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...

. His chamber opera ''The Test'' (2004) was commissioned by the

Munich Biennale The Munich Biennale () is a contemporary opera and music theatre festival in the city of Munich. The full German name is ''Internationales Festival für neues Musiktheater'', literally: International Festival for New Music Theater. The biennial f ...

and Contemporary Opera Berlin, and performed in both cities in May 2004. His name is sometimes also written Qu Xiaosong.

Music

Chamber music

*''Cello Concerto for cello and chamber ensemble'' *''Cursive'', violoncello and percussion ensemble *''Ji No. 1'', large mixed ensemble *''Ji No. 2, Floating Clouds'', mixed quartet, Asian instrument and ensemble *''Ji No. 3: Silent Mountain'', solo guitar or Asian instrument *''Ji No. 4'', percussion solo *''Ji No. 5'', Asian instrument and ensemble *''Ji No. 6'', percussion ensemble, large mixed ensemble *''Ji No. 7'', solo violin or violoncello *''Lam Mot'', percussion ensemble *''String Symphony'', string orchestra *''The Girl of the Mountain'', string solo and orchestra *''Xi'', percussion ensemble

Orchestral works

*''Cello Concerto for cello and full orchestra'' *''Symphony No. 1'' *''Huan'' *''The Mountain''

Vocal works

*''Fang Yan Kou'', low voice and ensemble *''Mist'', vocal soloists and ensemble *''Mist 2'', high voice and ensemble *''Mist 3'', high voice and ensemble *''Mong Dong'', low voice and ensemble *''Weisst du wie der Regen klingt.../Rain'', mixed chorus and ensemble

Oratorio

*''Cleaving the Coffin: Oratorio'', mixed chorus, vocal soloists and ensemble

Opera

*''Life on a String'' *''Oedipus'' *''The Death of Oedipus'' *''The Test''

Trivia

*Qu dated the Chinese actress

Bai Ling Bai Ling (, born October 10, 1966) is a Chinese American actress and musician. After acting in numerous Chinese productions, she played small roles in American films such as '' The Crow'' (1994) and '' Nixon'' (1995) before starring as the femal ...

in the mid-1990s.Bai Ling: The innocent past story
(in Chinese)

References

External links

Peermusic Classical: Qu Xiao-Song page
Composer's Publisher and Bio
Qu Xiao-Song biography
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Qu, Xiao Song 1952 births Living people 20th-century Chinese classical composers 21st-century Chinese classical composers Place of birth missing (living people) People from Guiyang Musicians from Guizhou Chinese male classical composers 20th-century Chinese male musicians 21st-century Chinese male musicians