Qi Yao, composer and Zheng (Chinese zither) soloist, associated professor, graduated from Shanghai Conservatory of Music and teaches there since 2003. She is member of Chinese Women Composers’ Association, and member of Chinese Traditional Orchestral Musicians’ Society, also council member of Shanghai Musicians’ Association. Qi Yao has won quite a few grand prizes in major music competitions in China. As a soloist and chamber music musician, she was hailed in her concert tours in many cities such as New York, London, Dublin, Paris, Lyon, Berlin, Hamburg, Hannover, Stuttgart, Salzburg, Amsterdam，Brussels, Copenhagen, New Mexico, Tokyo, Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Hong Kong etc., appeared in many musical festivals, including: Shanghai Spring International Music Festival, Beijing International Contemporary Music Festival, Aspekte Festival in Salzburg (Austria), Musik Festival Seelze (Germany), Euro Youth Classical Music Festival (Berlin), Electro-acoustic Music Festival during Sino-French Years (Lyon) , World Music Day 2006 (Stuttgart , hosted by ISCM) etc. Qi Yao was highly acclaimed as a “Great musician with magic in her fingers…”(Berlin Morning Post, August 16 2005), and praised by maestro Placido Domingo: “the great musician … with incredible amazing sound”. She has performed with orchestras as Shanghai National Orchestra, Shanghai Youth Symphony Orchestra, Shanghai Symphony, Hong Kong National Orchestra, Debussy String Quartet (France), Ensemble Modern (Germany), Nieuw Ensemble (Netherlands), Metropolitan Opera Symphony Orchestra (USA). Her performance has been recorded as TV episodes by CCTV and Shanghai Oriental TV Music Channel. And as a composer, Qi Yao’s works have been performed many times in public at home and abroad.