Bright Sheng
Bright Sheng (surname
Sheng, born
Shèng Zōngliàng,
盛宗亮, in
Shanghai,
China,
December 6,
1955) is a Chinese-American
composer,
conductor, and
pianist. He has lived in the
United States since
1982 and is on faculty at the
University of Michigan. In 1999, the
White House commissioned Sheng to compose a piece to honor the Chinese Premiere
Zhou Rongji at a state dinner hosted by
Bill Clinton. In November
2001, Sheng received a
MacArthur Foundation Fellowship.
Sheng's compositions have been performed by most major American orchestras as well as many European, and Asian orchestras, including the
New York Philharmonic,
Boston Symphony Orchestra,
Chicago Symphony Orchestra,
Philadelphia Orchestra,
Orchestre de Paris,
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra,
Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, and the
China National Symphony. Some of the most notable performers of Sheng's music have included
Leonard Bernstein,
Yo-Yo Ma,
Kurt Masur,
Emmanuel Ax,
Leonard Slatkin,
Robert Spano,
David Zinman, and
Neeme Järvi. Sheng's most notable teachers include Leonard Bernstein and
Chou Wen-Chung.
*
Nanking! Nanking!*
Red Silk Dance*
Madame Mao, commissioned by and given its world premiere by the
Santa Fe Opera in
2003*
China Dreams*
Silver River*
Four Movements for Piano Trio* The second syllable of Sheng's given name, Liang, loosely translates as "bright lights," which is why he took "Bright" as his English first name.
*
Bright Sheng official site*
Bright Sheng page from G. Schirmer Inc. site
*
Biography from the
University of Michigan School of Music
