(b. 1981, Beijing).

Chinese composer of mostly chamber and vocal works that have been performed in Asia, Europe and elsewhere.

Ms. Tao began private lessons in piano with Wang Jia, Wang Ming-li and Zheng Xiu-lan in Beijing at age four and studied composition privately with Wang Ning in Beijing from 1995–99 and privately with Yao Heng-lu in Beijing from 1998–2002. She studied composition with Shi Wan-chun at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing from 1996–2000, where she also studied composition with Wang Ning from 2000–02, on a scholarship. She then studied composition with Nicolas Bolens and Éric Gaudibert and electronic music with Rainer Boesch and Émile Ellberger at the Conservatoire de musique de Genève from 2002–05.

Among her honours are Second Prize in the competition for art song of the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing (2000, for Rose) and the Prize for Excellence in the competition for chamber music TMSK in Shanghai (2003, for Poetry of the Autumn Wind). Her music has been performed in China, Germany, Japan, Poland, South Korea, Switzerland, and the USA.

COMPLETE LIST OF WORKS

STAGE:

Embouchure de la maggia (dance music, choreography by Nadège Allaki), 3 female dancers, fixed media (8 tracks), 2004

ORCHESTRAL:

Song, orchestra of instruments from China, 2002

Veronica, small orchestra (4 winds, 2 percussion, 12 strings), 2003 (film score; may be performed as a concert work)

CHAMBER MUSIC:

Panegyric to the Pipa (lute from China), pipa, 2000

Poetry of the Autumn Wind, xiao (bamboo flute from China), pipa, zheng (zither from China), erhu (violin from China), percussion from China, 2000

Happiness from Heaven, electric guitar, vibraphone, 2000

Dance of Shen Xiang, 5-string pipa, gayageum (zither from the Koreas), janggu (drum from the Koreas), 2000

String Quartet No. 1, 'Si Zhu' – 'Silk and Bamboo', 2001

Taoism, Reason and Concretion, flute, oboe, clarinet, bass clarinet, bassoon, French horn, 2001

Hua da I – Flowery Hitting I, flute, any drum, 2003

Hua da II, any drum, 2003

Ilôrkestra, flute, clarinet, 2 soprano saxophones, trombone, harp, cello, piano, percussion, 2004

Énigme, cello, 2004

Quintette à vents I, flute, oboe, clarinet, French horn, bassoon, 2004

Quintette à vents II, flute, oboe, clarinet, French horn, bassoon, 2004

CHORAL:

Leaving Your Love (text by Wang Jian), mixed chorus, 1999

VOCAL:

Seeing the Moon and Longing for Something (text by Zhang Jiuling), soprano, piano, 1996

Rose (text by Alexander Pushkin [Chinese translation]), soprano, piano, 1999

Sentiment of the Qin (text by Wang Shipu), soprano, clarinet, violin, viola, cello, piano, percussion, 2002

En offrant le vin (text by Li Bai), male voice (+ theorbo), 2003 (also version for male voice, theorbo, 2003)

Situation (text by Su Shi), female voice, cello, percussion, fixed media (8 tracks), 2004

PIANO:

Playing at a Chinese Sweet Dumpling Festival, 1999

Leap, 2000

Fairy-Tale Sounds, piano 4 hands, 2001

ELECTROACOUSTIC:

Hua da III, fixed media (8 tracks), 2003

Jiang cheng zi – Memory, fixed media (8 tracks), 2003

FILM SCORE (DIRECTOR):

Veronica, 2003 (Filippo Filliger; may be performed as a concert work)

ARRANGEMENT:

Three Korean Folksongs (folksongs from the Koreas), 5-string pipa, gayageum, janggu, 2000