NCPA Quartet

Li Zhe, violin
Li Zhe, Concertmaster of the China NCPA Orchestra, has performed in the London Symphony Orchestra, and has been Concertmaster of both China’s Central Opera House and I Musici de Montréal Chamber orchestras. He serves as a Guest Professor at both the Central and China Conservatories of Music. He has been invited to perform at New York’s Carnegie Hall, Moscow and Sydney’s Opera House. With I Musici de Montreal, he made many CD recordings which earned him a Canadian Juno Award.

Liu Xian, violin
Currently Principal Second Violin of the China NCPA Orchestra, Liu Xian was awarded third prize at the International Violin Competition "Andrea Postacchini" (2004). Concertmaster of the Schleswig-Holstein Festival Orchestra (2005-06), Liu then joined the Deutsche Oper, Rundfunk Sinfonie Orchester Berlin and SWR Rundfunkorchester, following the Festival Orchestra’s concert tours with Christoph Eschenbach and Valery Gergiev. Renowned conductors with whom he has collaborated include Lorin Maazel, Zubin Mehta, Christoph Eschenbach, Daniel Barenboim, Valery Gergiev and Myung-Whun Chung.

Zhuang Ran, viola
The Principal Viola of the China NCPA Orchestra, Zhuang Ran studied at the Colburn Conservatory of Music under Paul Coletti on a full scholarship. The 2006 International Viola Congress granted top prize to her recording of Canadian composer Andre Prevost’s Improvisation for Viola. She has been Principal Violist at Schleswig-Holstein, the Pacific Music and Spoleto Festivals. In 2013 she performed with principals of the Philadelphia Orchestra in a highly-acclaimed chamber recital.

Liang Xiao, cello
Xiao Liang is Associate Principal Cello of the China NCPA Orchestra. He was winner of the 2002 Morningside Music Bridge’s concerto competition and the Sixth National Cello Competition (1st prize in the youth category and for best interpretation of a newly commissioned work) in China. A graduate of the Central Conservatory of Music under Professor Na Mula, Liang furthered his studies at the New England Music Conservatory under the tutelage of Laurence Lesser.