Liu Sola & Friends Ensemble Introduction

Liu Sola & Friends is a world renowned music ensemble, with 12 virtuoso musicians. The ensemble was internationally regarded as “Chinese ecstasy”， as criticised as  “most crazy composer” with “ best musicians”.

Liu Sola & Friends has performed internationally and collaborate with celebrated artists and musicians around world. The collaboration including perform with Ensemble Modern for Liu Sola’s major chamber opera Jing Meng (Fantasy of the Red Queen); as well as collaborated with African dance group Koffi Koko,   Chinese award-winning dance and music drama Jue (Awaken), and also played with world renowned American Jazz and rock musicians.  Occasionally, the ensemble participates in music recording sessions for Liu Sola’s films sound tracks.

Since 2012, one of most celebrated Chinese guitarist Liu Yijun (a.k.a Lao Wu from the band Tang Dynasty) joined the ensemble; and in 2015, Danish percussionist Gert Mortensen, regarded as a national treasure musician of Denmark, joined the ensemble as well. They have brought new energy into the group.  The ensemble is endlessly seeking local and international artists to work with .

Introduction of Artists Featured in this Exhibition

Liu Sola – Music Composer & Producer, Vocalist, Writer

Liu Sola, the founder and producer of Liu Sola & Friends. Graduated from the Central Conservatory of Music with a degree in composition and she has been a student of Mr. Du Mingxin. She has composed and produced a number of award-winning movie soundtracks, rock opera, major chamber modern opera, Baroque chamber opera, symphony orchestra music, chamber music, a number of works for Chinese instruments, and a series of live concerts. In addition, she is also a celebrated novelist with a number of literary awards. She studied fine art at a young age, since the 80’ up to today, she participated in the visual art practices of stage and costume design, book cover design, music score design, working studio design and so on.

Li Zhengui -- Legendary Percussionist

Li Zhengui is the mentor of the ensemble. He is the president of the China National Institute of Percussion, the special guest supervisor in the China National Ethnic Instruments Association, professor and master instructor in the Central Conservatory of Music. The textbooks and other teaching materials that he has written are the keys to percussion treasure for the future generations.

Yang Jing -- Pipa Player

Yang Jing is a professor and master instructor in the China Conservatory of Music. The multiple award-winning lutist is regarded as "the Lutist with the most stage and artistic appeal". She has been invited to perform in over 40 different countries and regions across the world. Her performance is full of artistic vitality and appeal when it comes to either incarnating traditional music or interpreting modern works.

Zhang Yangsheng -- Percussionist, Director, Conductor

Zhang Yangsheng was the director and music designer of The Fou which was performed by 2000 drummers on the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games opening ceremony. He is a colonel-rank senior percussionist in the General Political Military Band and a conductor in the Renmin University of China Student's Orchestra. He was been invited to attend a wide range of movie and music festivals in Asia, Europe, America, Australia and other regions as well.

Liu Yijun (a.k.a Lao Wu) -- Guitarist
Liu Yijun, often called Lao Wu of "Tang Dynasty", is a legendary figure in Chinese rock music. Ever since he made the album, "Dreaming of Returning to Tang Dynasty".
In his over twenty years musical career, Lao Wu has been constantly striving to break through artificial barriers of all kinds, looking for natural, spontaneous truthfulness in spirit. After leaving the band of "Tang Dynasty" that he contributed to establish in his youth, he became even more inclined to a natural, truthful state. Now Lao Wu is creating a new realm with his acoustic guitar. Its music conveys a Chinese poetic spirit and, together with his creative works in visual art started from the 1990s, it unfolds a panoramic landscape of his spiritual world that has crossed the boundary of rock music.

Gert Mortensen -- Percussionist

Born in Danmark in 1958, Gert Mortensen is a professor for the master class in the Copenhagen Royal Academy of Music, he teaches timpani and percussion. He is one of the world most recognized percussionist and play the principle of percussion part in The Royal Danish Orchestra for 24 years. Gert Mortensen was also the winner of a number of music awards, including the Carl Nielsen Grant Award, the Jacob Gade Award, the Gladsaxe Music Award and many other music awards as well.

Wu Na -- Guqin Player

Wu Na started her guqin training at a young age. In close successions, she was taught by guqin performer Mrs. Zhao Jiazhen and famous guqin performer and educator Mr. Li Xiangting. After her graduation from the Central Conservatory of Music with a master degree in guqin in 2004, she began to further explore the guqin spirit and its significance in the modern world. She has collaborated with artists with other distinct styles, including jazz, rock & roll and experimental, she also actively seeks to interpret traditional songs with her own style.

Ma Rui – Percussionist

After graduating from the Central Conservatory of Music with a master degree, Ma Rui became an ethnic percussion teacher in the music school of the National Academy of Chinese Theatre Arts. Ma Rui is an executive director of the China National Institute of Percussion, and the first chair percussionist in the China National Youth Orchestra from 2001 to 2005. As one of the most famous percussionists, Ma Rui has been invited to a number of international performances.

Cheng Yuyu — Pipa player

A student of the pipa Virtuoso Yang Jing. A teacher at the China Conservatory of Music.
Cheng Yuyu has won multiple awards, she also participated in the opening ceremony performance of the 2008 Olympic Games.

Chen Suchao – Pipa Player

Chen Suchao started to study lute at a very young age, taught by lutists and educators Zhu Yin, Yu Dan, Zhou Hui in close succession. During his studies at the China Conservatory of Music from 2008 to 2015, he was a student of the famous pipa professor Yang Jing. In 2015 he was considered a special art talent and was promoted to masters. Chen Suchao is now a teacher at the China Conservatory of Music.

Liu Meng -- Percussionist

Born in An Yang, He Nan province, Liu Meng started to study percussion since he was 4 and a half years old. Since 2000, he has been a student of professor Li Zhengui, and he graduated from the percussion school of the Central Conservatory of Music.

Liu Chang — Percussionist

Born in An Yang, He Nan province in 1995, Liu Chang began his training in percussion since he was merely 6 years old. Since 2005 he has been a student of the famous percussionist and educator professor Li Zhengui. He graduated from the percussion school of the Central Conservatory of Music In 2014.

Zhang Meng -- Guqin Player

Enlighted by the famous guqin performer Li Xiangting, Zhang Meng was accepted into the guqin school of Central Conservatory of Music in 2010. In 2014 she was promoted to masters with the highest scores and class achievement. In the same year, she was invited to Copenhagen to start a one-year guqin training program in the Denmark Confucius Institute of the Royal Academy of Music. She has been invited to perform in Singapore, Norway, Italy, France, Sweden and other countries.

Yang Ji-er --  Keyboard player

She graduated from the Central Conservatory of Music piano school, and she is the business assistant of Liu Sola. She has participated in a number of large-scale live concerts and recording sessions. She has also engaged in the music editing process as well as the planning and organizing process of music festivals, including the Mujirushi Ryouhin BGM16 project. Now, she is the pianist in Liu Sola & Friends

Wu Jing -- Soprano, National A Level Vocalist in the China Oriental Song and Dance Ensemble

Repeatedly invited to perform in Japan, Germany, Canada, Australia, Singapore, Vietnam, Mongolia, Hong Kong and other countries and regions. She has performed a wide selection of Chinese and foreign songs and was praised both domestically and internationally. She was the vocalist for Qing Chun Ji (Youth Festival) / Qing Chun De Ye Pu Tao (Wild Grapes of Youth), the theme song of Liu Sola's film. Later, she played an important role in Liu Sola's stage drama Jing Meng (Fantasy of the Red Queen).

Special Appearance：

Peng Bo – World Renowned Pianist

As a famous modern pianist, Peng Bo’s performance style was internationally praised, “her play is the combination of logic, vocalization, and marvelous techniques, it is cantabile and colorful. The expressions are delicate and the techniques are marvelous.” From a young age, Peng Bo has been a student of professor Zhou Guangren, she has also been the top award winner of a number of domestic and international piano contests. In 2004 Peng Bo and her husband Chen Da co-founded the Beijing Zhou Guangren Piano Art Center, and she is the art producer of the annual Zhou Guangren Summer College.


The introduction of Yu Jie: Born in September 1970, Yu Jie was a freelancer photographer after he resigned from the court of justice in Beijing. In 1999, Yu Jie enrolled in the Savannah College of Arts and Design and graduated with a master of fine art degree in art photography. He later became a business partner of the Journal of Fashion Group, a contracted photographer for Visual China, and a photography teacher at the Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology. Yu Jie participated in the Chen Kaige directed film Wu Ji, the American film The Painted Veil, as well as the music video Blossom by the band Tong Yang. Yu Jie has a longstanding interest in the education of art photography and visual art. His photography works mainly focus on modern females’ daily lives in China. His works have been repeatedly exhibited in China, France, and America, and permanently collected in the Poly International Auction.

The introduction of the Qingch photograph team: This team, established in 2012, uses the Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology (BIFT) as its talent base, is full of young and promising talents led by Yu Jie. The Qingch photograph team assists the BITF to produce visual teaching materials, it is also responsible for the arrangements of fashion education photograph exhibits.