Lina Cao, an extraordinary guzheng virtuoso, is dedicated to advancing innovation in Chinese guzheng performance and promoting the integration of Eastern and Western musical traditions.
Lina began studying the guzheng at the age of five, demonstrating remarkable musical talent and dedication from a young age. At six, she was invited to perform at the Nanjing Normal University Department of Music. With the unwavering support of her parents, Lina received professional training in guzheng performance, as well as ear training and music theory, covering both Chinese and Western traditions. In 2003, she was admitted to the Affiliated Middle School of Nanjjing University of the Arts for guzheng performance and was recognized as an "Outstanding Student" by the Music Faculty of NUA in 2008, gaining early admission to their undergraduate program. She later attended the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, earning her master's degree in guzheng performance in 2016, under the tutelage of renowned guzheng masters Wang Wei, Ren Jie, Yanai Hua and Li Meng.
Lina has held numerous critically acclaimed guzheng solo and chamber music concerts across China and has premiered a significant number of guzheng solo, ensemble, and chamber works. Her performance style is diverse, extending beyond traditional Chinese music to include collaborations with jazz bands, pop music, film scores, and game music. Lina has been invited to conduct artistic exchanges in Asia, North America, and Europe. In 2010, she performed at the closing ceremony of the Fifth China-Europe Business Summit, and in 2011, she received the "World Peace International Appreciation Award" at the Sino-Japanese Friendship Concert. At the Fifth Chinese International Arts Festival in Singapore in 2012, she won top prizes for both guzheng solo and ensemble performances. In 2015, her performance of the guzheng concerto "Qinhuai Caprice" with the Jiangsu Provincial Chinese Orchestra received high acclaim and was broadcast in its entirety by the Chicago-based WFMT Radio Network. As the principal of the Moyu Guzheng Chamber Ensemble, Lina led the group to become the first guzheng ensemble in China to win both the "Golden Bell Award" and the "Wenhua Award," the highest honors in Chinese music. In 2020, the ensemble released its debut album under Beijing Universal Audio Publishing.
In 2017, Lina Cao moved to Canada, where she has been invited to collaborate with numerous prestigious groups and festivals, including the China Broadcasting Film Symphony Orchestra (Beijing), the Canadian Children's Opera Company, the Toronto Chinese Orchestra, Canadian Chinese Orchestra, New Music Concerts, the Canada West-East Symphony Orchestra, the Aga Khan Museum, the Royal Ontario Museum, the Vancouver Sound of Dragon Music Festival, PhoneNX Ensemble, the Canadian Arabic Orchestra, and the Quebec World Traditional Music Festival. In 2019, her performance in Alice Ho's children's opera "The Monkiest King" earned a nomination for the "Outstanding Chamber Performance" award at the 40th Dora Awards in Canada. The opera was recorded and released on CD by the Canadian Children's Opera Company in 2020. In 2024, Lina, together with renowned Canadian composer Andrew Staniland, co-created the multi-scales guzheng and electronic music piece "Wu Xia - Ice and Fire," which world premiered in Toronto with the support of New Music Concerts to great acclaim. Since 2018, Lina has founded and served as the music director of the Toronto Guzheng Ensemble. Under her leadership, the ensemble has premiered numerous highly professional guzheng ensemble works at prestigious venues such as Carnegie Hall in New York, Isabel Bader Theatre at the University of Toronto, Wilfrid Laurier University, Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts, WOW TV, and the Mississauga World Music Festival. The ensemble has consistently won platinum awards at the Toronto Kiwanis Music Festival and first prizes at the Ontario Music Festival Association competitions.
As an educator, Lina is the first guzheng instructor at the Faculty of Music, Wilfrid Laurier University. She has also been invited to give lectures at the University of Toronto, York University's Faculty of Music, Upper Canada College, Toronto French School, and various libraries in Toronto, actively promoting Chinese ethnic music culture. Lina Cao has become a highly regarded guzheng artist on the Canadian music scene.
