Chair of the Artistic Committee

Honorary President、Honorary Concertmaster — Yunzhi Liu 

Liu Yunzhi is the concertmaster of the China National Symphony Orchestra（CNSO）and a member of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference. He began his violin studies with his father at the age of four and first appeared on stage when he was only eight years old. Mr. Liu graduated from Jilin College of Arts with a literary degree with a focus on music. Noted for being an excellent student, he attracted the attention of the Central Philharmonic Orchestra. In 1985, he joined the Central Philharmonic Orchestra - the forerunner and original name of the China National Symphony Orchestra.
 
For more than ten years, Liu Yunzhi has been concertmaster and soloist of the China National Symphony Orchestra. He has been exceptionally active on stages both home and abroad. Besides his frequent tours in China, including Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan Province, he has also toured many countries and regions with the orchestra. His travels have taken him to the USA, the United Kingdom, Germany, Austria, Portugal, Spain, Japan, Mexico and Australia, where he gained much admiration and respect for his skills. He is well known for his performance of the violin concertos of Tchaikovsky, Mendelsson and other composers’ works. In Europe, his interpretation of Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto received enthusiastic ovations  from many audiences. Liu Yunzhi has given numerous impressive concerts with many music masters including Seiji Ozawa, Yehudi Menuhin, Charles Dutoit, Kurt Masur, Isaac Stern, Martha Argerich, Mutter and Krzysztof Penderecki. The masters all praised him as“one of the best concertmasters”they had ever heard.

Liu Yunzhi’s versatility includes being an outstanding chamber music player. The string quartet of the Central Philharmonic Orchestra, with Liu Yunzhi as the principal violinist, enjoyed an exalted reputation both in China and abroad. In 1990s, the quartet toured Europe to take part in many international music festivals and was highly commended by music circles.  In 2000, Liu Yunzhi pursued his advanced studies at Munich Conservatory under the guidance of the famous violinist Erno Sebestyen. He was complimented as “a violinist with brilliant understanding and skills, who would play an active and important role in any orchestra he joins.”

Great success of the China National Symphony Orchestra touring in the US 2006，Liu’s solo  performance in Rimsky-Korsakov’s“Scheherazade”was highly appreciated by the audience. A review by famous American conductor and musicologist Maurice Peress was as “…I was especially impressed by the aristocratto solo violin playing of the concerttnaster， Yun-Zhi Liu”．The American well-known music critic Bernard Holland quoted In 《New York Times》 as“..with equally first-rate solos from the orchestra’s concertmaster Yun-Zhi Liu．”