ZHOU Dongchao is a national first-class actor, well-known suona performer and composer, Principal Suona in the wind section of the China Broadcast National Orchestra, Vice Chairman of Suona Professional Committee of Chinese Nationalities Orchestra Society, Vice Chairman of National Wind Music Research Association of Chinese Musicians Association, Visiting Professor at Singapore Raffles Music College and a topnotch musical talent appraised by the Publicity Department of the CPC. He enjoys government subsidies from the State Council.
He learned to play the suona from his father at a young age and joined the China Broadcast National Orchestra in 1975. He is a skilled and superb artist with a touching style. The sound of his playing is pure and sweet. His composition has a distinguishing local style, which reflects the artistic appeal of suona. The repertoire of his suona solo, various radio and TV station specials and column programmes has more than 100 pieces.
He has recorded and published China Golden Suona, ZHOU Dongchao: All Around China, Chinese Suona Golden Melody, Golden Suona Pop Tune, The Boundless Plain, Golden Suona: All Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix and other albums.
His works include Loess Love, The Boundless Plain, Yanhe’s Spring, Hebei Bangzi, Yu Tune, Nostalgia, etc. They have been used as key teaching repertoires by many conservatories such as the Central Conservatory of Music, China Conservatory of Music, Shanghai Conservatory of Music, etc. They have become paradigms in the contemporary innovation and development of suona art. The work Loess Love was awarded the Excellent Program Award by the China National Radio, and won First Prize for both works and performance in the Third China National Instrumental Music Competition.
On November 3rd, 2016, the ZHOU Dongchao Suona Works Concert was held at the Beijing Concert Hall, covering solo pieces including Xiang River Love, Love Yangge, Yuxiang Spring Scenery, Yanzhao Love, Northwest Narrative; concerto including Remote Call; Chinese orchestral music including Joyful Song of the Earth and Imagination in Five Colours, which were premiered in China. The live concert DVD and The Chinese Story·Suona Love-ZHOU Dongchao Suona Collection were also released simultaneously.
In 2017, he won the title, "Outstanding Traditional Music Performer" at The Sixth Xinyi Cup Chinese Music Forum.
In December 2018, Joyful Song of the Earth won Silver Award of "The Sixth Traditional Orchestral Music (Youth Theme) New Works".
As a performer, he has visited more than 50 countries and regions in Europe, America, Asia, and Africa, as well as Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan of China. He has also cooperated with many well-known orchestras such as China National Traditional Orchestra, Singapore Chinese Orchestra, Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, National Chinese Orchestra Taiwan and The Macao Chinese Orchestra. He has solo performances in world-renowned art halls such as the Konzerthaus Berlin, the Lincoln Centre for the Performing arts, the John F. Kennedy Centre for the Performing Arts, Musikverein, and Sydney Opera House.
