Gao Hong, pipa (Luoyang, China), has performed throughout Europe, Australia, Japan, Hong Kong, China, and the U.S. in solo concerts as well as with symphony orchestras, jazz ensembles, and world music ensembles. Gao has received numerous top awards and honors, including First Prize in the Hebei Professional Young Music Performers Competition and an International Art Cup in Beijing. In 2005 Gao Hong became the first classical musician to be awarded the prestigious Bush Artist Fellowship, and in 2012 she became the only musician in any genre to win four McKnight Artist Fellowships for Performing Musicians. As a composer, Gao has received commissions from the American Composers Forum, Walker Art Center, and the Jerome Foundation among others. Meet The Composer has awarded her two Creative Connections grants, two MetLife Creative Connections grants, and a Global Connections grant. Gao Hong is currently a Lecturer in Chinese Instruments at Carleton College where she also directs the Chinese Music Ensemble. She is a Guest Professor at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing and a member of the Board of Directors at the McNally Smith College of Music. Gao is featured on dozens of recordings in the U.S. and China as a pipa player, composer, and producer. Past Yellow Barn musician (2014)