Yuan Sha

Guzheng

Yuan Sha is one of China’s leading contemporary guzheng performers and educators. A Changjiang (Yangtze River) Scholar, she serves as Professor and Doctoral Supervisor at the Central Conservatory of Music.

Yuan has appeared as a featured guzheng soloist at numerous major national and diplomatic events. Her performances include the opening ceremony of the China–Russia Years of Culture and the concert commemorating the 75th anniversary of China–Russia diplomatic relations in 2024; the opening gala of the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou; the symphonic concert celebrating the 101st anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China; The Great Journey, the large-scale epic production marking the Party’s centenary; the opening gala of the 7th Military World Games; and gala performances for the Forum on China–Africa Cooperation Summit and the 9th BRICS Summit. Through these appearances, she has represented Chinese musical traditions on prominent national and international stages.

A distinguished educator, Yuan has mentored students who have received 53 gold medals at major competitions, including two national competition titles, a first prize at an international guzheng competition, and 21 national-level awards. Yuan herself has received six national awards for teaching and mentorship and was recognized as a leading teacher by the Beijing municipal authorities in 2020.

Committed to international cultural and artistic exchange, Yuan has given lectures at Harvard University and Stanford University. Commissioned by China’s Ministry of Culture, she has also presented lectures and performances at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and The Juilliard School, with international activities spanning dozens of countries.

Yuan is also dedicated to expanding access to guzheng education. She is the author of Yuan Sha Guzheng Method, which has set a publishing record for guzheng teaching materials. A first-prize winner at multiple prestigious guzheng competitions in China and abroad, she is recognized for combining technical mastery with an artistic voice characterized by warmth and poetic depth. Her work continues to exert a significant influence on contemporary guzheng performance and education in China.

袁莎

古筝演奏家、教育家

袁莎，国家青年长江学者，中央音乐学院教授、博士生导师，中国当代杰出古筝演奏家、教育家。

作为当代中国古筝艺术的代表人物之一，袁莎多次受邀参加国家重大文化及外事活动并担任重要古筝独奏。她曾参加2024“中俄文化年”开幕式暨庆祝中俄建交75周年专场音乐会、第十九届杭州亚运会开幕式文艺晚会、庆祝中国共产党成立101周年交响音乐会、庆祝中国共产党成立100周年大型情景史诗《伟大征程》文艺演出、第七届世界军人运动会开幕式文艺晚会、中非合作论坛峰会文艺晚会、第九届金砖国家领导人会晤专场文艺晚会等重要活动，以古筝艺术展现中国民族音乐的深厚底蕴与当代表达。

在古筝专业教育与人才培养方面，袁莎同样成果卓著。其学生在国内外各类重要赛事中共获得53项金奖，其中包括两项国家级大赛冠军、世界级大赛冠军以及21项国家级大奖。袁莎本人曾获得6项国家级指导教师奖，并于2020年获评“北京市骨干教师”。

袁莎长期致力于中外人文艺术交流，曾赴美国哈佛大学、斯坦福大学讲学，并受文化部委派赴美国林肯艺术中心、麻省理工学院、茱莉亚音乐学院等重要文化及教育机构举办学术讲座与访问演出，艺术交流足迹遍及数十个国家，为中国古筝艺术的国际传播与交流作出了积极贡献。

除舞台演奏与专业教学外，袁莎也长期致力于古筝艺术的普及、推广与传承。她编著的《袁莎古筝教程》创下古筝教材出版纪录，为古筝教学与大众普及提供了重要的专业教材。

作为古筝领域多项国内外权威赛事的冠军获得者，袁莎以精湛深厚的艺术功底、敦厚而富有诗意的美学追求形成了鲜明的个人艺术风格。多年来，她在演奏、教学、人才培养及国际文化交流等领域持续深耕，对当代中国古筝艺术的发展与教育产生了广泛而深远的影响。