Director of China National Traditional Orchestra, principal pipa soloist, a musician of state honor, National Art Fund sponsored young composer, and a well-respected figure in the international classical music world. She is committed to promoting Chinese traditional music and has dedicated herself to the promotion of pipa art for many years in the world. Inheriting tradition and daring to innovate, she has created one after another of the first and the only, becoming an outstanding representative of Chinese musicians. She is the standing committee member and director of cultural and artistic sector of the 13th All China Youth Federation, a member of the Central Committee of the National Youth Federation, an advisor for the Art Troupe of Peking University, the first artistic visiting scholar at Stanford University, and an invited artistic visiting scholar at Cambridge University. She has been certified as an “International World Music Master” in the United States. She has served as a judge for many competitions, such as the National Art Fund, CCTV National Music Competition, and International Chinese Instrument Competition. She is among the key musicians supported by the National Art Fund. She is also a specially appointed artist for China Day at Harvard University, a distinguished professor at Fudan University in Shanghai, and was awarded the State Council’s special allowance as an expert. She is a “Cultural Celebrity” and a leader in the “Four Batches” program of talents and outstanding academic leader selected by the Publicity Department of the Chinese Communist Party. She graduated from the Central Conservatory of Music in 2000, and studied art management in a senior specialized talent training program at Peking University in 2015.
Zhao Cong has visited more than 50 countries and regions, and her music has been enjoyed by over 40 foreign state leaders. She has released several solo albums, including Carmen, Listen to China, Classic Eternity, and New Language of Pipe, and composed the pipa concerto Silk Road Flying, the pipa concerto Heaven and Earth Eternal Happiness, and the pipa suite Music Resounding in the East. In 2016, at the Memories of Hangzhou concert during the G20 Summit in China, and at other important national events, such as the 2017 “Belt and Road” International Summit, she has represented Chinese music and showcased the charm of Chinese music to the heads of state from various countries. In 2019, she participated in the 70th anniversary concert of China-Russia diplomatic relations attended by the heads of state of both countries in Moscow. The Guardian commented, “Zhao Cong’s perfect performance has filled Chinese folk music with hope”.