P.147

China

Electronic music arrived even later in China and virtually did not exist before experiments with synthesizers at the Beijing Conservatory of Music in 1984. The Conservatory sponsored the first concert of electronic music by Chinese composers in the same year. Composers who were represented included Tan Dun, Zhu Shi-rui, and Zhou Long, and most of the music was produced using synthesizers and prerecorded sounds. This early work led to the establishment of several university programs and studios devoted to electronic music, the most important of which has been the Center of Electroacoustic Music of China at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, founded in 1993. Several of the key educators and composers associated with Chinese electronic music, including Yuanlin Chen (b. 1957) and Zhang Xiaofu (b. 1954), have studied abroad in the United States and Europe. Zhang is one of the best-known figures in Chinese electronic music. He did advanced studies in Paris during the early 1990s, learning the latest electronic music technology at the GRM studios founded by Schaeffer. As a result of his academic links, Zhang has succeeded in developing an active exchange program for composers living in China and Europe and has sponsored several international conferences for electronic music in Beijing. His works embrace elements of Asian and Western culture.

Mentioned about Tan Dun, Zhu Shi- rui, and Zhou Long; Yuanlin Chen and Zhang Xiaofu.