Su Wen-cheng

Su Wen-cheng (Chinese: 蘇文慶born 1958, in Keelung, Taiwan) is a Taiwanese composer and conductor who specializes in playing traditional Chinese musical instruments such as sheng, suona, erhu, and more. He has served as the chairman of the Chinese Music Association, Taiwan R.O.C., conductor of the National Chinese Orchestra Taiwan, and associate professor at various universities such as Chinese Culture University, National Taiwan University of Arts, and National Taiwan College of Performing Arts.
==Life==
Su Wen-cheng developed an interest in music from a young age. He first learned to play the organ and was introduced to traditional Chinese music after joining the newly established Chinese music club of Keelung Municipal Anle Junior High School in the second grade. There, Su played traditional sheng, but since his teacher was only familiar with the bamboo flute, Su had to develop his skill through self-learning. In his third year of junior high school, Su also began studying piano and music theory with Lian Shin-tao. He was later admitted to National Taiwan Academy of Arts (now known as National Taiwan University of Arts).
During Su’s first two years at National Taiwan Academy of Arts, he studied the sheng under the tutelage of Wei Dao-mou, and when cross-strait exchanges were still limited, he developed a unique sheng technique by transforming a “Tongue-exhaling technique” (呼舌hushé) into a "vibrato" (腹顫音fúzhàn yīn). In his third year, he switched his major to erhu under the guidance of Tung Yung-shen, and later switched to suona. Su also played sheng for BCC (Broadcasting Corporation of China) Chinese Orchestra. In his fourth year, he played suona for the First Label Chinese Orchestra. 
After graduating from college, Su played saxophone in the ROC MND (Ministry of National Defense) Symphony Orchestra before switching to clarinet. He joined the Taipei Chinese Orchestra in 1979 as a sheng player and left in 1980 to join the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra as a suona player where he had chance to learn a lot of traditional Chinese music from China. In 1984, the Ministry of Education in Taiwan established the National Art Academy Experimental Chinese Orchestra (now the National Chinese Orchestra Taiwan), and Su was asked to assist with the orchestra's operation, leading to his first composition, Capriccio for sheng.
In 2007, Su, along with Chen Yu-kang, played a key role in the reestablishment of the ZhongHua Chinese Orchestra, and from 2009 to 2014, he served as the chairman of the Chinese Music Association, Taiwan R.O.C.
==Works==
Su is a prolific composer with a diverse range of works including religious music, contemporary music, stage plays, musicals, and large-scale dance dramas. His works such as the erhu concerto The Swallow, the liuqin concerto The Courtyard After the Rain, the musical the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl, the Chinese orchestra ensemble Capriccio Taiwan, The Legend of the Wind Lion God are frequently performed by Chinese orchestras. His compositions for Chinese music include solo pieces, chamber music for traditional Chinese instruments, concertos, and ensemble works. 
===Solo music===
Majority of the solo work is for sheng due to his early training on the instrument, Su also wrote several erhu solo pieces during his time at the National Academy of Arts. He also performs other instruments like dizi and xun. 
===Chamber music===
Su has a fondness for chamber music for traditional Chinese instruments, as demonstrated by his work Kavalan (2008). 
===Concerto===
Su’s concerti are mainly for suona and sheng. The better known compositions include the sheng concerto The Smiling Proud Wanderer (dedicated to the novelist Jin Yong) and the liuqin concerto A Cat’s Song Without Words. 
===Ensemble===
Su's Chinese orchestral works are divided into two categories: works commissioned by orchestras and those commissioned by religious organizations (mainly Buddhism and Taoism). His compositions during 1976-1987 were composed with different orchestration from present day; therefore, they were seldom performed nowadays. His compositions during 1988-1992 were mainly commissioned by religious organizations and are less known. Capriccio Taiwan (1997) was commissioned by Taiwan government and designated for competition repertoire. Capriccio Taiwan and The Legend of the Wind Lion God are two of his most popular compositions.
==Accolades==
* Ministry of Education Literature and Arts Awards in 1979 and 1981
* The Golden Tripod Awards in 1988 and 1989
* The Ten Outstanding Young Persons in 1990
Category:1958 births
Category:People from Keelung
Category:Taiwanese people
Category:Composers
Category:Conductors
Category:Professors