Chun-Hao Ku
Passionate in all music styles, Chun-Hao Ku had studied with French cellist François Poly on early music interpretation and instrumental arrangement. At the same time, Ku also performs new music and premieres commissioned works in many projects. In order to extend the field of artistic vision, Ku has participated in several theatrical projects since 2017. Ku has been appointed as saxophonist and executive producer of the Innovation Series in 2017 and 2018 which was directed by NTCH, Taiwan, as well as saxophonist and executive producer in 2019 of the Tainan International Art Festival. Ku is the only Taiwanese musician who has been invited to participate the SounDrama Studio workshop in 2019, Moscow, directed by Vladimir Pankov and Artyom Kim.
Borderless on saxophone playing, Ku often works with the National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra (NTSO) on saxophone orchestral repertoires, as well as a soloist or chamber musician on standard repertoire. Furthermore Ku always challenges the limit of finding more possibilities on this modern instrument, looking for the authentic qualities in interpreting all different music styles and languages of western and eastern cultures. From early to contemporary music, Ku is an experienced performer of genres ranging across chamber music, solo, electronics, and music theatre just to name a few.
An active participant in many international events, Ku has given recitals and conferences at the World Saxophone Congress (WSC), Singapore Saxophone Symposium, Académie internationale de saxophone Bretagne, and Sibelius Academy in cities such as Helsinki, Bangkok and Hong Kong.
Ku is the organiser of the i-Saxo international Saxfest and Artistic Director of Ensemble SonusGlaneur. As a saxophonist of the ISCM-TW, since 2022 Ku has been appointed as a ISCM-TW committee member.
Recital by Chun-Hao Ku
Friday, 30 May 2025, 7:30pm – 8pm
Lee Foundation Theatre
Chia-Lin Pan: Chaos V for saxophone and guzheng
Wei-Chieh Lin: Grido for solo tenor saxophone
Ching-Yu Hsiau: Sounds of Mountain II for saxophone and jeng
Chun-Hao Ku, Saxophones
Yen-Hsuan Wu, Guzheng
Lecture by Chun-Hao Ku and Yen-Hsuan Wu: 薩克斯風＆古箏的當代音樂語彙 Contemporary Musical Language of Saxophone & Gu-Zheng
Saturday, 31 May 2025, 10am – 11am
Multi-Purpose Hall (C3-04-02)
Yen-Hsuan Wu
“Resilience forged through the flowing strength beneath her fingertips.” — Central News Agency, Beijing
A contemporary guzheng artist originally from Taoyuan, Taiwan, Yen-Hsuan Wu holds both a Master’s and Bachelor’s degree in Traditional Chinese Music from the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing.
Actively performing on interdisciplinary stages, her playing style is at once innovative and steady, delicate and sincere. Her interpretations are full of dramatic tension and vivid imagery, skillfully balancing the traditional charm of guzheng music with inventive musical contexts. This unique approach has made her a favored collaborator among composers and cross-disciplinary artists alike.
In recent years, she has delved into electronic music. With her foundation as a traditional instrumentalist, her creations extend beyond intimate emotional expressions to explore aesthetics shaped by Eastern cultural identity and intercultural tension. Fascinated by the unstable, trembling textures that emerge between instrumental and electronic sounds, she experiments with blending the two to form an alternative, organic musical language.
She studied under Professor Zhou Wang, a renowned guzheng educator and performer, and a doctoral advisor at the Central Conservatory of Music. She is also the first Taiwanese disciple directly mentored by Professor Zhou. From 2003 to 2005, she garnered multiple first prizes and gold awards in national competitions. During her academic years, she consistently achieved top honors and received the First-Class Taiwan Student Scholarship for three consecutive years.
From 2014 to 2016, she was invited to perform as a guzheng soloist for ambassadors from 13 Eastern European countries and the Embassy of Japan. She was featured in Beijing’s “New Generation Artists” series and has been invited to give performances and lectures throughout Taiwan and China. Her performance journey has taken her across Taiwan, Beijing, Germany, Hong Kong, South Korea, Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Shanghai, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, Fujian, and Jiangsu.
She has performed at numerous international and domestic festivals, including the Taiwan World Music Festival (TWMF), Jeonju International Sori Festival (South Korea), Taipei Arts Festival, C-LAB Sound Arts Festival, Another Wave Festival, ISCM Taipei Modern Music Festival, Lancheng International Music Festival, Iron Rose Music Festival, Taipei Fringe Festival, Lacking Sound Festival, and Sea of Life Festival. Her performances span a wide range of genres—traditional, contemporary, pop, opera, and experimental electronic music.
As the guzheng performer of CUBE BAND, she participated in the 2021 Weiwuying Small Time series “City・Scenes” and the 2022 “3/4” Contemporary Composer Showcase at the National Concert Hall. That same year, CUBE BAND released their debut mini-album Midnight Tide with support from the Ministry of Culture’s Bureau of Audiovisual and Music Industry Development, followed by the “One Day・Moments” tour across northern, central, and southern Taiwan.
In 2024, CUBE BAND successfully held the Explore 2.0 contemporary composer showcase tour at both the National Theater & Concert Hall and Weiwuying Playhouse. That year, the group was also selected as a NEW TALENT ensemble by the Taiwan World Music Festival, receiving high acclaim for their performance.
She currently works as a music artist, guzheng performer with CUBE BAND, and writer for an online music platform.