Lina Cao – Guzheng Virtuoso｜Music Director｜Educator

                         Chinese Music Specialist｜Improviser                      

Based in Toronto, Canada, Lina Cao is an internationally acclaimed guzheng virtuoso, celebrated for her outstanding contributions to traditional Chinese music and her innovative integration of Eastern and Western musical expressions. Beginning her guzheng studies at the age of five, she trained under renowned masters including Yanai Hua, Li Meng, Ren Jie, and Wang Wei, and earned degrees from the Nanjing University of the Arts and the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, where she specialized in guzheng performance and music aesthetics. 

Seamlessly merging tradition with modern expression, Lina has performed on prestigious stages worldwide, including the Musikverein and the National Library in Vienna, Carnegie Hall in New York City, Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto, and the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing, captivating audiences across continents. She has collaborated with leading ensembles such as the China Broadcasting Film Symphony Orchestra, Atalanta Youth Symphony Orchestra, Shanghai Chinese Orchestra, Jiangsu Chinese Orchestra, London Symphonia, Canadian Children’s Opera Company, Toronto Chinese Orchestra, Canadian Chinese Orchestra, New Music Concerts (Toronto), Canadian Arabic Orchestra, James Madison University Symphony Orchestra, Wisconsin Eau-Claire Chamber Orchestra, and Vienna Modern Symphony Orchestra. Lina has worked with renowned conductors including Chih-Sheng Chen, Pang JiaPang, Wang Aikang, Teri Dunn, Kira Omelchenko, and Matthew Poon, as well as distinguished composers such as He Zhanhao, Alice Ho, Sandeep Bhagwati, and Andrew Stainland, premiering critically acclaimed works that expand the expressive possibilities of the guzheng.

Her accolades include double gold prizes for solo and ensemble guzheng at the Singapore International Chinese Arts Festival (2008), China’s highest honors—the Golden Bell Award (2012) and the Wenhua Award (2008), the World Peace International Appreciation Award at the Sino-Japanese Friendship Concert, and a nomination for Outstanding Chamber Performance at the 40th Dora Mavor Moore Awards in Canada (2017). Her performances have been broadcast internationally by CBC Music (2020) and Chicago’s WFMT Radio Network (2014), and in 2024, she received funding from the Canada Council for the Arts.

As the founder and music director of the Toronto Guzheng Ensemble, Lina has been dedicated to advancing guzheng chamber music through contemporary interpretation and cross-cultural collaboration. She has led the ensemble in presenting innovative premieres across Canada, the United States, Austria, and Budapest, expanding the guzheng’s presence from solo performance to interdisciplinary and multicultural artistic spaces, and elevating the instrument’s global visibility.

A dedicated educator, Lina served as the first guzheng instructor at Wilfrid Laurier University and frequently lectures at institutions such as the University of Toronto, York University, Upper Canada College, James Madison University, and Wisconsin Eau-Claire. Using music as a bridge between cultures, Lina continues to infuse new vitality into guzheng artistry, solidifying its prominence on the global stage.