Hao-Fu Zhang is a Chinese composer born in 1952 in Xi’An. He studied first violin and piano, then composition at the conservatory in his home town, from where he received an advanced degree in 1982. As well as serving as first violinist in the Shaanxi Regional Orchestra for four years, he was composer-in-residence with the Beijing Radio Orchestra from 1982 to 1987.

His works have received numerous prizes and been widely performed in China and Japan. From 1987 to 1992, he studied at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels with Jacqueline Fontyn, and at the Ecole Normale Supérieure de Musique in Paris with Yoshihisa Taira. He also attended masterclasses with Edison Denisov in Lucerne and Elliott Carter at the Centre Acanthes in Avignon. In 1990, he was awarded a first prize in the Fourth International Concert Band Composition Competition in the Hague. In the same year, his work for cello and orchestra was awarded first prize in the 13th International “Valentino Bucchi” Composition Prize in Rome.

His works, e.g., Le Crépuscule (1989-1990) for violin and orchestra, Le Cours du temps (1990) for concert band, String Quartet (1991-1993) and Yin-Yang (1992) for two pianos, have been performed at the Ars Musica Festival in Brussels, as well as in France and Switzerland. His music has been featured on Radio China, Radio France, and Radio 3 (RTBF-Belgium).

© Ircam-Centre Pompidou, 1997