BIO

QiQi (pronounced Kay-Kay) is a Melbourne/Naarm-based Chinese-Australian guzheng artist, composer and multi-instrumentalist. Drawing on Chinese musical traditions, jazz improvisation and contemporary composition, they create performances full of curiosity, movement and surprise.

The guzheng is at the heart of QiQi’s work. In their hands, its strings can be delicate and spacious one moment, rhythmic and exhilarating the next. QiQi also performs on double bass, bringing an orchestral musician’s ear and an improviser’s instinct to music shaped by storytelling and connection with the audience.

QiQi’s original works include Elysian Blues, a playful meeting of guzheng and jazz, and Echoes of the Earth, an immersive performance in which live music, projection and audience choices trace a journey through the Earth’s changing environment. Their work moves between intimate concerts, collaborative performances and ambitious productions made for theatres, museums and festivals.

QiQi has performed at venues and festivals across Australia, including Melbourne Recital Centre, the National Gallery of Victoria, Hamer Hall, Melbourne Museum, Bunjil Place and Hawthorn Arts Centre.. Elysian Blues has received multiple Melbourne Fringe award nominations, while the first season of Echoes of the Earth at the Bowery Theatre marked an exciting step in QiQi’s work as a composer and creative producer.

Collaboration is central to QiQi’s practice. They have created and performed with artists across musical and cultural traditions, and regularly share their work through community celebrations and public programs. As a double bassist, QiQi has performed with the Australian Youth Orchestra and the Australian Romantic & Classical Orchestra. They are Co-Chair of the Australian Youth Orchestra Youth Advisory Council, where they help bring young artists’ perspectives into conversations about the future of music.

Whether sharing a solo guzheng performance or bringing a larger work to the stage, QiQi invites audiences to listen closely, take part and discover where the music might go.

© 2025 qiqimusic.com.au