BIO

QiQi is a Chinese-Australian composer, multi-instrumentalist and creative producer known for transforming the guzheng into something thrillingly unexpected.

Performing on both guzheng and double bass, QiQi blends Chinese musical traditions with jazz improvisation, cinematic composition and immersive live performance to create works that are visceral, atmospheric and impossible to neatly categorise. One moment intimate and hypnotic, the next explosive, groove-driven and wildly playful, QiQi’s performances invite audiences into richly layered musical worlds shaped by spontaneity, storytelling and connection.

Based in Melbourne/Naarm, QiQi has presented performances and original works at leading cultural venues and festivals including Melbourne Recital Centre, the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne Museum, Immigration Museum, Bunjil Place, Kew Court House and the Museum of Chinese Australian History, alongside major festival and community presentations across metropolitan and regional Australia.

At the centre of QiQi’s practice are two signature performance works: Elysian Blues and Echoes of the Earth.

Elysian Blues reimagines the guzheng through jazz harmony, improvisation and groove-heavy contemporary composition — a vibrant, high-energy performance filled with musical risk-taking, spontaneous interplay and unexpected turns. Following sold-out performances and multiple Melbourne Fringe award nominations, the work continues to evolve through festival and contemporary arts presentations.

Echoes of the Earth expands QiQi’s practice into large-scale immersive performance, combining live music, projection, percussion and audience interaction in a powerful multisensory journey exploring climate anxiety, environmental change and collective responsibility.

A passionate collaborator, QiQi has worked with Māori, Greek, Somali, Thai, Ukrainian, Chilean and Chinese artists across performances, festivals and original productions throughout Victoria. Alongside major arts presentations, QiQi also contributes extensively to cultural and community life through museum programs, regional festivals and public performances supporting community and wellbeing initiatives across Victoria.

Alongside their contemporary creative practice, QiQi is also an accomplished orchestral musician and double bassist, with performance experience including the Australian Youth Orchestra and the Australian Romantic & Classical Orchestra. QiQi currently serves as Co-Chair of the Australian Youth Orchestra Youth Advisory Council, contributing to national conversations around artistic leadership, accessibility and the future of Australia’s music sector.

Whether performing in concert halls, museums, festivals or unconventional performance spaces, QiQi creates experiences that linger long after the final note — bold, transportive and deeply alive.

© 2025 qiqimusic.com.au