Gongbo Jiang

Born in China, in the Heilongjiang province, Gongbo first picked up the violin at the age of five, initially taught by his father. At 12, he joined the Middle School of the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, where he studied under Professor Weidong Tong. In 2009, Gongbo moved to Glasgow to study at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (RCS) under the tutelage of Gina McCormack, Leland Chen, Peter Lissauer and Mieko Kanno. He graduated with a Bachelor of Music (Honours); a Master of Music (distinction) and a Master of Music in Chamber Music.

During his studies at Scotland’s National Conservatoire, Gongbo toured India in 2014 with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra where he performed a duet with Nicola Benedetti MBE. He also performed for members of the Royal Family, including His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales, patron of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. He led the RCS chamber ensemble which recorded Mahler’s Symphony No.4 under the baton of Peter Manning, which was released by Nimbus in December 2015.

Gongbo’s award wins include the Walcer Prize for solo violin in 2012 and 2013, the Hilda Bailey prize for violin in 2010, the audience prize at the 2010 Ian D Watt Award for string players and pianists, and he was a finalist in the Postacchini International Violin Competition in 2010. He led the Aurea String Quartet from 2009 to 2015 which won all possible chamber music prizes at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland between 2010 and 2011.

Aurea won joint first prize at the Cavatina Intercollegiate Quartet Competition in London in 2011 and were finalists in the first International Sándor Végh String Quartet Competition in Budapest in 2012, where they were awarded a special prize for their performance of Lajtha String Quartet No.7.

In 2014, Aurea won the St. Martin’s-in-the-Fields Chamber Music Competition in London, leading to numerous concert opportunities throughout the UK, and in the same year, were selected for the Enterprise Music Scotland Residency Project 2014-16. Aurea was St. John’s Smith Square Young Artists 2014-15, and resident quartet for the 2015 Wye Valley Chamber Festival.

Gongbo has received violin masterclasses from Ilya Gringolts, Robin Gallardo, Leland Chen, Kristóf Baráti, and Peter Manning. Chamber masterclasses have included Alban Berg Quartet, Quatuor Mosaïques, Brodsky Quartet, Carducci String Quartet, Wihan Quartet, Chilingirian Quartet and Johannes Meissl.

In 2016, Gongbo and his wife, violinist Wen Wang, established the London Bridge International Music Academy, an annual summer school, to bring together string students and teachers from China and the UK.