Guo Shuzhen Guo Shuzhen

Guo Shuzhen, soprano, is a well-known music educator. She graduated from the Central Conservatory of Music in 1952 and continued her study at Tchaikovsky Music Conservatory in Moscow with the Soviet People's Artist Y.Kadurskaya and graduated with the title of Excellent Singer in 1958. She won her first prize at an international vocal music competition in 1957. She was invited by the Stanislavaski and Danchinko Model Music Theatre and the L'vov Opera House in Ukraine to play Mimi in La Boheme and Tatiana in Eugene Onegin in 1958 separately. Her singing was acclaimed by the audience and praised as Pushkin and Tchaikovsky style leading lady by music critic Y.Gloscherwa.

Since 1960, Guo Shuzhen was very active on the stage. She gave recitals in Beijing, Tianjin, Wuhan, Hong Kong, Leningrad of former Soviet Union and L'vov. She also visited and gave performances in many countries including: Germany, U.S.A., Canada, Cuba, Columbia, Venezuela and Vienna, etc. The Central Opera House premiered "Eugene Onegin" in China in 1963. She joined the performance and received appraisal universally among the audiences. The China Record Corporation published a number of her repertoires including famous arias and songs by Mozart, Verdi, Puccini, Wagner, Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninov, Dvorak, Grieg, De Falla and art songs, arias from operas and folk songs of the Chinese composers, such as Huang Zi, Xian Singhai, Nie Er, Jiang Wenye and Qu Xixian, etc. All her recordings were highly praised by critics and audience. She received Gold Album Award at the First National Album Awards Appraisal in 1989. In 1997, The China Record Corporation published the "Treasure Version of Hundred Anthologies of Vocal Music Performed by Renowned Chinese Musicians", Guo Shuzhen's personal album is one of them. She worked with many orchestras including the National Symphony Orchestra of former Soviet Union, China Philharmonic Orchestra, the Orchestra of China National Opera House, etc.

There are many outstanding singers among her students. They made contributions on their different posts in the recent years; some of them have been recognized by the world audiences. Guo Shuzhen was awarded the best instructor prize for the art songs competition among the music conservatories all over the country in 1988. She also received the first prize of the National Education Achievements in 1997.

Guo Shuzhen is Professor of Vocal and Opera Department, Central Conservatory of Music, supervisor of graduate students, Director of teaching group of vocal singing, member of Academic Affairs Committee and Degree Evaluation Committee, member of judging panels in many important international vocal music competitions. She is also engaged in the China Conservatory of Music as supervisor of graduate students.