Liu Dehai Liu Dehai

Liu Dehai (Chinese: 刘德海; pinyin: Liú Déhǎi) is a Chinese Pipa player. He was born in Shanghai on 13 August 1937. In 1954, he learned from Pipa player Lin Shicheng. In 1957, he entered the Central Conservatory of Music. Liu served as a teacher of it after he became graduate in 1962. In 1964 he transferred to China Conservatory of Music. After 1963, he has performed at many places in China and more than 30 other countries.

Liu inherited the traditional playing skills, developed new skills such as "manually roulade", and created new performance techniques like "double shake" and "three shake". Since 1977, he has cooperated with the Boston Symphony Orchestra many times under the baton of Seiji Ozawa, to render Little Sisters on the Grassland (Chinese: 《草原小姐妹》, pipa concerto), Music at Sunset Time (Chinese: 《夕阳萧鼓》, symphonic poem of pipa player and a symphony orchestra) and other music.

Liu trained many prominent pipa musicians who later brought pipa to the West, including Lingling Yu, Wu Man and Jie Ma.