Liu Qi-Chao (Dizi) was born in Shandong, China and is a graduate from the prestigious Shanghai Conservatory of Traditional and Western Music. He is a musician, composer, and teacher well versed in a variety of Chinese wind, string, and percussion instruments. His distinctive talent lies in his capability of fusing elements of Chinese folk and art music, contemporary classical music and jazz. With a dream of bringing the rich heritage of Chinese music to Western audiences, Mr. Liu has performed at concert halls worldwide. Mr. Liu has also collaborated on numerous works ranging from Maxine Hong Kingston's Woman Warrior to movies such as Lethal Weapon IV. He has collaborated with such diverse artists as David Murray, James Newton, Kronos Quartet, the Grateful Dead, as well as with orchestras worldwide. He has given lectures and demonstrations at Hull University in London, Yale, Harvard, Stanford, the University of Maryland, the University of California, Berkeley, and many other universities and colleges worldwide. While teaching recently at UCLA, he scored a modern adaptation of the Chinese classical novel Ah Q and The Peony Pavilion. Mr. Liu recently created Chi Music, a unique world music that strives to capture the united essence of the human spirit.