Tao Shi
Renowned Erhu Soloist and Music Educator
President, Asian-American Music Artist Alliance
Music Director, North America Chinese Youth Orchestra
Member, Chinese National Orchestra Association & Northern California Chinese Music Teachers Association
Shi began studying the erhu at the age of seven and was admitted at nine to the prestigious Nanjing Little Red Flower Art Troupe, where he studied under the celebrated erhu virtuoso Zhu Changyao. In 1984, he won First Prize at the Nanjing Youth Instrumental Music Competition. In 1986, he entered the Music Department of Nanjing Normal University, where he studied erhu performance and music education with renowned musicians and educators Shen Pangeng and Shen Zhenglu. Upon graduating in 1990, he joined the faculty of the Early Childhood Education College at Nanjing Normal University.
In 1996, Shi participated in the compilation of the Jiangsu Province primary and secondary school music textbooks, which were approved by the National Education Commission Textbook Review Committee, designated as National Level I teaching materials, and adopted nationwide. These textbooks have made a lasting contribution to music education in China.
After relocating to the San Francisco Bay Area in 1999, Shi has been actively engaged in both music education and performance, dedicating himself to the promotion of Chinese traditional music in North America. He has performed at major cultural institutions including the San Francisco Chinese Cultural Center, the Asian Art Museum, Old First Church, and St. Mary’s Cathedral, as well as on U.S. television networks Channels 26 and 32. In 2002, he served as Conductor and Associate Artistic Director of the Rong He Chorus. In 2004, he collaborated with the Pro-Art Symphony in a performance of the erhu concerto Farewell at the Wedding. In 2005, he led the Great Wall Children’s Chorus, the CACC Children’s Chorus, and young vocalist Tyler Thomson in a major concert production of The Same Song, presented by China Central Television (CCTV).
In 2009, Shi performed Bach’s Double Violin Concerto with the Oakland Symphony, and in 2013, he collaborated with the San Francisco Conservatory Symphony in a performance of Dancing on the Other Side of the World. On January 13, 2015, his instrumental demonstration class at Lincoln Elementary School in Oakland received high praise from Jane Chu, Chair of the National Endowment for the Arts.
On January 20, 2021, Shi was invited to perform the erhu masterwork Galloping War Horses with the San Francisco Symphony, becoming the second erhu soloist invited to perform with the orchestra in its nearly 50-year history. His performance was praised for its technical brilliance, emotional depth, and captivating expressiveness, earning widespread acclaim from both audiences and professionals.
In the media, Shi was featured in two in-depth interviews with Sing Tao Chinese Radio, broadcast on February 10, 2021, and February 16, 2022, in which he discussed erhu artistry, the development of Chinese traditional music in North America, and music education and cultural transmission.
In recent years, Shi has continued to expand his international artistic collaborations. In November 2025, he was personally invited by world-renowned composer Mason Bates to serve as a featured erhu soloist at a private concert held at the San Francisco Opera, hosted by NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang. Bates praised Shi’s performance, noting his deep musical insight, strong artistic tension, and outstanding overall artistry.
In the field of education, Shi has taught with the Oakland Great Wall Youth Chinese Orchestra since 2003 and serves as Principal Lecturer for the Purple Silk Music Education Foundation. He has taught at numerous institutions, including Lincoln Elementary School, Oakland School for the Arts, Edna Brewer Middle School, Westlake Middle School, Oakland City College, Gordon J. Lau Elementary School, and Alice Fong Yu Alternative School in San Francisco. Over the years, he has nurtured many outstanding young musicians and made sustained and significant contributions to the transmission and cross-cultural exchange of Chinese traditional music in North America.
Tao Shi is a renowned erhu soloist and music educator based in the San Francisco Bay Area. He is a member of the Chinese National Orchestra Association and the Northern California Chinese Music Teachers Association, and currently serves as President of the Asian-American Music Artists Alliance (AMAA) and Music Director of the North America Chinese Youth Orchestra (NACYO).
史涛，湾区著名的二胡演奏家和教育家，中国民族管弦乐协会会员，北加州中国音乐教师协会会员，现任美国亚裔音乐艺术家协会（AMAA）主席及北美青年中乐团（NACYO）音乐总监。
史涛七岁开始学习二胡，九岁考入著名的“南京小红花艺术团”，师从中国著名二胡演奏家朱昌耀先生。1984 年荣获南京市青少年器乐比赛第一名。1986 年考入南京师范大学音乐系，先后师从著名二胡演奏家、教育家沈蟠庚教授、沈正陆教授系统学习二胡演奏与音乐教育。1990 年毕业后留校，任教于南京师范大学学前教育学院。
1996 年，史涛参与编配江苏省中小学音乐教材，该教材经国家教委教材审定委员会审定通过，被列为全国一类教材，并纳入全国通用音乐教材书目，对中国基础音乐教育产生了积极而深远的影响。
1999 年移居美国旧金山湾区后，史涛长期致力于中国民族音乐在北美的教育推广与舞台演出实践，活跃于音乐教育与演出一线。他曾先后在旧金山中华文化中心、亚洲艺术博物馆、第一老教堂、圣玛丽大教堂等重要文化艺术机构，以及美国电视 26 台、32 台等媒体平台演出。2002 年起担任“融融合唱团”指挥兼副团长；2004 年与 Pro-Art Symphony 合作演出二胡协奏曲《新婚别》；2005 年带领“长城童声合唱团”“CACC 童声合唱团”及青年歌手 Tyler Thomson，参加由中央电视台主办的大型音乐晚会《同一首歌》。
2009 年，史涛与 Oakland Symphony 合作演出巴赫《双小提琴协奏曲》；2013 年与 San Francisco Conservatory Symphony 合作演出作品《跃动在世界的一侧》。2015 年 1 月 13 日，他在 Oakland 公立林肯小学举办的乐器公开课教学，获得美国国家艺术基金会（National Endowment for the Arts）主席 Jane Chu 女士的高度评价。
2021 年 1 月 20 日，史涛受邀与 San Francisco Symphony 合作演出二胡经典名曲《战马奔腾》，成为旧金山交响乐团近 50 年历史中第二位受邀担任二胡独奏的演奏家。其演奏技艺精湛，动人心弦，令人陶醉，深受观众与专业人士的高度赞誉。
在媒体方面，史涛曾于 2021 年 2 月 10 日及 2022 年 2 月 16 日两次接受《星岛中文电台》人物专访，就二胡艺术、中国民族音乐在北美的发展以及音乐教育与文化传承等话题进行深入交流。
近年来，史涛持续活跃于国际音乐合作领域。2025 年 11 月，他受世界级作曲家 Mason Bates 邀请，在旧金山歌剧院为 NVIDIA 首席执行官黄仁勋（Jensen Huang）举办的私人专场演出中担任特邀二胡演奏家。Mason Bates 对其演出给予高度评价，称其音乐理解深刻，艺术张力充沛，表现非常出色。
在教育领域，自 2003 年起，史涛长期任教于 Oakland 长城青年国乐团，并作为紫竹音乐教育基金会首席讲师，先后在 Oakland 林肯小学、Oakland 艺术中学、Edna Brewer 中学、Westlake 中学、Oakland 市立大学、San Francisco Gordon J. Lau 小学以及 Alice Fong Yu 中学等学校开展系统教学与音乐推广工作。多年来，他培养了大量优秀的青年音乐人才，为中国民族音乐在北美的传承与跨文化传播作出了持续而重要的贡献。
'Gallop of Warhorses' 戰馬奔騰
Tao Shi & San Francisco Symphony
Ming Luke, conductor