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Meng Su

(She/Her)
Meng Su headshot while holding guitar

Contact

msu@sfcm.edu

Departments

Courses Taught

Applied Lessons

Ensembles

Beijing Guitar Duo (2009- )

Awards and Distinctions

Gold Medal, The Parkening International Guitar Competition, 2015

1st Prize, The Tokyo International Guitar Competition, 2005

1st Prize, Vienna International Youth Guitar Competition

Q&A

What is your hometown?

Qingdao, China

What are you passionate about outside of music?

Flying, Food

Who were your major teachers?

Manuel Barrueco and Chen Zhi

If you weren't a musician or teacher, what do you think you would be doing now?

I'd be a pilot.

If you could play only three composers for the rest of your life, who would they be?

Bach, Sor, and Piazzolla

What are your most important collaborations.

Performing the Chinese Premiere of Tan Dun's Guitar Concerto in Beijing with China Philharmonic Orchestra;
Touring in trio with Manuel Barrueco;
Performing with Al Di Meola

What recordings can we hear you on?

Meng (solo), Tonar Music, 2016;
China West (in trio with Barrueco), Tonar Music, 2014;
Bach to Tan Dun (Beijing Guitar Duo), Tonar Music, 2012;
Maracaípe (Beijing Guitar Duo), Tonar Music, 2009

What is your favorite recording?

Richter plays Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninov

What was the defining moment when you decided to pursue music as a career?

At age 14 when I won my first international competition in Vienna, I realized that I really enjoy performing for crowds and having great food afterwards.

What was a turning point in your career?

Winning the Parkening Competition, which kicked off my solo career.

What is your daily practice routine?

1 hour on warm-up, exercises, sight-reading, 2 hours on repertoire.

From a music history perspective, what year and city are most important to you?

1685, the year Bach was born, as well as Domenico Scarlatti.

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Biography

Meng Su has earned widespread acclaim as a soloist and as a founding member of the Beijing Guitar Duo, with which she appears as soloist with orchestras and in recital. Su has won numerous competitions, including the 2015 Parkening International Guitar Competition.

Multifaceted guitarist Meng Su is captivating audiences around the world with her stunning virtuosity and refined artistry. New York Concert Review called her performance “seemingly effortless and stunningly polished…. Add to that a beautiful – and fashionable! – stage presence, and she is poised to be in high demand” while Classical Guitar Magazine wrote that “she has already reached the status of a seasoned artist.”

Meng Su’s performances and recordings have impressed the public with “an ability and artistry that exceeds her years.” (Baltimore Sun) Her debut duo CD “Maracaípe” received a Latin Grammy nomination for the titled piece, which was dedicated to the Duo by renowned guitarist/composer Sergio Assad. Their second CD, “Bach to Tan Dun,” a "must-listen" according to composer Tan Dun, has been widely noted for the world-premiere recording of his “Eight Memories in Watercolor.” A recording in trio, “China West,” with Maestro Barrueco was released in May 2014 to critical acclaim. Meng Su’s debut solo recording “Meng,” released in 2016 was called “awe-inspiring” and “this year’s finest debut by far” by Classical Guitar Magazine.

Born in Qingdao, China, Meng Su began studying the guitar at the age of 5 and showed her talents from an early age at the Central Conservatory in Beijing. Meng Su has won first-prize in numerous important international competitions in Europe, Asia and America, the last one being in the prestigious Parkening International Guitar competition in 2015. She obtained a Master’s Degree and an Artist Diploma with legendary guitarist Manuel Barrueco at the Peabody Conservatory of the Johns Hopkins University.