2015 - 2016 A medalist of the French Order of Arts and Letters (Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres, Knights of the Order of France in Arts and Letters also referred as the Medal of the Knights). He is the world's first Chinese national folk musician’s recipient, and the first Chinese erhu performer to win the award. Member of the French Artist Composers Association, UNESCO invited artist. Guo Gan had won the first outstanding Chinese artist award for civilization and dialogue, honorary director of the Chinese National Orchestra Association. He is also the first Chinese erhu performer won the 20th World Outstanding Chinese Artist Award.

 

Guo Gan started learning erhu in early childhood from his father Guo Jun Ming, also a renowned erhu master, music educator, vice president of Erhu Institute of Chinese Musicians Association, director of Chinese folk music department of Shenyang Conservatory of Music. Master Guo Gan is a profound musician with comprehensive Erhu techniques and multi-talented. Graduated from 1991 with a bachelor degree in music (Erhu), from Shenyang Conservatory of Music, Guo Gan also specialized in percussion from Professor Lu Shanqing. He has also founded a few contemporary popular bands; the most well- known one would be GYQ Jazz Band.

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In 2001, Guo Gan studied in France and obtained his Master’s degree from the National Music School of Fresnes in Paris. During this period, he founded his first Chinese Jazz band – Dragon Jazz in Paris and won the second place at the European Chinese musician competition in Belgium in December 2002.

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Through Chinese traditional erhu music, Guo Gan has worked with many musicians, artists, orchestras across the world and traveled more than 80 countries. He had played over 5000 concerts, recorded and published more than 60 albums. He has performed in many movies, such as [[KungFu Panda 3]], [[Shaolin]],  [[L’Idole]], more than 40 Chinese and Western movie music. Master Guo Gan had also performed in world class concert hall such as New York Carnegie Hall, New York Lincoln center concert hall, Chicago Symphony Center, California The Orange County performing Arts Center, Geneva Victoria Hall, Paris Cite de la Musique, Paris Palais des Congres, Poland Wroclaw Philharmonic Concert hall, Japan Tokyo Theater, Tokyo Suntory Concert Hall, Brazil Rio Samba Theatre, Mexico city Plaza theatre, and many more Chinese theatre, concert hall, over 100 Chinese venues performance etc. 

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Guo Gan has played with many of the world famous musicians such as Lang Lang, Yvan Cassar, Didier Lockwood, Gabrel Yared, Hans Zimmer, Jean Francois Zygel, Nguyen Le and many others. His performance with Lang Lang in Europe and the United States have not only been highly recognized and praised by the media, but also gained popularity among music lovers around the world. In 2005, he worked with the famous French conductor Yvan Cassar, with the French Paris Opera Symphony Orchestra in Paris, at the largest theater Palais des Congre symphony "Chinese ink" dozens of games. His collaboration with the French master of the violin, Master Didier Lockwood has triggered the French audiences’ love of the Chinese erhu. Guo Gan has performed numerous times with different orchestral across the world, such as The National Symphony Orchestra of the New York Symphony Orchestra, the French Paris Opera Symphony Orchestra, the French Paris Massy Symphony Orchestra, the Czech National Symphony Orchestra and the Polish Symphony Orchestra, the French Nice Symphony Orchestra, many different Chinese Symphony Orchestra, performing concerts with large audiences.

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His music involved in different genres, such as world music, classical music, jazz, ballet, opera, modern music, film music and, pop music. He has been highly recognized by the media, Steve Smith, editor of the New York Times Arts Page wrote, 'Mr. Guo, a magnificent performer, shaped melodies with the expressive contours of vocal lines in Hua Yanjun's "Moon reflected on the Er-Quan Spring" and provided flourishes that might give a violinist pause during Huang Gai Huai's "Horse Racing".' Mark Swed, a music critic for the Los Angles Times, also gave high regard to Guo Gan's performance with Lang Lang: 'Guo was a wonder, his Erhu sweetly filling the air with an astonishing sweet and sumptuous sonic perfume, which Lang accompanied with exquisite sensitivity.' Guo Gan has many compliments from different oversea media, being the “The world’s most active erhu artist who promotes Chinese culture.” Mexico and Brazil and other mainstream media in South America called Guo Gan, "He is the cultural bridge himself." Japan's Economic News, "The two strings master who played the main theme of Sino-Japanese exchange.”