Accordion
Junhao Mao
Accordionist
Junhao Mao is a rising Chinese accordionist and a doctoral candidate at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, where he studies under the renowned accordionist and educator Professor Xiaoqing Cao. He is the First Prize winner of the Performer Category at the prestigious Klingenthal International Accordion Competition in Germany and has received numerous honors including the China National Arts Fund Award, the “BOB” Outstanding Talents Program by the Ministry of Education, the inaugural Hanergy Arts Talents Fund, the Baosteel Excellence Scholarship, and the “Special Contributor” title from the Guangdong Arts Festival.
Junhao has performed both solo and concerto repertoire in renowned venues such as the Berlin Philharmonie, the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) in Beijing, the Opera Hall of the Central Conservatory of Music, Beijing Concert Hall, Shanghai Symphony Orchestra Hall, Guangzhou Opera House, and Shenzhen Concert Hall. As a soloist, he has collaborated with distinguished conductors including Feng Yu, Guoyong Zhang, Xincao Li, Lin Chen, Yi Zhang, Daye Lin, Renchang Fu, Ju Liu, Qiyuan Zhu, Ming Liu, Ji Yu, Lu Zhang, and Musen Lin. He has appeared with major orchestras such as the China National Symphony Orchestra, Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra, Xiamen Philharmonic, Qingdao Symphony Orchestra, Ningbo Symphony Orchestra, Harbin Symphony Orchestra, the Central Conservatory Orchestra, and the Vogtland Philharmonie of Germany.
Review
“An artist with impeccable technique and expressive depth, capable of mastering any repertoire.”
Ukrainian conductor and composer Volodymyr Runchak
His acclaimed performance as bayan soloist in the large-scale orchestral suite My Motherland earned numerous accolades, including selection by China’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism for its 2018–2019 “Symphony of the Times” national support program, inclusion in the “Centennial Celebration of the Chinese Communist Party” Stage Art Masterpieces Project, and First Prize at the 14th Guangdong Arts Festival.
Recognized as one of the most accomplished young accordionists in China, Junhao Mao has won over 20 major international and national competitions. In May 2017, he secured First Prize in the Performer Category at the Klingenthal International Accordion Competition with near-perfect scores, praised for his technical mastery and artistic expressiveness. Competitions such as Klingenthal, Castelfidardo (Italy), and the World Accordion Championships are among the highest-level events endorsed by China’s Ministry of Culture, from which Mao has received multiple official commendations.
Ukrainian conductor and composer Volodymyr Runchak has lauded him as “an artist with impeccable technique and expressive depth, capable of mastering any repertoire.” Junhao entered the Central Conservatory of Music Middle School in 2010 as the top-ranked applicant and continued through undergraduate and postgraduate studies. In 2015, he began a secondary concentration in composition, studying with Professors Hang Zou, He Zhu, and Weiya Hao.
In addition to performing, Junhao Mao is a dedicated composer. His works include the accordion concerto Gesang (selected as an outstanding undergraduate composition in 2020), the children’s suite The Songs of the Four Seasons (First Prize, “Futian Cup” International Accordion Composition Competition), and the bayan duet suite Poetry of Speed (First Prize, National Accordion Composition Competition). He has published articles in top academic journals such as Music Creation, a leading musicological publication in China.
Junhao Mao has released two solo albums, The Songs of the Four Seasons and Beijing Colors, showcasing his virtuosic command of the instrument and his unique musical voice.
