Ming Ke is an acclaimed pipa virtuoso, born in 1960 in Nanjing, China. Her artistic journey began at the age of nine, when she joined the Nanjing “Little Red Flower” Art Troupe, where she received comprehensive training in both music and dance. In 1977, she was admitted to the pipa program at the Nanjing Arts Institute and graduated with distinction in 1982. That same year, she was awarded the inaugural Liu Haishu Scholarship and invited to join the institute’s faculty. In 1985, Ke traveled to Japan with a delegation of Nanjing artists, collaborating with the Nagoya Symphony Orchestra to premiere “Suicide at Wujiang,” a symphonic narrative by composer Yang Liqing, conducted by Shi Zhongguang. Later that year, she performed the same work with the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Cao Peng and recorded and released the same piece with the Shanghai Division of China Record Corporation.
Ke has also made lasting contributions to music education. In 1989, she was honored with the prestigious “Gardener Award” as an Outstanding Instructor at the first ART Cup International Competition for Chinese Instruments. In 1991, she won First Prize in the pipa category at the inaugural Jiangsu Music and Dance Festival and gave her first public recital in Nanjing that same year. In 1992, Ke was invited to perform on Spain’s national television channel, TVE, and later gave a solo concert at the Ateneo de Madrid, one of the country’s premier concert halls. Since relocating to the United States in 1993, she has continued to champion traditional Chinese music through performance, education, and cross-cultural collaboration.
In the U.S., she has performed “The Little Sisters on the Pastureland” and “Farewell, My Concubine” with the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Jindong Cai. Her 1994 album Dragon Boat has been recognized by the city of Cincinatti and supported by a grant from the Fine Arts Fund (now ArtsWave). She has also appeared frequently with the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra in performances of “Dance of the Pipa,” conducted by Erich Kunzel and John Morris Russell. Her artistry was lauded by The Cincinnati Post, which described her as an “exceptional performer radiating elegance and brilliance.” Throughout her decades in the United States, Ke has served as a cultural ambassador, performing at concerts and events nationwide. In addition to the pipa, she plays several other traditional Chinese plucked string instruments—including the zhongruan, guzheng, and liuqin—enriching her performances and expanding audiences’ understanding of Chinese musical traditions.
In 2023, Ke was invited to perform the U.S. national anthem at an NBA game between the Chicago Bulls and the Los Angeles Clippers. In 2024, she revisited “Suicide at Wujiang” for a landmark performance in the U.S.—38 years after its original debut—this time conducted by Aik Khai Pung.
In recent years, Ke has embarked on innovative projects blending tradition with technology. She has collaborated with composer YiQun, who developed a pioneering “human-machine integration” approach that merges the pipa’s rich heritage with cutting-edge digital music techniques. This fusion not only preserves the cultural identity of the instrument but also breathes new life into classical works and expands the creative potential of digital music.
Ming Ke shares her performances and artistic explorations through her online platform, MingKeMusic.com, continuing to explore new possibilities with her music.
中国著名琵琶演奏家、教育家与文化使者，1960年生于南京。九岁时加入南京“小红花”艺术团，接受系统的音乐与舞蹈训练，开启其艺术人生。1977年考入南京艺术学院琵琶专业，1982年以优异成绩毕业，并荣获首届“刘海粟奖学金”，同年留校任教，正式开启其演奏与教学并进的艺术之路。
1985年，柯明随南京艺术家代表团访问日本，与名古屋交响乐团合作首演作曲家杨立青的交响叙事曲《乌江恨》（指挥：石中光）。同年，她再度携该曲与上海交响乐团合作，由著名指挥家曹鹏执棒，演出实况由中国唱片社上海分社录制并发行，成为她音乐生涯的重要里程碑。
在音乐教育领域，柯明同样成绩斐然。1989年，她在首届“ART杯”中国乐器国际比赛中荣获“园丁奖”优秀指导教师奖。1991年，她于首届江苏省音乐舞蹈节民族器乐比赛中荣获琵琶一等奖，并在南京举办首次个人独奏音乐会。次年，她受邀赴西班牙，在西班牙国家电视台（TVE）现场直播演出，并在马德里著名的雅典娜音乐厅（Ateneo de Madrid）举行个人音乐会，广受赞誉。
1993年起，柯明定居美国，持续致力于传播中国传统音乐，推动跨文化交流。她曾与辛辛那提室内乐团合作演出《草原小姐妹》《霸王卸甲》（指挥：蔡京东），并多次与辛辛那提交响乐团及辛辛那提流行乐团合作演出《琵琶舞曲》，由 Erich Kunzel 与 John Morris Russell 指挥。《辛辛那提邮报》盛赞她为“一位卓越的演奏家，散发着优雅与光彩”。
除了琵琶，柯明还擅长中阮、古筝、柳琴等多种中国传统弹拨乐器，丰富了她的舞台表现力，也拓展了观众对中国音乐的理解。她活跃于全美各地的重要文化活动和音乐会中，持续推动中美之间的文化交流与理解。
2023年，柯明受邀在 NBA 芝加哥公牛队对阵洛杉矶快船队的比赛开场演奏美国国歌，成为中美文化交流的重要象征之一。2024年，她在美国再次演出《乌江恨》，由指挥 Aik Khai Pung 执棒，距离首演整整 38 年，意义非凡。
近年来，柯明积极探索传统音乐与科技的融合。她与作曲家一群（YiQun）合作，采用“人机合一”的前沿理念，将琵琶与数字音效融合，赋予传统音乐全新生命力，拓展了中国传统器乐在数字艺术中的表现空间。
柯明通过其网站 MingKeMusic.com 及各大视频平台，持续分享她的音乐与创作，在传统与创新之间不断探索，推动中国音乐走向世界舞台。
