As one of the most active young suona players today, Wang Zhanzhan is a teacher of suona at the Tianjin Conservatory of Music, a guest solo performer
of the China National Traditional Orchestra, and a grantee of the China National Arts Fund. He is also a recipient of multiple awards, including the 7th Chinese Golden Bell Award for Music, the Best Performer Award at the 1st Chinese Musical Ensemble Showcase organized by the Ministry of Culture, and a Gold Award for young performers with wind and percussion specialism at the 3rd Beijing International Ethnic Instrumental Music Competition. He has also been selected for the 131 Innovative Talent Cultivation Project organised by Tianjin City.
Wang is the first suona player to give solo recital tours all over China. In June 2013, the folk music piece for suona, Da-Di-Jiao (‘dadi’ being another name for the suona) which was compiled, adapted and performed by him won the top award for performance at the Chinese Instrumental Music Folk Music Genre Competition. The work was also awarded a grant by the China National Arts Fund in 2017. Wang was suona soloist in the Chinese musical
spectacular, Impression: Chinese Music by the China National Traditional Orchestra in collaboration with the renowned producer-director, Wang Chaoge. He has twice been invited to perform as soloist and as public seminar speaker at the Stanford Pan-Asian Music Festival and at the touring concerts of the China and United States Trans-Pacific Forum, organized by the Ministry of Culture.
Wang first learned the art of suona from his maternal grandfather at the tender age of seven. He entered the Henan Province College of the Arts in 2002 under the teaching of Wu Xianjin, and graduated from the Central Conservatory of Music in 2010, under the teaching of renowned suona player and educationist Professor Shi Haibin. During his years of practice, he has received advice and coaching from many renowned veteran musicians including Zhou Dongchao, Fan Guozhong, Guo Yazhi, and Niu Jiandang. In 2011, Wang was suona soloist of the China National Traditional Orchestra, representing national arts groups on tour to the United States, Europe, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan. He has collaborated with numerous orchestras including the China National Traditional Orchestra, the China National Symphony Orchestra, the China Philharmonic Orchestra, the China NCPA Orchestra, the Busan Philharmonic Orchestra, the North Carolina International Orchestra and the China Broadcasting Chinese Orchestra
