Fan Tao

Mr. Tao Fan holds the rank of National First Class Conductor in the People’s Republic of China. He studied conducting and composition under the famous conductor and pedagogue, Mr. XiaoTong Huang, at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, winning several awards and scholarships. After graduating at the top of his class in 1995, Mr. Fan was appointed Resident Conductor of the National Broadcasting and Film Symphony Orchestra. He has conducted a wide range of groups, including the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, the Finnish National Broadcasting Orchestra, the Avanti Chamber Orchestra of Finland, the Sibelius Academy Symphony Orchestra, the Oberlin Symphony Orchestra in the U.S., and all leading orchestras in China. He has also collaborated with a number of outstanding international musicians and choirs.

Mr. Fan is characterized as a precise and passionate conductor with flawless technique. In May 2000, he was selected to compete in the 2nd International Sibelius Conducting Competition in Finland, and was awarded a special prize by the jury. Leading music professionals at the competition commented that “Mr. Fan’s ability to control the orchestra is superb, and he is an outstanding professional conductor.” The world- renowned conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen, Chairman of the jury, was extremely impressed by Mr. Fan’s interpretation of Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring. The Sibelius Estate awarded him a grant to continue his studies with Mr. Salonen. Mr. Fan’s subsequent performances at the annual Finnish Summer Music Festival were broadcast on national television and he received critical acclaim.

In 2001, Mr. Fan received a full scholarship to study with the famed pedagogue, Philip Spurgeon, at the Florida State University. During this time, Mr. Fan assumed the position of Artistic Director of FSU Chamber Orchestra, and of Assistant Conductor of the Symphony Orchestra and Philharmonic Orchestra of FSU. In 2003, Mr. Fan premiered modern works by famous contemporary composers of the U.S. at the 11th Florida Contemporary Music Festival. In the same year, his New York Carnegie Hall debut, featuring contemporary music, was critically acclaimed by the media.

In 2006, Mr. Fan was invited by China’s Ministry of Culture to conduct an orchestra drawn from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations at the opening of the ASEAN conference in Cambodia. In 2007, he was also on the final jury for the 13th Oberlin International Piano Competition. In addition to busy concert schedules, Mr. Fan has composed and conducted music for numerous soundtracks for films and television shows in China. As well as recording his own music, Mr. Fan has made many CDs that have been well received by the public. In 2007, his recordings brought him the title, "The most outstanding conductor of the year."