Bright SHENG

Prof. Bright SHENG, a celebrated composer, conductor, and pianist, is the Leonard Bernstein Distinguished University Professor of Composition at the University of Michigan and a Visiting Professor at HKUST Institute for Advanced Study since 2010. His work bridges cross-cultural music, focusing on chamber music, orchestral composition, and contemporary classical music. He has collaborated with renowned ensembles like the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Hong Kong Philharmonic, and his compositions have been performed at prestigious venues worldwide.

• Doctor of Humanities (honoris causa), Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (2013)
• MA and DMA in composition/conducting from Queens College and Columbia University
• Undergraduate degree from Shanghai Conservatory of Music

Prof. Sheng’s accolades include a MacArthur Fellowship (“Genius Award”) and grants from the Guggenheim, Rockefeller, and Copland Foundations. He has served as Artistic Director of The Intimacy of Creativity (HKUST), a festival fostering collaboration between emerging composers and performers. His commission for President Clinton’s State Dinner at the White House (1999) highlights his international recognition.