Lan Shui (

Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of va ...

: 水蓝, born 1957) is a Chinese-American conductor. He was the Music Director of the

Singapore Symphony Orchestra The Singapore Symphony Orchestra (SSO) is a symphony orchestra based in Singapore. Its principal concert venue is the Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay. The orchestra also gives concerts at the Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall, and performs about ...

from 1997 to 2019. He has retired as Music Director on 26 January 2019, and was given the title of Conductor Laureate by chairman of the SSO Mr Goh Yew Lin. Born in Hangzhou, China, Shui is the son of a doctor and a banker. He began his musical studies on violin, but the

Cultural Revolution The Cultural Revolution, formally known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a sociopolitical movement in the People's Republic of China (PRC) launched by Mao Zedong in 1966, and lasting until his death in 1976. Its stated goal ...

interrupted his violin studies, and a subsequent football injury ended his dreams of becoming a violinist. At the

Central Conservatory of Music The Central Conservatory of Music () is a prestigious leading public music school of China and a member of Double First Class University Plan and former Project 211. Its campus is in the Xicheng District of Beijing, China, near Fuxingmen Statio ...

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

, he focused on conducting and composition, and worked regularly with the Beijing Symphony Orchestra. He continued his musical studies in the US at Boston University and Tanglewood, where his instructors included Michael Charry, David Hoose, and classes at Tanglewood with Leonard Bernstein. He served as an assistant conductor with the

Baltimore Symphony Orchestra The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra is an American symphony orchestra based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Baltimore SO has its principal residence at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, where it performs more than 130 concerts a year. In 2005, it bega ...

, and associate conductor with the

Detroit Symphony Orchestra The Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) is an American orchestra based in Detroit, Michigan. Its primary performance venue is Orchestra Hall at the Max M. Fisher Music Center in Detroit's Midtown neighborhood. Jader Bignamini is the current music d ...

. Choo Hoey invited Shui to the

(SSO) in 1993. Shui succeeded Hoey as music director in 1997. His work in contemporary music has included leading the world premiere of Bernard Tan's Violin Concerto in January 2006, with the orchestra's leader

Lynnette Seah Lynnette Seah Mei Tsing () is a Singaporean violinist serving as co-leader of the Singapore Symphony Orchestra (SSO). She received the Cultural Medallion for Music in 2006. Early life Seah began her formal music training on the piano with her ...

as soloist. With the SSO, Lan Shui has made commercial recordings for the BIS label. He is scheduled to conclude his music directorship of the SSO in January 2019. From 2007 to 2015, he was chief conductor of the

Copenhagen Philharmonic The Copenhagen Philharmonic Orchestra (Danish language, Danish: Sjællands Symfoniorkester), also known as the Tivoli Symphony Orchestra, is a Danish symphony orchestra which both serves as Danish Regional Symphony Orchestra, Danish Regional Orchest ...

. He was formerly principal guest conductor of the Aalborg Symphony Orchestra. Lan Shui was appointed CONDUCTOR LAUREATE of the Singapore Symphony Orchestra in 2019. Shui is the recipient of several international awards, including the

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with its original campu ...

's Distinguished Alumni Award. He also received the

Cultural Medallion The Cultural Medallion is a cultural award in Singapore conferred to those who have achieved artistic excellence in dance, theatre, literature, music, photography, art and film. It is widely recognized as Singapore's pinnacle arts award. Histor ...

in 2009 in recognition of his work for the Singapore Symphony Orchestra. He also appears semi-regularly with the

National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra The National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra (NTSO; ), founded in 1945, is the oldest symphony orchestra in Taiwan. It is based in Wufeng, Taichung. Conductors Principle Guest Conductor * Lan Shui (首席客席指揮:水藍), 2019-present Past ...

(NTSO) . Shui has been married twice. He has a son from his first marriage, and a son from his second marriage.

References

External links

Harrison Parrott agency biography of Lan Shui
Living people 1957 births Chinese conductors (music) Musicians from Hangzhou Chinese emigrants to the United States Boston University alumni Prize-winners of the International Besançon Competition for Young Conductors Recipients of the Cultural Medallion 21st-century conductors (music) {{classical-musician-stub