Artistic Director

Born in Beijing with a Sichuan origin, Lee learned the Erhu from his mother when he was 5. At the age of 16, he went to a farm located in the border between Russia and China, working in a Peking Opera troupe as a composer, conductor, and Pipa player. In 1973, Lee studied Chinese music at Sichuan Conservatory of Music under Professor Chen Jilue, the founder and conductor of the first professional Chinese orchestra in China in 1930-40’s. As his mentor for 16 years, Professor Chen has been the most influential scholar to Gordon.

Mostly by private lessons, Lee studied traditional Chinese operatic music, composition, conducting, and Chinese instruments. His teachers include––

• ZHANG Qi: artistic director in Wuhan Opera Theater Symphony); Dr. Tikey Zes: composition professor in San Jose State University
• XU Xin: conducting professor in Central Conservatory of Music, the chair of Conductor Association of China
• HE Wei: Chinese operatic music researcher in Central Traditional Opera Institute
• HONG Xiansong: Chuanju percussion professor in Sichuan Vocation College of Art
• HAN Shude (1973), WU Junsheng (1976-79), WANG Fandi (1981-84): Pipa professors in Sichuan and China Conservatory of Music

In 1978, Lee entered China Pingju Opera Theater in Beijing as a Pipa player. In 1988, he passed all the undergraduate courses in the Chinese major of the Beijing Higher Education Self-study Examination. The graduation thesis “Li Jieren’s Still Water Waves and French Naturalist Novels” (thesis advisor: Lan Dizhi, the Chinese Language and Literature Department of Beijing Normal University lecturer who became the professor of Tsinghua University later) was published in the Modern Literature Research Quarterly. Afterward he came to the United States for a continual study, and obtained a master’s degree in Theater Arts from San Jose State University in 1995. His “Perceiving Ingmar Bergman’s The Silence through I-Ching” (thesis advisor Dr. Karl Toepfer, later the Dean of the College of Humanities and the Arts) won the outstanding thesis award at the University, and has been displayed in the San Jose Public Library and Bergman Estate in Sweden. Before coming to the US, Gordon had accumulated rich experiences from playing in 5,000 performances and watching 10,000 live shows.

Since 1994, Lee has been teaching Chinese music in San Francisco Bay Area. Starting in 2002, he was the Chinese music instructor at San Jose City College for 11 years. As a director, Gordon leads Aimusic as one of a few Asian-American organizations in the nation to be awarded by government arts agencies. Individually, he has received an “Investing in the Artists” grant award from Center for Cultural Innovation in 2008, a “Composer Assistant Program” award from American Music Center in 2009, and an “Arts Leadership Award” from Arts Council Silicon Valley in 2010.

Away from utilitarianism, Gordon adheres to the artistic essence of joy. He believes that playing develops intuition and creativity in the state of equality, trust, relaxation, and inspiration. Lee trains students’ critical thinking, independency, team spirit, and leadership by following this natural law. He also focuses on––

1. Carrying on the cultural tradition by learning folksongs, folk music, regional opera, musical storytelling, and Buddhist, Taoist, and court music that have been circulated for thousands of years in China.
2. Emphasizing scientific performing techniques, guiding students to pursue a crystal clear tone quality with highly relaxed movements.
3. Encouraging youngsters to love music and play joyfully in a group. They can extend this joyful sense and manner to their study, exam, work, and daily life.
4. Pursuing harmony from individual to people, and from less to more, bringing happiness of music to family, community, and society.
5. Promoting natural sound and nurturing musician and audience’s keen sense of hearing, not use electroacoustic amplification in most occasions.
6. Exploring Chinese orchestra instrumentation in line with the principles of oriental aesthetics, and constantly practicing in his composition and orchestra training.
7. Writing WeChat articles in Chinese to explain the essence of art, the importance of hearing, the benefits of learning orchestral instruments, and the aesthetic function of heritage Chinese music. The following are some links:
   • The Yin-Yang Nature of Traditional Chinese Music (International symposium speech video)
   • Do Online Instrumental Music lessons Work?
   • Xian Di Pipa Pu 250th Anniversary Celebration Modern-day World Premiere of the Music for the Sanxian Dizi & Pipa
   • Play for Good
   • Hearing and Taste
   • Choosing What to Learn
   • Chinese Music vs Western Music
   • What Summer Class Cannot Do

Gordon wrote a number of instrumental music for Chinese and mixed Chinese-Western orchestra. His compositions include––

• Chinese Orchestra The Tiger Mountain Suite Adapted from the 1965 Chinese orchestra version Peking Opera (2023)
• Chinese Orchestra Bluegrass Blackberry Blossom (2022)
• Pipa Sanxian Duet Tiger Lily from the Xian Di Pipa Music in 1770 (2020)
• Chinese Orchestra Emperors Follow the Universe –– Qing Dynasty Court Music Selection 1742-1760 (2019)
• Chinese Orchestra Melody of Sichuan (2018)
• Chinese orchestra Selections from Red Detachment of Women (2013)
• Chinese orchestra On the Docks Suite (2011)
• Symphonic Suite for Erhu, Pipa, & Sheng Young Impressions of the Old City (Commissioned by Symphony Silicon Valley 2009)
• Sheng Ensemble Songshan Shaolin Temple (2008)
• Chinese orchestra Scenic Seasons Suite (2007)
• Chinese Orchestra Suite The Winchester House (2006)
• Ruan Ensemble Tipsy (2005)
• Chinese orchestra General’s Command (2004)
• French Horn and Plucked Instruments Oliver Tree (2003)
• Chinese Orchestra Bright Future (2001)
• Chinese orchestra Mulan Ballad (1998)
• Chinese Ensemble Embroidering a Gold Plaque (1977)
• Choir 7.21 School Song (1976)
• Dance Music New Herdsmen (1975)
• Playlet in Shandong Opera style Six Old Men Learning Mao’s Work (1974)
• Dance Music Construction Site (1973)

Featured TV Reports––

• NBC Bay Area A Classic Chinese Music Collection in 1814 hosted by Robert Handa (Jan 29, 2019)
• KTSF news Shanghai Theatre Academy joins Aimusic Festival (May 5, 2017)
• NBC Bay Area Asian Pacific Americans hosted by Robert Handa (Oct 14, 2014)
• CCTV news FYCO Visiting Taiwan (Jul 5, 2013)
• KQED Spark Firebird Youth Chinese Orchestra Performing the Legacy (May 6, 2009)
• KTSF news FYCO Musician in White House (Jan 15, 2004)
• Phoenix TV & CCTV Pole to Pole Expedition (Jun 24, 2002)