![Yue Zhuo PhD, MA, MSc, BSc (Hon), LRSM, FHEA](https://profiles-cardiff.imgix.net/attachments/10274?w=200&h=200&auto=format&crop=faces&fit=crop&q=90")
Dr Yue Zhuo
(he/him)
PhD, MA, MSc, BSc (Hon), LRSM, FHEA
Teams and roles for Yue Zhuo
Honorary Lecturer
Overview
My name is 卓越 (Zhuó Yuè), also known as Jerry Zhuo. I am a composer, conductor, improviser and sound artist working between contemporary classical music, experimental performance and interdisciplinary practice. Originally from Xiamen, China, I developed my professional career in the UK and was most recently Lecturer in Composition at Cardiff University.
My music has been described in the press as “evocative” and “deeply personal”. My works have been commissioned, performed and presented by musicians and ensembles including the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Riot Ensemble, UPROAR Ensemble, Juice Vocal Ensemble, Pavilion Ensemble, and baritone Jeremy Huw Williams. In 2023, the BBC National Orchestra of Wales premiered my orchestral work Sea, Amoy! at BBC Hoddinott Hall. My music is published by Universal Edition.
Alongside notated composition, my recent practice has increasingly moved towards improvisation, electroacoustic music, sound art and performance. I am particularly interested in what happens when music moves beyond the score: when sound interacts with bodies, spaces, objects and audiences, and when the boundaries between composition and spontaneous action begin to dissolve. My work draws freely on classical and contemporary music, Chinese musical traditions, electronics, Fluxus, performance art and participatory practices, often bringing these apparently disparate worlds into the same space.
In recent years, I have developed a growing artistic presence in my hometown of Xiamen through concerts, experimental performances, workshops and interdisciplinary projects. Recent projects have included performances and events at Three Shadows Photography Art Centre Xiamen, improvisation and audience-participation projects, and collaborations across music, visual art and performance. I am also a conductor of the award-winning Xiamen Foreign Language School Orchestra.
After more than a decade in the UK, I returned to Xiamen in 2026 to begin a new chapter of my artistic practice. I am the founder of Joson Culture (Xiamen) and Sound Loom Lab, through which I develop experimental performances, workshops, cross-disciplinary collaborations and new ways of connecting contemporary music with the wider cultural life of the city.
Publication
2025
- Zhuo, Y. 2025. Lunar Dialogues.
2022
- Zhuo, Y. 2022. Sea, Amoy!.
- Zhuo, Y. 2022. Sheng-sheng-man.
- Zhuo, Y. 2022. Experiencing identity, forming poetic space: Expression and interaction in a portfolio of original compositions. PhD Thesis , Cardiff University.
- Zhuo, Y. 2022. Under the sun - full score. {Online}
Compositions
- Zhuo, Y. 2025. Lunar Dialogues.
- Zhuo, Y. 2022. Sea, Amoy!.
- Zhuo, Y. 2022. Sheng-sheng-man.
- Zhuo, Y. 2022. Under the sun - full score. {Online}
Thesis
- Zhuo, Y. 2022. Experiencing identity, forming poetic space: Expression and interaction in a portfolio of original compositions. PhD Thesis , Cardiff University.
Research
Current Projects
- ‘The Path to High-Quality "Non-Specialised" Student Orchestra', a music pedagogy research project funded by the Bureau of Education, Xiamen, China (2023-2024).
- Shuang-qing-yue-you 双清乐游 Nanyin Project; a series of research and performance activities in Cardiff and London, with the premiere of a composition based on a Nanyin melody (Time TBC).
Recent Research Outcome
- 'The Impact of the Contemporary Media on the Performative Practices of Quanzhou Nanyin -- Exploring the Ecomusicology of Nanyin in the Digital Age', group research project (leader), presented at the 28th CHIME conference (July 2025, University College Cork, Ireland).
- Yue Zhuo and Ana Beatriz Ferreira, 'Reimagining Chinese Nanyin Notation through Western Ensemble Practices: A Co-Created Composition Exploring Gesture and Fluid Leadership', conference paper, presented at the 7th Performance Studies Network International Conference (July 2025, Guildhall School of Music & Drama, London).
- Diap-luan-hoe (2023) and Henffych Well (2024) for baritone and piano, commissioned by the Welsh Music Guild, premiered at Cardiff University by Jeremy Huw Williams (baritone) and Wendy Hiscock (piano), 28 January 2025.
- 'Healing Field' Sound Theatre, commissioned by Three Shadows Xiamen Photography Arts Centre, China, performed on 4 January 2025.
- ''When Jiaobei Meets Nanyin: Building a Sustainable Creative Identity through Culture Preservation and Social Engagement', conference paper, the 27th CHIME Conference (October 2024, Hanover/Hildesheim, Germany).
- 'Rediscovering Nan-yin in the Context of Contemporary Composition and Performance Practices', conference paper, presented at the 5th Silpakorn International Conference, Thailand in June 2024.
- Sheng-sheng-man 声声慢, a piece for solo female voice and large ensemble (20').
- The time of Childhood 细汉的时阵, concert of original works, commissioned by Three Shadows Xiamen Photography Arts Centre, China in 2024.
- Sea, Amoy! (2022) for orchestra (6'30"), premiered by BBC National Orchestra of Wales during their 'Composition: Wales' concert on 7 March 2023.
- under the Sun... (2022) for piccolo, sheng, pipa, viola and percussion (8'), premiered at Tunghai University Music Centre, Taiwan on 18 September 2022. The piece was written for TimeArt Academy 2022, with the topic subject 'Forgotten Voices', exploring the connection between contemporary music and different traditions.
- Dream: Pavilion by the Water (2020-2) for mezzo-soprano and piano (9'), premiered by Yajie Ye and Jerry Yue Zhuo, presented under the same title at the 12th Biennial Internation Conference on Music Since 1900 (Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, July 2022).
- 'Who Do You Think You Are?', concert of original works, commissioned by Three Shadows Xiamen Photography Arts Centre, China, 2021. This concert features improvisation, Fluxus, audience participation, electroacoustic, and audio-visual elements, including the opening piece Sound of Luck (2021) and The Way to Fly (2021).
Research Interest
Nanyin (南音):
- The history and current issues of Nanyin, including its preservation and transmission.
- How Nanyin can be integrated into contemporary creative practice including performance and composition.
- Nanyin music theory and analysis.
Identity expression in music and performance:
- The perception and construction of 'self'.
- Chineseness — the act of self-stereotyping in music and arts.
- Languages, the translation of and the politics of.
Performance, improvisation, and collaborations:
- Theatricality in sounds and actions.
- Relationships involved in improvisation among the composer, conductor, performers, and audience
- Use of multimedia and daily objects in performances.
Teaching
Undergraduate Teaching:
- Formal Functions in the Classical Tradition (module leader), 2024 – 2026
- Composition 1A (module leader), 2021 – 2026
- Composition 3 (final year major composition project supervision), 2021 – 2026
- Elements of Tonal Music (seminars), 2018 – 2024
- Studio Techniques 1, 2024 – present; 2018 – 2020 (tutoring)
- Studio Techniques 2, 2024 – present (module leader); 2018 – 2020 (tutoring)
Postgraduate Teaching:
- Studio Techniques (module leader), 2021 – 2026
- Ensemble (module leader), 2021 – 2024
- MA Composition projects (tutoring), 2021 – 2026
- Contributes to specialist classes in Research Skills, 20th&21st Century Music, and Cultures of Performance modules
International Teaching:
- 'Becoming an International Musician: Research and Communication on the Global Stage' (course leader), 2017 – present
Other teaching-related roles:
- Postgraduate research student annual reviewer
- HEA mentor and assessor at Cardiff University
Biography
Education and qualifications
- 2026: LRSM in Music Directing, ABRSM
- 2023: FHEA, Higher Education Academy
- 2022: PhD Music (Composition), Cardiff University, UK
- 2020: AFHEA (Higher Education Academy) with Distinction
- 2017: MA Music (Composition) with Distinction, Cardiff University, UK
- 2016: MSc International Management (IMEX), London School of Economics and Political Science, UK
- 2015: BSc Hons Economics, University of Bath, UK
Honours and awards
- 2025: 1st prize and best conductor for Symphonic Orchestra Performance, Fujian Provincial Middle and Primary School Arts Exhibition, China (conducting, Brahms: Carnival Overture)
- 2024: 1st prize for Symphonic Orchestra Performance, Xiamen Middle and Primary School Arts Exhibition, China (conducting, Brahms: Carnival Overture)
- 2024: 1st place (2nd prize) for Symphonic Winds Performance, Xiamen Middle and Primary School Arts Exhibition, China (conducting, Shimizu: Jasper)
- 2023: Acapela Studio Award for Composers, Welsh Music Guild (with commission)
- 2021: 1st prize for String Orchestra Performance, Xiamen Middle and Primary School Arts Exhibition, China (conducting, Tchaikovsky: Serenade for String Orchestra)
- 2021: 1st prize for Symphonic Winds Performance, Xiamen Middle and Primary School Arts Exhibition, China (conducting, de Haan: Ross Roy)
- 2021: 1st prize, Instrumental Music Category, Fujian Provincial Music and Dance Festival, China (conducting)
- 2021: 2nd prize for Original Choral Compositions and Excellent Ensemble Leader, Chongqing Universities Arts Exhibition (provincial level), China
- 2020: Graduate Tutor of the Year Award, Cardiff University, UK
- 2020: Selected participant of Ty Cerdd 'CoDI Sound' and 'CoDI Mentor' projects with grants
- 2017–2020: Full Studentship, Cardiff University School of Music, UK
- 2016: International Studentship, Cardiff University College of AHSS, UK
- 2015: Outstanding Alumni, Xiamen Foreign Language School, China
Professional memberships
- Fellow, Xiamen Musicians Association, China (2025 to Present)
Academic positions
- 2021–present: Lecturer in Composition, Cardiff University School of Music, UK
- 2017–2019: A-Level Economics Teacher (part-time), St John's College Cardiff, UK
Speaking engagements
- ‘Introduction to British Experimental Music and Welsh Musical Traditions’, invited talk, 19 December 2025, Zhejiang Conservatory of Music.
- ‘Nanyin Music and Tradition’, lecture recital, 5 November 2025, Multimedia University, Malaysia.
- ‘Tshit-tho in Practice — Realising the Spirit of Nanyin in Contemporary Music Creation’, invited talk, 17 September 2025, Beijing Normal University.
- ‘Tshit-tho in Practice — Realising the Spirit of Nanyin in Contemporary Music Creation’, invited talk, 15 September 2025, East China Normal University.
- ‘Introduction to British Experimental Electronic Music: Structure, Sound, and Creative Practice’, invited talk, 23 April 2025, Communication University of China, Nanjing.
- ‘In Search of a Personal Interpretation of Local Cultures: Sounds, Actions, and Multimedia in Compositions’, invited talk, 12 September 2024, South China Normal University.
- ‘Rediscovery and Revitalisation: Welsh Musical Culture in the Contemporary Music Scene’, lecture, 15 April 2025, Xiamen University.
- ‘Reimagining Chinese Nanyin Notation through Western Ensemble Practices: A Co-Created Composition Exploring Gesture and Fluid Leadership’, Yue Zhuo and Ana Beatriz Ferreira, conference paper, Performance Studies Network Annual Conference, July 2025, Guildhall School of Music & Drama, UK.
- 'The Impact of the Contemporary Media on the Performative Practices of Quanzhou Nanyin -- Exploring the Ecomusicology of Nanyin in the Digital Age', academic research panel (leader), to be presented at the 28th CHIME conference, July 2025, University College Cork, Ireland.
- 'The Original Performance Style of the Piano Music of Liszt', Prof Kenneth Hamilton, lecture recital (interpret), 24 April 2025, Wuhan Conservatory.
- Lecture recital (interpret), Prof Kenneth Hamilton,20 April 2025, Xiamen Institute of Technology International Piano Arts Centre.
- ‘When Jiaobei Meets Nanyin: Building a Sustainable Creative Identity through Culture Preservation and Social Engagement’, conference paper, presented at the 27th CHIME Conference, October 2024, Hanover/Hildesheim, Germany.
- 'Papageno in Phnom Penh: Die Zauberflöte as Adaptive Intercultural Theatre', lecture (interpret), Prof Monika Hennemann, 20 September 2024, Central Conservatory of Music, China.
- In Search of a Personal Interpretation of Local Cultures: Sounds, Actions, and Multimedia in Compositions, invited talks, 12 September 2024, South China Normal University.
- Concert (interpret), Yayi Cai and Silai Chen, September 2024, Three Shadows Xiamen Photography Arts Centre.
- ‘Rediscovering Nan-yin in the Context of Contemporary Composition and Performance Practices’, conference paper, presented at the 5th Silpakorn International Conference, Thailand, June 2024.
- ‘Game of Sounds and Signs: Exploring the Three-Cornered Network of Interactions Between the Composer, Conductor and Singers’, conference paper, presented at Spheres of Singing Interdisciplinary Conference, University of Glasgow, November 2022.
Committees and reviewing
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2026: Committee member, The RMA Southeast Asian Chapter Conference, Singapore
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2024 onwards: Moderator, BA Modern Chinese programme (Cardiff-China Joint College for Chinese Studies, Cardiff University/Beijing Normal University)
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2024: Session Chair, Electroacoustic composition workshop, BFE-RMA Research Students' Conference, Cardiff, UK
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2024: Session Chair, The 5th Silpakorn International Conference, Bangkok, Thailand
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2021: Session Chair and Session Panel Leader, BFE-RMA Research Students' Conference, Cambridge, UK
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2019: Conference Lead Organiser, PGR Study Day, Cardiff University, UK
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2019: Music Education Advisor, Phuket Taihua School, Thailand
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2018: Concert Co-organiser, Contemporary Music for All (CoMA) Festival, Cardiff, UK
Supervisions
Please note that I am unavailable to supervise research students.
Current supervision
