About Mengdie Ji

Mengdie (Melody) Ji is a Guzheng performer whose work bridges traditional Chinese heritage with experimental contemporary practices. Her performances and compositions explore the emotional depth and philosophical richness of Chinese music, while redefining the instrument’s role in intercultural and interdisciplinary contexts.

Ji began her musical journey at the age of four. She was admitted to the High School of Beijing Contemporary Music Academy (BJCMA) with the highest entrance score in her major, earned her bachelor’s degree from the Central Conservatory of Music(CCOM), and pursued postgraduate studies at University College London (UCL).

Ji has received international recognition for her artistry, including 

• Gold Prize, Youth Professional Category, 2018 China International Youth Guzheng Invitational

• Silver Award, Youth Professional Category, 4th "Qingyue Cup" Hong Kong International Guzheng Competition

• Performance Award, Professional Group, 2nd "Dunhuang Cup" Guzheng Competition

Selected Works & Premieres

• Awakening (2025)(World Premiere)
• Composed by Yusheng Chen
  For Guzheng and Accordion
  Premiered at 2025 The 3rd UK Chinese music festival, London
  —‘Awakening employs a unique guzheng tuning and accordion effects, intertwining the graceful fluidity of Chinese opera melodies. It evokes the bewilderment and melancholy of awakening from a dream, sketching a soundscape where Eastern poetics meet contemporary aesthetics.

• Butterfly’s Dream (2025)(World Premiere)
• Composed by Ray Lin
  For Mixed ensenmble
  Premiered at St Mary le Strand London
  — An experimental reimagining of Zhuangzi’s dream, blending processed Guzheng textures with ambient soundscapes.

• Chi Le Song (《敕勒歌》) (2024)
  Guzheng Solo
  Premiered at St James‘s Church, London
  — A contemporary setting of an ancient Northern Chinese folk poem, exploring nomadic musical idioms and tonal landscapes.

• Impressions of Four Seasons (2022)(World Premiere)

• Composed by Ray Lin
  For Guzheng, flute, piano, cello and percussion
  Premiered at Royal Academy of Music’s Duke’s Hall, London
  — A four-movement work inspired by traditional Chinese seasonal aesthetics and timbral improvisation.

• Qingyu An (《青玉案》) (2021)

• Arranged by Mengdie Ji

      Guzheng and string quartet
      Premiered at Prince's Mansion Concert Hall of Central Conservatory of Music, Beijing
      — Inspired by the Chinese poem "Qingyu'an·Yuan Xi", it presents the lively scenes of China's Lantern Festival.