Ming Ke is an acclaimed pipa virtuoso, born in Nanjing, China. Her artistic journey began at the age of nine, when she joined the Nanjing “Little Red Flower” Art Troupe, where she received comprehensive training in both music and dance. In 1977, she was admitted to the pipa program at the Nanjing Arts Institute and graduated with distinction in 1982. That same year, she was awarded the inaugural Liu Haishu Scholarship and invited to join the institute’s faculty.
In 1985, Ke traveled to Japan with a delegation of Nanjing artists, collaborating with the Nagoya Symphony Orchestra to premiere “Suicide at Wujiang,” a symphonic narrative by composer Yang Liqing, conducted by Shi Zhongguang. Later that year, she performed this work with the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Cao Peng and recorded and released the same piece with the Shanghai Division of China Record Corporation.
Ke has also made lasting contributions to music education. In 1989, she was honored with the prestigious “Gardener Award” as an Outstanding Instructor at the first Art Cup International Competition for Chinese Instruments. In 1991, she won First Prize in the pipa category at the inaugural Jiangsu Music and Dance Festival and gave her first public recital in Nanjing that same year.
In 1992, Ke was invited to perform on Spain’s national television channel, TVE, and later gave a solo concert at the Ateneo de Madrid, one of the country’s premier concert halls. Since relocating to the United States in 1993, she has continued to champion traditional Chinese music through performance, education, and cross-cultural collaboration.
In the U.S., she has performed “The Little Sisters on the Pastureland” and “Farewell, My Concubine” with the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Jindong Cai. Her 1994 album Dragon Boat has been recognized by the city of Cincinatti and supported by a grant from the Fine Arts Fund (now ArtsWave). She has also appeared frequently with the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra in performances of “Dance of the Pipa,” conducted by Erich Kunzel and John Morris Russell. Her artistry was lauded by The Cincinnati Post, which described her as an “exceptional performer radiating elegance and brilliance.”
Throughout her decades in the United States, Ke has served as a cultural ambassador, performing at concerts and events nationwide. In addition to the pipa, she plays several other traditional Chinese plucked string instruments—including the zhongruan, guzheng, and liuqin—enriching her performances and expanding audiences’ understanding of Chinese musical traditions.
In 2023, Ke was invited to perform the U.S. national anthem at an NBA game between the Chicago Bulls and the Los Angeles Clippers. In 2024, she revisited “Suicide at Wujiang” for a landmark performance in the U.S.—38 years after its original debut—this time conducted by Aik Khai Pung.
In recent years, Ke has embarked on innovative projects blending tradition with technology. She has collaborated with composer Yi Qun, who developed a pioneering “human-machine integration” approach that merges the pipa’s rich heritage with cutting-edge digital music techniques. This fusion not only preserves the cultural identity of the instrument but also breathes new life into classical works and expands the creative potential of digital music.
Ming Ke shares her performances and artistic explorations through her online platform, Ming Ke Pipa World continuing to explore new possibilities with her music.
柯明，琵琶演奏家。生于中国南京，自幼展现出卓越的艺术天赋。
九岁起加入南京“小红花”艺术团，接受系统的音乐与舞蹈训练，为其艺术生涯奠定了坚实基础。15岁跟随著名教育家闵季骞教授学习琵琶，1977年，她考入南京艺术学院琵琶专业，师从周静梅教授，1982年以优异成绩毕业，荣获首届“刘海粟奖学金”，并留校任教，并于1984年师从王范地教授学习，期间亦得到刘德海教授的悉心指导，由此开启了她演奏与教育并重的艺术生涯。
1985年，柯明随南京艺术家代表团访问日本，与名古屋交响乐团合作，首演著名作曲家杨立青的交响叙事曲《乌江恨》（指挥：石中光）。同年，她再次携该曲与上海交响乐团合作（指挥：曹鹏），并由中国唱片社上海分社录制发行。这一作品成为她音乐生涯中的重要里程碑。
在教育领域，柯明同样成绩斐然。1989年，她荣获首届“ART杯”中国乐器国际比赛优秀指导教师奖——“园丁奖。1991年，在首届江苏音乐舞蹈节民族器乐比赛中荣获琵琶一等奖，同年在南京成功举办大型个人独奏音乐会，广受好评。
1992年，柯明赴西班牙，在西班牙国家电视台（TVE）进行现场直播演出，并受邀在马德里著名音乐厅 Ateneo de Madrid（马德里雅典娜音乐厅）举办个人专场音乐会，1993年起，她移居美国，持续活跃于各种舞台，致力于中国传统音乐的推广与传播。
柯明曾多次与辛辛那提室内乐团合作，演奏琵琶协奏曲《草原小姐妹》
《霸王卸甲》（指挥：蔡京东）；1994年．她的专辑《龙船》获得了辛辛那堤艺术基金会（现称artswave）的帮助．她还多次与辛辛那提交响乐团．辛辛那堤流行乐团合作演出《琵琶舞曲》（指挥：Erich Kunzel 与 John Morris Russell）。《辛辛那提邮报》曾盛赞其演奏“闪烁着优雅与光芒”。
除琵琶外，柯明也擅长中阮、古筝、柳琴等多种中国传统弹拨乐器，多年来，她积极参与中美文化交流与音乐教育。2023年，她受邀在NBA芝加哥公牛队对阵洛杉矶快船队的比赛前演奏美国国歌，成为当年中美文化交流象征性事件之一。2024年，她在美国重演相隔38年的《乌江恨》，由指挥 Aik Khai Pung 执棒，象征其音乐旅程的传承与新生。
近年来，柯明不断探索传统音乐与现代科技的融合。她与作曲家一群（Yi Qun）合作，采用“人机合一”的创新方式，将琵琶与现代科技相结合，在保留传统韵味的同时，为传统器乐注入数字时代的新活力，拓展了中国音乐在未来数字艺术中的表现空间。
柯明通过其网站 Ming Ke Pipa World 及多家视频平台，持续与观众分享她的音乐与艺术探索，與世界分享她對中國傳統音樂的 坚持与 熱愛。
