An expert in numerous traditional Chinese instruments and skilled in playing all types of wind instruments, flutist Guo Yue was born in Beijing in the late 1950s. The son of an "erhu" player, the two-stringed Chinese violin, he lost both parents during the Cultural Revolution and was forced to live with his brother under extremely harsh conditions. During these years, he met some of the peasants who would later form the National Traditional Orchestra after the revolution, and from them, he learned to play the flute. At seventeen, he joined the Beijing Army Orchestra. In 1983, he moved to London, where he attended the Guildhall School of Music. His brother Yi joined him there, and the two began performing as musicians within the Chinese community in London. The "Guo Brothers" quickly achieved great success, performing numerous concerts in both Europe and America, recording a successful LP for Peter Gabriel's Real World label, and contributing to the soundtracks of the films "The Last Emperor" and "The Killing Fields." They also played with various artists, including Peter Gabriel, Sinéad O'Connor, and the Hothouse Flowers.
After the duo disbanded in 1989, Guo Yue continued his solo career, participating in a highly successful European tour with percussionist Joji Hirota and multi-instrumentalist Pol Brennan, which also brought him to Italy for the "I suoni del Tempo" festival in Cesena. In Rovereto, the artist will perform in a new ensemble: he will be joined by English keyboardist Mark Russell and Irish percussionist Martin Hughes.
