Liu Qichao (simplified Chinese: 刘起超; traditional Chinese: 劉起超; pinyin: Liú Qǐchāo; born in Shandong) is a Chinese-born American musician.
[1] Liu performs on an array of traditional Chinese instruments, including wind instruments: dizi,[2] suona, sheng, bawu, xun, and xiao; stringed instruments: erhu, guzheng, and sanxian; and percussion: Chinese drums, cymbals, gongs, and woodblocks.
[3] In addition to his traditional performances, he has also worked in cross-cultural projects, collaborating with the Kronos Quartet, Jon Jang and the Pan Asian Arkestra, and the African Chinese Sextet featuring flutist James Newton.
Qichao wrote a zheng composition during the period called Caoyuan Yingxiong Xiao Jiemei ("The Heroic Sisters from the Grassland").
[5][6] His wife was the late Zhang Yan (张燕, 1945–1996), a guzheng player.