Ruotao Mao

Adjunct Instructor of Music (Violin; Viola)

M.M., Violin Performance, Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers University
B.M., Violin Performance, New England Conservatory

 

Ruotao Mao joined the adjunct music faculty of The College of New Jersey in 2002 where he teaches:

• MUS 217: Intermediate Private Violin Lessons
• MUS 218: Intermediate Private Viola Lessons
• MUS 229-01: Chamber Music
• MUS 317: Advanced Private Violin Lessons
• MUS 318: Advanced Private Viola Lessons
• MUS 417: Advanced Private Violin Lessons
• MUS 418: Advanced Private Viola Lessons

A native of Beijing, China, Mr. Mao started learning the violin at the age of six under the guidance of his father and gave his first public performance at the age of nine in Shanghai.  Now an active soloist and chamber musician, his playing was described by The Classical New Jersey as “…virtuoso display of world-class magnitude” and “the level of playing has reached far beyond mere technical competence.”

Mr. Mao came to Boston on a full scholarship offered by the New England Conservatory of Music where he studied with Dorothy Delay, Paul Kantor, and Masuko Ushioda.  While in Boston, Mr. Mao won numerous prizes and graduated With Distinction in Performance.  He also attended prestigious music festivals such as the New York String Seminar with Alexander Schneider and the Tanglewood with the Boston Symphony Orchestra where his performance of Bartok’s String Quartet No. 1 received an honorary mention.  Mr. Mao started working with violinist Arnold Steinhardt of the Guarneri String Quartet in 1989 at the Mason Gross School of the Arts where he received the Master’s degree.  While at Rutgers, Mr. Mao won many concerto competitions and formed the highly praised Beijing Piano Quartet and Amabile String Quartet.

As a concerto soloist, Mr. Mao performed with the Jupiter Symphony, the Riverside Symphonia, the New England Conservatory Symphony Orchestra, Rutgers University Orchestra, and Corelliard Chamber Orchestra among others.  During the last season he was featured as soloist with the Edison Symphony and Delaware Valley Philharmonic Orchestra. In 2004, Mr. Mao premiered a violin concerto by Ernest Stires in the Stern Auditorium of Carnegie Hall.

As a chamber musician, Mr. Mao is one of the founding members of the Amabile String Quartet and the Beijing Piano Quartet.  Both groups have established extensive performance histories.  His piano quartet has appeared in Alice Tully Hall, Bruno Walter Auditorium, and Weill Recital Hall of Carnegie Hall as a winner of Artists International Chamber Music Series in 1994.  His string quartet has performed with the Muir String Quartet, has appeared in many concert series on the East Coast, and has been heard on several radio stations nationwide.  From 2000 through 2002, the Amabile String Quartet served as the Quartet-in-Residence at Rutgers University.  It was praised by The Classical New Jersey as “(Their) performance was luminous, raised to that level by exceptional precision of ensemble.”

Internationally, Mr. Mao has had performances in Korea and Colombia, South America.  He also has played on WNYC radio station, WETS public radio serving Tennessee, Virginia, and North Carolina, and on WDVR-FM radio station serving Delaware Township, Lawrenceville, Princeton, and Trenton in New Jersey.  As a recording artist, Mr. Mao has recorded under CRI and Beijing Broadcast CD labels.

Mr. Mao currently serves as the concertmaster of the Bay-Atlantic Symphony, Delaware Valley Philharmonic Orchestra, Riverside Symphonia and Edison Symphony Orchestra. 

Email:  mao@tcnj.edu