C.E.O

Zi Lan Liao is a celebrated musician, educator and community leader whose career bridges traditional Chinese heritage with global musical innovation and grassroots social impact. She currently serves as CEO and Music Director of Pagoda Arts, where she has led transformative programmes in music, youth development and cultural engagement for over a decade.

Born in Guangzhou, China, Zi Lan began playing the Guzheng (Chinese zither) at the age of three. A prodigy in her early years, she won national competitions by the age of twelve. At thirteen, she moved to the UK to continue her musical education, attending Chetham’s School of Music and later the Royal Academy of Music, where she studied Western concert harp while deepening her roots in Chinese traditional music and dance. This fusion of Eastern and Western traditions has remained a defining hallmark of her work.

Between 1991 and 1998, Zi Lan toured internationally as a soloist and collaborator, performing across Europe, the USA, Australia and Asia. Her career highlights include touring with WOMAD (World of Music, Arts and Dance), performing at the Edinburgh, Aldeburgh and World Harp Festivals, and collaborating with renowned artists including Peter Gabriel, Nigel Kennedy and Jah Wobble.

She premiered “The River” Guzheng Concerto with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra in 1996, and returned to perform with them again at the Shanghai World Expo in 2010 for the premiere of Ian Stephens’ “Oxbow”. Her collaboration with Jah Wobble on the album “Chinese Dub” won the Songlines Best Cross-Cultural Collaboration Award in 2009.

Leadership at Pagoda Arts

In 2011, Zi Lan became CEO of Pagoda Arts, leading the organisation through times of significant challenge and change, including national austerity and the COVID-19 pandemic. Under her leadership, Pagoda Arts remained a vital cultural and community hub in Liverpool, delivering youth arts programmes, educational outreach, health and wellbeing services, and multilingual support for the local community.

During the pandemic, she worked with the NHS to deliver pop-up COVID-19 testing and vaccination centres, supported overseas Chinese students, and collaborated with the police and immigration officers to assist victims of scams and hate crime.

In 2013, Zi Lan became Music Director of the Pagoda Chinese Youth Orchestra, bringing a bold musical vision that combines traditional Chinese instrumentation with modern and world genres such as hip hop, reggae and Latin American music. Under her leadership, the orchestra has performed nationally and internationally, including for HM Queen Elizabeth II and HRH Prince Philip in Liverpool (2016) and at the China Changing Festival at the Southbank Centre in London.

She continues to mentor the next generation of musicians and educators, including the organisation’s current Education Officer, who was trained through Pagoda’s youth development programme under Zi Lan’s guidance.

Recognition and Awards

Zi Lan’s contribution to music, culture and community has been recognised through several awards, including:

• Second Prize, Young Musician of the Year (1982) – National Youth Music Competition, China
• Winner, Llangollen International Eisteddfod (1985) – World Music Category
• Songlines Award for Best Cross-Cultural Collaboration (2009) – for Chinese Dub with Jah Wobble
• Merseyside Woman of the Year – Arts and Culture Winner (2015)
• Community Cohesion Impact Award (2022)
• International Chinese Role Model – Female of the Year (2023)

Ongoing Legacy

In 2023, Zi Lan led the celebration of Pagoda Arts and the Pagoda Chinese Youth Orchestra’s 40th anniversary. She remains committed to cultural preservation through education, youth empowerment through the arts, and building community cohesion through shared understanding.

Zi Lan is also a certified Chinese–English translator and continues to connect cultures through language, music and community service.