Zhang Le

Le Zhang began professional vocal training in 1994, by the time she was 18 she had won first place in the Casio Singing Competition in Shanghai. She subsequently won a competition hosted by the China Central Audio Station and recorded her first song, "Scarf", in 1998.Le Zhang has performed on local Chinese television and recorded four theme songs for well-known TV drama and comedy shows. She was invited by Canadian guitarist Jesse Cook to be a guest artist for his Singapore tour in 2002, and she has recorded jazz versions of three Chinese songs, which have been released by EMI in Asia on an album entitled Shanghai Jazz: Musical Seductions from China's Age of Decadence in 2005.Le Zhang performed as lead singer at the Hilton Shanghai from 2000 to 2004. A scholarship student at the New England Conservatory of Music, she studied with Dominique Eade, John McNeil, Ran Blake, Hankus Netsky, Frank Carlberg, Ben Sher, and Ken Schaphorst. Le Zhang was invited to perform at the Wang Center in Boston by the Asian American Civic Association in 2006. She is noted for her capacity to transform traditional Chinese songs into jazz. In August 2006, Le Zhang joined world famous composer Tan Dun's production Zen Music ShaoLin Grand Ceremony. As the lead soloist, she sang the theme song "the music of the wind". This production had its world premiere at ShaoLin Temple in October 2006, and it is going to be performed regularly for tourists all over the world.