Jie Bu, piano Jie Bu was borne to a musical family in China. He studied piano at age of 6 with his father. Jie Bu began his professional music career at the age of 14, serving as a soloist and an accompanist in Lanzhou Performing Arts Theater, touring extensively in the northwest of China. He was admitted to the Shanghai Conservatory of Music at the age of 18 and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in piano performance degree. Upon graduation Jie Bu was immediately appointed to a teaching position at Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing. During that time, he taught studio piano, class piano as well as solfege. In 1990, Jie Bu was awarded a Teaching Assistantship at University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where he graduated with a Master of Music in Piano Performance and a Master of Music in Composition. Subsequently, he was invited to teach piano at UNLV as an adjunct faculty from 1993 to 1998. As a soloist and chamber player, Jie Bu has played with many distinguished organizations including Shanghai Chamber Orchestra, Beijng Central Conservatory Orchestra, Changsha Symphonic Orchestra, Lanzhou Symphonic Orchestra, UNLV Orchestra, Los Angeles Lotus ensemble; he was also an accompanist for Nevada Opera Theater and Nevada Ballet Theater. Jie Bu has won many competitions in China and US including the 1st place of UNLV Concerto Competition and the 1st place of New York Life Composition Competition. As a passionate teacher for almost 20 years, Jie Bu has distinguished himself as an accomplished piano instructor in pre-collage piano study. He has cultivated many enthusiastic, self-motivated young musicians and any of them have gone to some prominent universities all over the United States. His students continue to win local, state and regional competitions annually. Jie Bu is frequently invited to give master classes, lectures and adjudicate competitions and festival in western United States and Far East. He was invited as a guest speaker at the World Piano Pedagogy Conference, and as a presenter for Nevada Music Teachers Conference. Most recently he was invited as a judge for 2005-2006 Utah State MTNA Competition. Jie Bu is the founder and artistic director of Music and Arts of Las Vegas and the president of Piano Gallery of America.