Born in Chengdu, Sichuan, China, and currently based in San Francisco, Ningxin Zhang is an award-winning composer, multimedia artist, creative technologist, and pipa/electric pipa player.
She studied Electronic Production and Design and Creative Coding at Berklee College of Music and is currently pursuing her M.A. in Music, Science, and Technology at Stanford University's Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics (CCRMA).
As an electroacoustic composer, Ningxin explores unique sonic aesthetics and experimental sound practices. Her notable compositions include Kagemusha: for Pipa and Electronics (影 — 為琵琶和電子音樂而作), which won First Prize in the Musicworks Electronic Music Composition Contest and Second Prize in the SWEETWATER/SEAMUS Commission Competition. Her works have been featured at the New York City Electroacoustic Music Festival, the SEAMUS National Conference, the International Csound Conference, and CCRMA concerts, among others.
Her multimedia works integrate sound, visuals, and embodied interaction, creating environments where technology becomes an extension of human gesture. Through installations, sculptures, and digital media, she invites audiences to engage physically and perceptually, redefining the relationship between body, technology, and perception.
As a music technology designer, Ningxin focuses on sound synthesis, instrument modeling, and digital audio system design. She published Using a Waveguide to Model the Pipa in Csound at the 6th International Csound Conference, a project that earned her the Max Mathews Award. She has also developed software instruments and audio processing tools for standalone applications and AU/VST plugin formats.
Ningxin actively performs on pipa and electric pipa, including performances of her electroacoustic work at CCRMA concerts, original multichannel audiovisual works at the Interdisciplinary Arts Institute, microtonal music at the Micro-jam concert with the Planet MicroJam Institute, and traditional Chinese music at the International Folk Festival.