- Chinese Name: 杜黑
- Born: 1944
- Birthplace: Chengdu, Sichuan
- Did You Know That ...?
- Despite his classical music background, Du Hei is pleased to see innovative crossovers among different music genres. He believes that pop, jazz, and classical music can work together seamlessly if the performance itself is of high quality.
Choral conductor Du Hei is the founder of the Taipei Philharmonic Foundation for Culture and Education (財團法人臺北愛樂文教基金會) who plays a key role in promoting Taiwan's choir music, facilitating international exchanges through choir organizations, and cultivating choir talent for Taiwan's music sector.
Established in 1988, the foundation has hosted a number of significant annual events, including the Taipei Philharmonic International Choir Workshop (臺北愛樂國際合唱音樂營), Taipei International Choir Festival (臺北國際合唱音樂節), and the Young Star Series (樂壇新秀).
After earning a master's degree in choral conducting from Illinois University and becoming a doctoral student, Du returned to Taiwan in 1981 and became a faculty member at Chinese Culture University, where he originally received his undergraduate training, and began working as an amateur conductor for several choirs in Taipei as well. He became conductor of Taipei Philharmonic Chorus (臺北愛樂合唱團) in 1983, and remains dedicated to the position today.
In recent years, Du has been taking more initiatives in creating choir pieces that reflect Taiwan's culture, including several co-productions on indigenous music with composer Chien Nan-chang (錢南章). His "Impressions of China (映象中國)" album also won the awards for best classical music record, best singer, and best record producer at the 8th Golden Melody Awards in 1996.
In 1997, Du conducted a choir to perform Chien’s composition "The Maiden of Malan (馬蘭姑娘)" in Hungary, winning the best composer title among his four nominations at the 9th Golden Melody Awards. He was nominated again for best composer and best classical music record two years later, with his grand production of the composition "June Snow (六月雪)" by Hsu Yang-ming (許雅民).
Du even produced the a Buddhist requiem based on "The Amitabha Sutra (佛說阿彌陀經)," which garnered awards for best religious music album and best composer at the 13th Golden Melody Awards in 2002.
Du was honored by the first National Award for Arts in 1997. Other prominent events of his life include publishing his autobiography "The Dark-Faced General of Taiwan's Music Circle (樂壇黑面將軍)," with the title a nod to his natural complexion, and working as a juror in many important choir and vocal competitions at home and overseas.
He is currently president of the Taipei Philharmonic Foundation for Culture and Education, and director general of the Taipei Philharmonic Youth Orchestra (台北愛樂青年管弦樂團) and the Philharmonic Theater Factory (愛樂劇工廠).
For Du, music is more than a profession for earning a living — it is a way of life that requires polishing and thinking with all one's heart.