2012 Cello Faculty

NA MULA was born in Inner Mangolia in 1971, and began cello studies with Professor Song Tao, at China's Central Conservatory of Music Pre-College, at age nine. She was accepted without audition as a student of the Conservatory in 1988. That same year she won Second Prize at the first China National Cello Competition.

Na Mula graduated from the Central Conservatory of Music in 1992 and immediately began teaching there. She continued her personal cello studies with Professor Song Tao, and studied chamber music with China's famous violinist, Wang Zhenshan. In 1995 she won both First Prize and Best Performance of Chinese Composition at the first China National Chamber Music Competition. Na Mula was named principal cello by the Asia Youth Orchestra in 1996, and traveled widely with that orchestra. In 1999 she received her Master of Music degree from the Central Conservatory of Music.

In 1995 Na Mula became director of the cello faculty in the Pre-College Division of the Central Conservatory of Music. Over the course of her teaching career, she has been awarded the title "Excellent Teacher" several times. She also has been personally rewarded by her students' success: students Zhang Nam won Second Prize and Guo Ying won Third Prize at the Third National Cello Competition in 1997, Guo Shengzhi won Second Prize at the Fourth National Cello Competition in 2001, and Tian Bonian won the Gold Prize in Cello at the Fourth International Tchaikovsky Youth Musician Competition in 2002 (where Na Mula was named "Remarkable Teacher" by the competition organizers). In 2003 Na Mula received the new Teaching Award from the Central Conservatory.

Na Mula was selected as a member of standing committee of the Cello Association of the China Musicians Association in 2002, and became a director secretary of the Cello Association in 2003.

Over the past 10 years, Na Mula has performed in recitals and chamber music concerts in China, Switzerland. France, the United States, Canada, Japan, Italy, the Philippines, Macao, Hong Kong and Taiwan. She has been invited to teach at The Mount Royal College Conservatory on many occasions, and was especially honoured to be able to perform in Canada with Master Piano Professor Zhou Guangren.