Experience the unique and vibrant music of Benoit Stasiaczyk Experimental Trio on December 20th, as we welcome you to the upcoming enlightening concert by Guangming. Unlike traditional music styles, Benoit’s music blends jazz and improvisation, leading listeners on a fascinating journey through unexpected soundscapes. Enjoy an unforgettable night of musical exploration, be prepared to be surprised and captivated by sensory experiences, and don’t miss the opportunity to discover if there are flowers on Mars, as we travel through Benoit’s musical universe.
Benoit STASIACZYK (Peng Xiaobo) – Keyboard/Electronic Music/Composition – French composer, percussionist, jazz piano and vibraphone player, former head of the jazz department at the National Conservatory of Metz, professor at the Xinghai Conservatory of Music in Guangzhou, China, master’s supervisor, head of the modern instrumental music department, and collaborator with the famous director Xiang Yimin’s music studio. Composer Benoit has created hundreds of works, most of which have been premiered and toured in major music festivals, theaters, and concert halls around the world. In 2023, Mr. Benoit was invited to be the music director for the musical ‘Chambord Station’, creating original music for the entire production. In 2024, the musical ‘Chambord Station’ was officially included in the 2024 Sino-French Cultural Tourism Year project by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. Invited by the government of Vaucluse and the city of Avignon, the musical represented the Chinese delegation at the 78th Avignon Theatre Festival in 2024, promoting exchanges and interactions between cultural and artistic groups and artists of both countries, celebrating the 60th anniversary of Sino-French diplomatic relations. Several of Mr. Benoit’s works have been performed by world-renowned musicians. In addition, his music has been used in films, and he has participated in film production, such as the documentary film ‘Starting Line on Canvas’, which won the China Television Artists Association’s Award for Outstanding Works and was screened in France by the China National Film Bureau in 2024 for the 60th anniversary of Sino-French diplomatic relations; and the documentary film ‘Silent Music’, which won multiple awards at major film festivals in China and abroad, including the Beijing International Film Festival, China Golden Rooster Awards, China Documentary Academy Awards, and Hong Kong Bauhinia Film Festival, and was selected for permanent collection by the ‘2023 China Image Preservation Project’; as well as playing a significant role in the promotional film ‘Come to Fujian, More Fortune’ and other film and television works.In addition to composing and performing jazz and free improvisation music, Mr. Benoit also frequently creates and participates in performances for classical musicians and ensembles, encompassing works from medieval to contemporary music. As a composer, Mr. Benoit’s works span various genres including solo pieces, chamber music, jazz ensembles/large bands, and symphony orchestras. He has been invited multiple times to compose for numerous European bands, ensembles, chamber music groups, and symphony orchestras, and his works have been performed in concert halls, theaters, and music festivals in various countries such as France, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Germany, Argentina, Canada, the United States, Poland, Latvia, and Lithuania.
As a renowned educator and composer, Mr. Benoit has published a variety of jazz and percussion educational materials and original work audio recordings, which are included in the music academy grading system. Since joining the Xinghai Conservatory of Music in Guangzhou, China in 2007 as the head of the jazz department, Mr. Benoit has been dedicated to the comprehensive education of students, aiming to cultivate excellent domestic jazz musicians and educators in China. His outstanding graduates are active in the professional field, including famous jazz performers, educators, and jazz singers, making significant contributions to jazz education in China. As a performer and musician, in 2019, Mr. Benoit led the Xinghai Modern Orchestra to participate in the ‘National Television Instrumental Music Competition’ hosted by CCTV. His original work ‘Reunion’ won the ‘Best Original Work Award’, and the competing piece ‘Scenes of Life’ was praised as vividly touching and deeply moving, earning the title of the best work. Mr. Benoit is also known as one of the indispensable fusion genre composers in the country, and the orchestra he conducted received the ‘Best Television Performance Award’. Prior to this, he has led bands and jazz choirs to participate in major domestic and international competitions, winning gold awards and receiving significant social attention. As a public welfare individual, in 2015, Mr. Benoit was appointed as the Artistic Director of the Special Education Department at Guangzhou Children’s Palace. He created songs for the Fusion Art Troupe, including the ‘Charming Little Magic Flute’ series, the single ‘Chasing Dreams’, and 12 picture book songs such as ‘Mom Is Not Cute’. He organized the FRIDAY Fusion Jazz Band and also composed music for the band, leading the art troupe to tour and exchange in the United States, Canada, France, and Switzerland, and touring in major theaters and concert halls in China, receiving unanimous praise from domestic and international audiences and generating significant social impact.In addition to this, Benoit has also led the special children of the art troupe to participate in the recording of the series of works ‘Dream Chasing’ and ‘Mother is Not Cute’. The original songs composed by Mr. Benoit for the children of the art troupe have gained high social popularity. He has been invited by various organizations and institutions to collaborate with people from all walks of life in singing. He personally rehearses choral and ensemble pieces for students, focusing on the individual development of students, more on exploring their potential, cultivating their artistic practice abilities, and respecting the characteristics of each child. Mr. Benoit is known by students as the most loving and patient, the most gentle and elegant teacher, and is deeply liked and admired by students. Lukas Gabric, Saxophone, Associate Professor of Jazz Saxophone at Xinghai Conservatory of Music, holds two doctorates from the United States, is an artist for Selmer and a spokesperson for D’Addario. He served as a pre-college teacher at the Juilliard School in the United States for 8 years and as a lecturer at the City University of New York for 6 years. As a performer, Lukas has performed at music festivals and important venues in more than ten countries, such as the Beijing Concert Hall, New York’s Blue Note, Germany’s Elbphilharmonie, the Turin Music Festival in Italy, the Naoussa Jazz Festival in Hungary, the Serbian Saxophone Festival, the Latin American Memorial in Brazil, and the Seoul Architecture and Urban Biennale in South Korea. Among the nearly 20 albums and singles Lukas has participated in recording, Bermel’s ‘Migrations’ was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2020, and his 2019 solo album ‘Labor of Love’ topped the Austrian jazz sales on Apple Music. He also released his original albums ‘Double Standard’ (2022) and ‘Moving On’ (2024) globally through the Austrian label Alessa Records. Lukas has performed on stage with famous bands such as the North German Radio Big Band (as the chief), and jazz masters such as Wynton Marsalis, Carl Allen, Steve Nelson, and others. Lukas has been reported and interviewed by more than thirty mainstream media outlets around the world, including CCTV, The New York Times, Canadian Jazz Radio, Austrian National Radio, British Jazz Magazine, South German Daily, and Swiss Thurgauer Kulturmagazin. Lukas has won more than ten awards, including the American ASCAP Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer’s Award, the Austrian Municipal Government Bruno Girolami Cultural Award, the Best Soloist Award and Audience Award at the Getxo Jazz Festival in Spain, and more.
As an educator, Lukas has published more than ten jazz textbooks. Among them, ‘The Rhythm Changes Guide’ published by Sher Music has sold more than 2,000 copies. He has held master classes and lectures at universities such as the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music in the United States, Vienna University of Economics and Business in Austria, Mongolian State Conservatory of Music, and Turin Conservatory of Music in Italy. Academic papers have also been published in journals in English and German respectively. As the founder of the Carinthia International Jazz Festival Competition in Austria, this competition attracts contestants from more than 40 countries around the world every year. Lukas holds a bachelor’s degree from The New School University in New York, two master’s degrees from The City University of New York, an artist diploma from The Juilliard School (certified as a doctorate by the Ministry of Education of China), and a Ph.D. in musicology from The City University of New York. The total amount of scholarships and grants during his studies exceeded 500,000 US dollars. Zeng Dekang, bass. Zeng Dekang is a jazz musician who has left his mark in the local and international jazz scenes. His name appears in many local and international jazz festivals and performances, such as the Krakow Art Festival in 2001 (Poland), the Seoul Fringe Festival in 2005, performances in Shanghai and Qingdao in 2005 (with the jazz band ‘JR’), the Hong Kong Jazz Festival in 2005, the Vietnam Cultural Festival in 2006, and the Bangkok International Jazz Festival in 2006 (all with Tamaya Honda and Hong Kong jazz legends Eugene Pao and Ted Lo). In 2008, he was invited to be a special performance guest at the highly acclaimed Hong Kong concert of the Taiwan jazz orchestra Sizhukong. In 2009, his success brought him a fruitful year. He hosted the popular jazz program ‘Jazzing Up’ on Hong Kong Radio and produced his own radio program ‘Spirit, Jazz’ (CIBS). Opening time: Friday, December 20. Performance start time: 20:00. The specific performance duration is subject to the site.
