Henry (Han Yi) Liang is a composer, educator, and adventurous collaborator based in Sydney, known for his specialisation on the Japanese shō – a free-reed wind instrument consisting of seventeen bamboo pipes, integral to the Imperial Court music of Japan known as Gagaku. Introduced to Japan from China during the

7th-century, Gagaku is one of the oldest known forms of orchestral music,

recognised as an Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO.

 

Henry’s practice spans ancient traditions to contemporary and experimental

music, utilising the shō to weave together disparate musical genres and

promoting intercultural awareness and understanding. In 2015, Henry was

selected by Columbia University (New York) for a seven-week residency in

Japan, where he was immersed in traditional Japanese music under the

guidance of world-renowned shō masters including Mayumi Miyata.

Since then, he has cultivated strong relationships with gagaku

instrumental masters and makers, composers, and performers

across Japan, and remains committed to deepening these intercultural

friendships for years to come.

 

Extensive and eclectic collaborations have taken Henry to Japan, Germany, China,

Vietnam, the USA, India, and France, where he has had the privilege of sharing the stage with many esteemed artists including Yo-Yo Ma. His performances have ranged from playing for two-million people lining the streets of India for President Narendra Modi, to a relaxed set aboard a yacht with Human Nature, to being a featured soloist with the Chamber Philharmonia of Cologne on a 34-date tour across Australia and Germany. One particularly memorable experience was a shō and didgeridoo performance in the small regional town of Gunning, where 150 children heard the shō for the first time.

 

Henry’s music has premiered at national events such as the Australian Flute Festival and in venues including the National Opera Center (New York), Phoenix Central Park, and the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia. His projects have received support from ABC Classic’s Composer Commissioning Fund (2022), the Country Arts Support Program (2023), and Creative Australia’s International Music Export Fund (2024). In 2025, Henry was named a finalist in the APRA/AMCOS Professional Development Awards.