Will JonesIn New York’s evolving landscape of experimental music and digital practice, composer Ziqing Gong is developing a body of work that moves across concert composition, film, and interactive environments. His music reflects a broader shift in how composition is realised today, extending into new contexts while remaining grounded in musical structure and listening.
Trained in music technology and composition, Gong’s work brings together elements of classical composition, electronic sound, and contemporary production within a unified musical language. His music treats sound as a dynamic material,shaped over time through variation, layering, and transformation. Across different contexts, his work explores how musical form can unfold through relationships between structure, texture, and timbre.
This range is reflected in his growing body of internationally recognised work. Across his compositions, Gong has received awards from major international competitions, including an Absolute First Prize at the Bach International Music Competition and recognition at the Concours International de Musique Jean-Philippe Rameau. These distinctions point to a practice that combines technical precision with a refined sensitivity to sound and musical form.
His work also extends into film scoring. Gong composed the original score for Milestones, a feature-length documentary directed by Mu Fei Xu, creating more than fifteen pieces that move between composed material and electronic sound design. The score was developed to support the film’s long-form narrative while shaping itsemotional pacing and atmosphere through music, contributing to an immersive listening experience.
The project has received international recognition, including a Platinum Prize at the Max Bruch International Music Competition. The film itself has been selected for multiple international film festivals, including the Flickers’ RhodeIsland International Film Festival and the Bridges International Film Festival, among others, further situating Gong’s work within an international context.
As part of his broader compositional work, Gong has also contributed to music systems developed at Epic Games in collaboration with Harmonix. Within environments such as Fortnite, these systems supportmusic-making as a shared and participatory experience, allowing sound designers and players to engage with musical material in flexible and responsive ways. This work reflects an extension of his compositional approach into interactive settings.
As noted by Greg Paull, a director at Epic Games involved in Fortnite’s music systems, Gong demonstrates a strong ability to integrate compositional thinking within complex, interactive environments, applying his background in music to shape systems that support creative musical work at scale.
Based in New York, Gong continues to develop his compositional work through collaborations with organisations such as Harvestworks, engaging with experimental music and artist-led environments. Across these contexts, his work reflects an approach to composition that remains grounded in musical tradition while responding to new modes of creation.
Gong’s music points toward an expanded understanding of composition, one that unfolds through listening,perception, and evolving relationships between sound. In this space, composition becomes not only something that is written, but something that develops and is experienced over time.