Jin Shiyi is the President of the Singapore Suona and Guan Society, Suona/Guan Principal of the Singapore Chinese Orchestra, and the first musician in China to achieve a Master’s degree in guanzi performance. His biography is also recorded in The Best of Traditional Chinese Music, Instruments and Musicians. Having shown his musical talent at a young age, he received tutelage from masters such as Zhang Baoling, Liu Fengtong, Hu Haiquan, Hu Zhihou, Zhang Jigui and Cao Jianguo. Jin Shiyi was recruited by the China Movie Orchestra at the tender age of 12. In 1986, Jin Shiyi enrolled into the China Conservatory of Music and graduated with a Master’s degree in 1992. He was offered a teaching position in the Conservatory Department of Instrumental Music upon his graduation from the conservatory.

From 1989 to 2000, Jin Shiyi staged various solo concerts in Beijing, Singapore and Malaysia. He was also invited as a soloist to perform in Taiwan Traditional Arts Festival and Korean Seoul International Folk Music Festival. He has also composed and rearranged a series of suona and guanzi pieces, including Seeking Dreams In The Western Regions, Tribute To Homeland, , The Dark Sky, Hip Hop Orchard Road, The Winds of Marina Bay, Xiao Bai Cai, Wife and West Beyond the Yangguan Pass, to name a few. Moreover, Jin Shiyi and Singapore Chinese Orchestra’s Diyin Suona player, Liu Jiang, created a single reed instrument developed based on the traditional double reed guan named SINGuan, which is highly acclaimed by music critics.