Aleksander Velichko
Bassoon
Recognized for his extraordinary musicality and superb technique, Aleksander Velichko is a Shen Yun soloist. He is the former principal bassoon of the Moscow State Symphony and has also held the assistant principal position in Russia’s other most prominent orchestras, including the Symphony Orchestra of Russia, the Moscow Symphony Orchestra, and the National Philharmonic of Russia. He earned his bachelor’s, master’s, and postgraduate (equivalent to a U.S. doctorate) degrees in bassoon performance at the prestigious Gnessin Russian Academy of Music in Moscow, performed as a soloist with the Moscow Virtuosi chamber orchestra, and was the soloist in Shen Yun Symphony Orchestra’s recent recording of the Weber Bassoon Concerto.
Hung-Chieh Yang
Trombone
A distinguished trombonist from Taiwan, Hung-Chieh Yang advanced his study in trombone solo and chamber music at one of the most prestigious music institutions in Europe, Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln in Wuppertal, Germany, where he earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees. In Europe, he performed with Kölner Symphoniker, Bayer Philharmonker, and Orchesterakademie an der Immanuelskirche. Since joining Shen Yun Performing Arts as Principal Trombone in 2016, Yang has performed in over 300 shows in some of the world’s top venues, such as Kennedy Center in Washington, Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts in Toronto, Teatro degli Arcimboldi in Milan, the historic Burgtheater in Vienna, and many others.
Pavlo Baishev
Bass Trombone
A distinguished and experienced player, Pavlo Baishev is the former assistant principal trombone of the National Opera of Ukraine, a position he held for 16 years. He also performed with the National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine, Kyiv Classic Orchestra, Kyiv Symphony Orchestra and Choir, as well as the Kyiv Virtuosi chamber orchestra. Winner of the Grand Prix of the International Competition of Young Performers (Kyiv, 2002), and second place winner of the Ukrainian National Competition for Brass and Percussion (2004), he studied at the Tchaikovsky National Music Academy of Ukraine, where he earned his bachelor’s, master’s, and postgraduate (equivalent to a U.S. doctorate) degrees.
Eric Robins
Trumpet
Eric Robins holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a master’s degree from New England Conservatory. He has performed with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, among others, and is former principal trumpet of the Daegu Symphony Orchestra (Korea). His fellowships include the Mabel Louise Riley Scholarship (New England Conservatory), National Orchestral Institute, Round Top International Music Festival, and Bar Harbor Brass.
Vladimir Zemtsov
Trumpet
Vladimir Zemtsov’s glowing, powerful tone has led his brass section across Europe in the performance of classics such as Swan Lake, The Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty, and many others while serving as principal trumpet of the Russian State Ballet of Siberia. He previously held positions with orchestras in Moscow and other cities. He earned a bachelor’s degree in trumpet performance at Russia’s Krasnoyarsk State Academy of Music and Theatre.
Aleksandr Antonov
Trumpet
Aleksandr Antonov holds a specialist (master’s) degree with honors in concert performance from the Saint Petersburg Conservatory in Russia. International prizewinner of several competitions, as well as former principal trumpet of both the Taurida State Symphony Orchestra and the Saint Petersburg State Symphony Orchestra, he has performed extensively around the world.
Maksym Bilash
Principal Flute
Maksym Bilash holds a master’s degree from The National Tchaikovsky Music Academy of Ukraine. Winner of numerous international competitions in his native Russia, he was the principal flutist for the National Opera of Ukraine before joining Shen Yun Performing Arts.
Gabriela Gonzalez-Briceno
Bassoon
Gabriela Gonzalez-Briceno grew up with Venezuela’s “El Sistema,” the famous orchestra program that develops musical talent. She graduated from the Simon Bolivar Conservatory of Music in Caracas and completed her master’s degree in music at the State University of New York at Purchase. Winner of the 2015 Concerto Competition with Purchase Symphony Orchestra, she has played as principal bassoonist with the Miami Symphony Orchestra and Venezuela Symphony Orchestra, among others. She has also performed at the Berlin Philharmonie, the Wiener Konzerthaus, and the Grosses Festspielhaus in Salzburg under some of the world’s most renowned conductors. Her solo and chamber work has been featured in concerts and recordings internationally.
Chia-Jung Lee
Flute
Winner of the University of Texas Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition, second prize winner of the National Young Artist Competition at Mid-South Flute Festival, and first prize winner of the Kaohsiung City Music Competition (Taiwan), Chia-Jung Lee was a recipient of the Certificate of Recognition of Outstanding Doctoral Recital from the University of Texas Butler School of Music. She holds a doctoral degree in flute performance from the University of Texas at Austin, a master’s degree from Boston University, and a bachelor’s degree from Sun Yat-Sen University (Taiwan).
Yevgeniy Reznik
Clarinet
Yevgeniy Reznik holds a doctorate in clarinet performance from the University of Texas at Austin, where he was recognized with an Outstanding Doctoral Recital. He won the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) Young Artist Woodwind Division Competition, State Competition, and Collegiate Competition. He attended as a fellow the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival – Yale School of Music, and ranked as top clarinetist and alternate to overall winner in the 2005 MTNA Young Artist Woodwind Division Competition in the state of Michigan. A native of Ukraine, he came to the United States at age 17 to attend Interlochen Arts Academy on a full scholarship.
Alistair Crawford
Trombone
Alistair Crawford has performed with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Melbourne Philharmonic, and the Melbourne Opera Orchestra, among others. He earned a bachelor of music with honors at the University of Melbourne and a graduate diploma of professional music practice at the University of Tasmania. When studying at the University of Melbourne, he received the Lady Turner Award for the most promising musician, and pursued later studies at the Australian National Academy of Music.
Linda Wang
Erhu
Linda Wang is a soloist with Shen Yun International Company. Raised in a musical family, she started learning both the erhu and violin at age 7, and has studied under several renowned erhuists. She attended San Francisco High School of the Arts in California before moving to New York. There she studied at Fei Tian Academy of the Arts and earned her Bachelor of Music from Fei Tian College, where she is also currently pursuing a Master of Music in Erhu Performance. One of Shen Yun’s musical prodigies, she has already participated in hundreds of performances with Shen Yun Performing Arts and Shen Yun Symphony Orchestra, including at the Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall, and many other celebrated venues.
Yu-Chien Yuan
Cello
A Shen Yun soloist, Yu-Chien Yuan began cello studies at a young age, winning many awards as a child. She graduated with high honors from Fei Tian Academy of the Arts in New York before earning a Bachelor of Music, summa cum laude, and a Master of Music in Cello Performance from Fei Tian College. She was the soloist in Shen Yun Symphony Orchestra’s recent recording of the Dvořák Cello Concerto.
I-Chen Huang
Cello
A graduate of L’École Normale de Musique de Paris, I-Chen Huang holds a bachelor’s degree in cello performance and a master’s degree in cello education, cello performance, and chamber music. She continued her studies at the Conservatoire à Rayonnement Régional de Paris, where she received Diplôme Supérieur in music education in 2010. She won second prize at the UFAM International Competition for chamber music in 2007, second place in the Kaohsiung City Piano Competition (Taiwan), and first place in the Taiwan National Music Composition Competition.
Debbie Jin
Concertmaster
Debbie Jin is a Shen Yun soloist and concertmaster with Shen Yun New York Company. Born in Sydney, Australia, she studied piano and violin starting at a young age, quickly developing a beautiful tone on the violin and remarkable virtuosity for her age. She resides in New York, where she is pursuing violin studies on a scholarship at Fei Tian Academy of the Arts. She won Gold Medal at the 2021 Fei Tian Music Competition, and was the soloist in Shen Yun’s recent recordings of The Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto and the Vieuxtemps Violin Concerto, and is one of the company’s outstanding young musical talents.
Davin Ma
Violin
In addition to violin, Davin Ma has also achieved high levels of proficiency in piano and clarinet. He studied violin at Fei Tian Academy of the Arts in New York and, prior to joining Shen Yun, performed extensively with the acclaimed Toronto-based Kindred Spirits Orchestra. He was the soloist in Shen Yun Symphony Orchestra’s recent recording of Bruch’s Scottish Fantasy.
Catherine Zhang
Concertmaster
Catherine Zhang is a Shen Yun soloist and concertmaster with Shen Yun Global Company. She first learned violin from her father in her native Sydney, before studying with renowned teachers in Australia and the United States. She has won four full scholarships to top music schools in Australia and the U.S., and is the second place winner (2015) in the Ryde Eisteddfod Open Age Solo Bach Competition as well as the Open Age Concerto Competition of the same year. She was the soloist in Shen Yun’s recent recording of the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto, has performed concertos at the Sydney Town Hall, been featured in television advertisements, and has been a frequent performer at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music Rising Star Program Concerts. In 2018, she accepted a scholarship from Fei Tian Academy of the Arts in New York and won Gold Medal at the 2021 Fei Tian Music Competition.
Freda Wang
Concertmaster
Freda Wang is a Shen Yun soloist and concertmaster with Shen Yun New Era Company. She grew up outside Washington, D.C in a musical family—her older sister, Linda Wang, is an accomplished erhu player with Shen Yun. Freda Wang had been a concertmaster in youth orchestras before accepting a scholarship from Fei Tian Academy of the Arts in New York. Upon graduating, she pursued advanced studies at Fei Tian College. She won Gold Medal at both the 2021 and 2022 Fei Tian Music Competition, and was the soloist in Shen Yun’s recent recording of the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto and is one of the company’s outstanding young musical talents.
Lillian Li
Concertmaster
Lillian Li is concertmaster with Shen Yun New World Company. Prior to joining Shen Yun she served as concertmaster with the College Park Youth Orchestra (2011-2014) in Maryland, received a scholarship to the National Philharmonic Orchestra Summer String Institute, and won awards at over 30 piano and violin competitions. She graduated with honors from Fei Tian Academy of the Arts before pursuing advanced studies at Fei Tian College, both in New York. A Gold Medal winner of the Fei Tian Music Competition, she was the soloist in Shen Yun’s recent recording of Lalo’s Symphonie espagnole.
Kate Li
Violin
Kate Li began learning the violin at the age of 4, studying with professors from the Royal College of Music and the Royal Academy of Music, both in England. At the age of 8, she was admitted to Chetham’s School of Music and awarded the Leverhulme Scholarship by the National Children’s Orchestra of Great Britain. She was then accepted into the Yehudi Menuhin School and studied there before successfully auditioning into Fei Tian Academy of the Arts in New York.
Kristy Kou
Concertmaster
Kristy Kou started learning music at the age of 5 and earned distinctions at multiple violin competitions. She studied with renowned violin teachers and then pursued advanced studies at Fei Tian College in New York. She has performed at the Casalmaggiore Music Festival in Italy and Musiktage am Rhein in Germany.
Louie Tsai
Violin
Louie Tsai started studying violin at a young age and has won multiple competitions in California and New York. He continued his studies at the New York-based Fei Tian Academy of the Arts and has toured with Shen Yun around the world.
Alexander Dardykin
Cello
Alexander Dardykin is the former principal cellist of the Russian Philharmonic Orchestra, Public Symphony Orchestra of Moscow, Moscow State Academy Symphony Orchestra, Russian Symphony Orchestra of Radio and Television, as well as the Taiwan Soloists Symphony Orchestra, among others. He has performed throughout Europe and Asia and taught at music schools in Moscow and Taiwan.
Daniel Cao
Violin
Daniel Cao studied at the New York-based Fei Tian Academy of the Arts. He is a Gold Medal winner of the 2022 Fei Tian Music Competition.
Rachel Chen
Viola
Born in Ann Arbor, MI, Rachel Chen grew up in Chicago, IL, where she began studying violin at age 6 and won multiple youth competitions in both violin and flute before becoming a violist. She graduated with honors from the New York-based Fei Tian Academy of the Arts and earned both her Bachelor of Music (magna cum laude) and Master of Music in Viola Performance from Fei Tian College. She was the soloist in Shen Yun Symphony Orchestra’s recent recording of Tchaikovsky’s Variations on a Rococo Theme.
Christopher Zhang
Viola
Christopher Zhang studied viola at the New York-based Fei Tian Academy of the Arts and won a Gold Medal at the 2022 Fei Tian Music Competition. He previously served as concertmaster of the Northern Academy of the Arts Orchestra, in New York.
