Yuhao-Zhan

Zhan Yuhao , born 3 October, 1981 is a Taiwanese musician. He is currently the in the Taiwanese music group Nan Quan Mama.

Biography

Zhan grew up in a single parent family, and began playing the piano at the age of 3. At a young age, Zhan's sister died. As a tribute to her, he wrote a song entitled "Disappear." He studied classical music at the National Taiwan University of Art, graduating in 2006.

Zhan starred in Jay Chou's recent movie "" as Howe, who is also known by his peers as the "Prince of Piano" due to his skills on the piano.

Apo Hsu

Apo Hsu is a born in Taiwan and resident of both Taiwan and the United States. Hsu serves as music director of the National Taiwan Normal University Symphony Orchestra and the Springfield Symphony Orchestra in Missouri. Her past appointments include serving as artistic director of The Women's Philharmonic in San Francisco, California, and conductor of the Oregon Mozart Players in , Oregon. She has been a mentor for many young conductors on both sides of the world through her work at NTNU and at The Conductor’s Institute at Bard College in . Her performances have been featured in national broadcasts in the United States , Taiwan , and Korea .

Concerts

Apo Hsu's international career encompasses a wide array of guest appearances, residencies, and tour performances. In the United States she has appeared as a guest conductor with the San Francisco Symphony, the National Symphony Orchestra , the Minnesota Orchestra, the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, the Oregon Symphony Orchestra, the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra, the Hartford Symphony Orchestra, the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra, the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra, the Interlochen Center for the Arts and many others. Hsu toured Brazil with the Women's Philharmonic in an Avon Women in Concert initiative highlighting the works of Brazilian poet Vinícius de Moraes. She has conducted in Irkutsk, Russia, as a featured conductor. She has appeared on Asia-Pacific stages as guest conductor with 's Sung Nam Philharmonic Orchestra, Prime Philharmonic Orchestra, and KBS Symphony Orchestra , and in tour performances with the NTNU Symphony in the cities of Brisbane, Sydney and Canberra. She appears regularly on concert stages in her native Taiwan, including recent guest appearances with the Kaohsiung City Symphony Orchestra and National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra and special appearances with the Festival Orchestra for the 2003 Summer Presidential Concert and the Presidential Holiday Concerts .

Programs and Recordings

Apo Hsu has earned acclaim for her flair with both Asian and European musical idioms. She and The Women’s Philharmonic received four consecutive Awards for Adventurous Programming from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers and the American Symphony Orchestra League. With this group Ms Hsu recorded symphonic music by African-American composer Florence Price for the Koch International Classics label in 2001. A recording of the repertoire of her 2007 Formosa Dreaming American tour program with NTNU performing artists, featuring the music of Tyzen Hsiao and Fan-Long Ko, is planned for release in 2008.

Teaching

As head of the conducting studio at Apo Hsu plays a leading role in the training of Taiwan's next generation of conductors. In North America she appears regularly as a faculty member at The Conductor's Institute at Bard College. She has served on the faculty for the American Symphony Orchestra League Conducting Workshops, National Youth Orchestra Festival 2000, the Oklahoma Summer Arts Institute 2002 and 2004, and the 2007 All State Orchestra in New Mexico. She has served as a Music Review Panelist for the National Endowment for the Arts for Meet The Composer in New York City.

Education

Apo Hsu received her BA in piano from the National Taiwan Normal University. Her graduate studies in the US began at the Hartt School of Music in Connecticut where she studied double bass performance with Gary Karr. She earned an MM in double bass performance as well as an Artist Diploma in Conducting with conductor Charles Bruck. She attended the Pierre Monteaux Domaine School in Maine for Advanced Conductors, The Conductor’s Institute in with Harold Farberman, and the Aspen Music Festival in Colorado with Murry Sidlin.

Chihchun Chi-sun Lee

Chihchun Chi-sun Lee is a composer of contemporary classical music. Dr. Lee is originally from , and is currently on the faculty of the University of South Florida, in Tampa, USA, She received a from , two masters’ degrees from Ohio University, and a bachelor’s degree from Soochow University in Taiwan. Her teachers included , William Bolcom, Bright Sheng, and Loong-Hsing Wen. She has previously taught music at Johnson County Community College, Washburn University, Rhodes College, and the University of Michigan, and is currently on the faculty of the University of South Florida.

She has received numerous honors; these include winning the 1st Brandenburg Biennial Composers Competition, the Harvard Fromm Music Fellowship, Taiwan National Culture and Arts Foundation commissions, Theodore Front Prize from International Alliance for Women in Music, ISCM/League of Composers Competition, International Festival of Women Composers Composition Prize, Florida Artist Enhancement Grant, Arts Council of Hillsborough County Individual Artist Grant, the SCI/ASCAP Student Composer Commission, the Hong Kong Chou Scholarship, the Joyce Dutka Arts Foundation, the "Music Taipei" award, the Fresh Ink Orchestral Composition Competition, the Margaret Blackburn Competition, NACUSA, the Taiwan Environmental Protection Bureau Music Contest, the Taiwan Provincial Music Competition, the Taiwan National Songwriting Prize, a Taiwan International Community Radio grant, and the Taiwan International Young Composers Competition. Some of her most significant premiers have included her Concerto for Zheng in Carnegie Hall, and a concert dedicated to her music in Taiwan National Concert Hall. In addition, her music has had numerous performances and broadcasts worldwide in Australia, Austria, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, , France, Germany, Hawaii, the Netherlands, the Philippines, Poland, Singapore, Taiwan, Costa Rica, Ukraine, and around the continental United States. She has previously taught at Johnson County Community College, Washburn University, Rhodes College, and the University of Michigan. Her works appear on CDs from the Albany/Capstone label, ERMedia’s Masterworks, NACUSA and Celebrity Music Pte. Ltd. in Singapore. Publications related to Lee’s music can be found in 20th Century Asian Composers’ Biographies, World Music: Traditions and Transformations, and New Discover for the Zheng Music in Taiwan. She is fluent in composing for all instrumental and vocal medium and also has done significant work with indigenous instrument groups, such as Chai Found Music Workshop, Music From China, the Taiwan National , the Taipei Chinese traditional orchestra and other Chinese instrumentalists, including zheng virtuoso, Haiqiong Deng.

Lee’s recent reviews can be found in Gramophone and Newspaper reviews from “Preu?enspiegel”, Brandenburger Wochenblatt , M?rkische Allgemeine, and M?rkische Allgemeine Brandenburger Stadtkurier from Germany

Hebe Tien

Tien Fu-chen, more commonly known as Hebe, is a Taiwanese singer, actress and host, notable as a member of the Taiwanese pop girl group S.H.E.

Biography

Hebe Tien was encouraged to participate in the show 'Cruel Stage' by its workers. During the first round, her voice started breaking while singing 'Return Home'. Hebe decided to sing a song with a lower key in the final round.

However, because she was unfamiliar with that song, which happens to be Singaporean singer Kit Chan's "Loving You" or "Xi Huan Ni" , she forgot about ten seconds worth of lyrics in the finals, messing up her performance.

Nonetheless, the manager appreciated her straight personality and powerful vocals. Therefore, Hebe became part of S.H.E, and along with Selina Ren and Ella Chen, were signed under the Taiwanese record label HIM International Music.

Solos

*During her career with S.H.E, Hebe has sung two solo songs for her band's albums, "Too Much" and "Someone Loves You Instead of Me" ; both songs are on S.H.E's first album, '''' .

*For two Taiwanese drama soundtracks, Hebe recorded two solos, namely "Ferris Wheel" , for the , and ''Too Late'' , for the Bull Fighting Soundtrack.

*Hebe has sung a modified version of ''Love Has Come'' for the show Bull Fighting's Episode 14. The video can be viewed here:

Duets

*Hebe was the featured artiste in 's song, "Only Have Feelings For You" . The song was initially recorded for the Tokyo Juliet OST , but has found a place in Fahrenheit's first album, which is self-titled.

*Hebe and Fahrenheit's duet has also been featured in several of S.H.E's concerts, notably in S.H.E's Singapore 2007 'Moving Castle' Concert as well as S.H.E's Taipei 'Moving Castle' Concert 2006.

*At the 2007 Sprite Music Hong Kong Awards, "Only Have Feelings For You" earned Fahrenheit and Hebe the award for Taiwan's Best Duet Song.

Concert Solos and Duets

*Hebe played a drum solo as one of the segments of the Perfect 3 World Tour concerts.

*Hebe has also done several solo songs for S.H.E's concerts, including ''She's The One'' by Robbie Williams, "Xuan Mu" or 旋木 by Faye Wong, as well as Na Ying's "Meng Xing Le" , which was also later covered by Faye Wong.

*Hebe also sang "Gotta Love" with Wilber Pan during S.H.E's China portion of their Perfect 3 World Tour.

Filmography

TV Appearances and Hosting Experiences

*Hebe has appeared on Taiwanese television before she became a celebrity, when she was a 16 years old girl on Jacky Wu's Guess Guess Guess show, where she also showed her ability to play the flute.

*Hebe has also hosted 'Guess Guess Guess' as well as 'Happy Sunday' along with her bandmates.

Guest Appearances on Other Artistes' Music Videos

*Hebe has appeared on Z-Chen's ''Cap Girl'' MV, where she is the female character in the video.

*Hebe has also appeared in Jay Chou's MV for ''Tui Hou'' from his ''Still Fantasy'' Album.

Music Compositions

*In S.H.E's 3rd album ''The Genesis'' , Hebe wrote the rap lyrics for the song 你快樂我隨意 ''Ni Kuai Le Wo Sui Yi''.

*In S.H.E's 10th album ''Play'', Hebe wrote the lyrics for the song ''Say You Love Me'' .

*In the ''Bull Fighting'' Original Soundtrack, Hebe wrote the lyrics for the song ''Not Enough Time'' .

Product Endorsements

*Hebe is the official spokesperson for the Swedish Dental Company Nobel Biocare in all of Asia.

Trivia

*Hebe is able to play the piano and had learnt to play for seven years when she was a child. In fact, she plays the piano solo at the beginning of the music video for "What has happened to us" .

*Hebe stars in the successful drama ''Bull Fighting'' starring Mike He and Lee Wei as the male leads, and Hebe is playing a landlord's daughter. The idol drama has ended its successful run in both Taiwan and Singapore, and the hit show is currently being shown in Mainland China, Hong Kong and Malaysia.

*Hebe is a part-owner of a Mexican-American restaurant named Sunny Day in her hometown, Hsinchu City that is operated by her elder brother.

JerryC

JerryC , also known by his English name Jerry Chang, is a guitarist and composer. He is best known for his song "", a rock arrangement of Johann Pachelbel's . He began playing the guitar at the age of 17, and the piano before age 15. His style is influenced by classical music, guitarists, as well as melodic metal bands such as Helloween and L'Arc~en~Ciel.

Canon Rock

His most famous work, "", became an internet sensation after South Korean guitarist Jeong-Hyun Lim performed a cover version in 2005. The song has garnered much media attention; his rendition has been featured on newspapers, blogs, television shows and radios worldwide. The video can be seen and downloaded on his official website, along with his many other musical endeavors.

Chang was featured in the profiles section of the January 2007 issue of ''Guitar World'' magazine, along with a tab transcription of "Canon Rock" in the featured songs sections.



At the height of its popularity, "Canon Rock" was one of the top 10 downloaded guitar s on the Ultimate Guitar Archive, and currently is one of the most viewed videos on the popular website YouTube.

Recording contract

Chang has signed a recording contract with Taiwanese label HIM International Music. Although no official announcement was made by HIM, the company began creating a website for Chang in 2007.

Kessier Hsu

Kessier Hsu is a Taiwanese composer and is the lead guitar of the power metal band .

Liang Tsai-Ping

Liang Tsai-Ping was a master of the ''guzheng'', a Chinese traditional zither. He is considered one of the 20th century's most important players and scholars of the instrument.

Early career

At age 14, Liang moved to Beijing, where he began his studies with Professors Ying-mei Shih and Tze-you Wei . After printing his first work, ''Ni Cheng Pu'' '''', a guzheng teaching manual in 1938, he brought his instruments and conferred with several masters and companies. He graduated from Beijing Jiaotong University, majoring in applied science.

He moved to Taiwan in 1949, where he lived for the rest of his life. He worked in the Ministry of Commerce while continuing his musical activities. Liang had much to do with the revival of the ''guzheng'' in the 20th century, helping to establish the instrument as one of the major Chinese traditional solo instruments, as well as a component of the Chinese orchestra. Throughout his life, he preferred the older steel string version of the instrument. For 25 years, he served as the president of the Chinese Classical Music Association, which was organized in Taipei in 1951.

In addition to performing on the ''guzheng'', he researched the instrument's history and repertoire, studying the playing of elder ''guzheng'' masters from various parts of China, learning and comparing their styles.

He also created new works for the instrument. In 1951, following the release of his first composition, ''Longing for an Old Friend'', he composed more than forty pieces for the ''guzheng''. His book, ''Music of the Cheng'', has been published in six editions.

International tours

Liang performed widely throughout the world. He first performed in India while on his way to the United States. While at Yale University in 1945-46, he introduced a performance on the "China Program" with the American writer Emily Hahn, on . A colorful sound film called ''Melody of Ancient China'' was produced for him by the Harmon Foundation in 1946. Under the sponsorship of Pearl S. Buck, Liang gave solo performances in several major U.S. cities.

He traveled to Japan in 1952, where he was greeted by the renowned player Michio Miyagi, and also traveled to Seoul, Korea, performing at Sarabul Art College and the The National Center for Korean Traditional Performing Arts.

Liang introduced the ''guzheng'' at the First Southeast Asia Music Conference in Manila, Philippines in 1955. He performed in ten European nations in 1958, participated in the International Music Symposium in Manila, and served as the Chief Delegate of the Republic of China in April 1966. Under the sponsorship of the Honolulu Academy of Arts, he performed and lectured on seven U.S. college campuses in May 1967.

For the Asia Society in New York, he directed the Shantung Music Ensemble in 50 recitals in the United States in the spring of 1972. Invited by the overseas Chinese Teachers Federation, Liang performed in Singapore and in four cities of Malaysia, Bangkok, and Hong Kong in 1973.

Invited by the Performing Arts Programs, Asia Society, Liang conducted a three-month recital and lecture tour to Japan, Canada, and the United States in the spring of 1974.

Students

Among Liang's students was the composer Lou Harrison , who became the first American to become a proficient ''guzheng'' performer, and also a composer of idiomatic music for the instrument. In the 1960s, Harrison went on to form a trio which toured the United States playing traditional Chinese music, the first American group of its type.

Liang's son is the scholar and composer David Mingyue Liang.

Books by Liang Tsai-Ping

*Liang, Tsai-Ping . ''On Chinese Music''. Taipei, Taiwan.
*Liang, Tsai-Ping, ed. . ''Chinese Musical Instruments & Pictures''. Taipei, Taiwan: Chinese Classical Music Association.
*Liang, Tsai-Ping . ''Music of Cheng, Chinese 16-Stringed Zither''. : Chinese Classical Music Association.

Discography

*Liang, Tsai-Ping. ''Chinese Masterpieces for the Cheng''. LP. Lyrichord.
*''China's Instrumental Heritage''. CD. Lyrichord Discs. Recorded c. 1960.
*Liang, Tsai-ping. ''The Chinese Cheng: Ancient and Modern''. CD. Lyrichord Discs.