Faculty Directory

Our faculty have been educated at institutions, and through hands-on experience, around the world.

Christina Li

Assistant Professor, Chair

Department: Dance

Areas: Classical Chinese Dance, Choreography

Biography

A talented and distinguished artist, Christina Li graduated from Fei Tian College with high honors before going on to earn an MFA degree in classical Chinese dance. She was a principal dancer with Shen Yun Performing Arts for more than ten years, during which time she participated in and received awards in a number of international dance competitions. Specializing in the field of classical Chinese dance, she is presently a choreographer with Shen Yun Performing Arts and is serving as the Chair of the Fei Tian College department of dance.

H. Sue Guo

Professor

Department: Dance

Areas: Classical Chinese Dance, Pedagogy

Biography

[Retires in May 2022] Professor Guo has extensive experience and knowledge in the areas of dance education, classical Chinese dance, Chinese ethnic and folk dance, ballet, and performing arts. She has spent over four decades training and raising a new generation of leaders in the field of classical Chinese dance. She served as a Board Member of the Guangdong Province Dancers Association and was a professor at South China Normal University. She was the dance director of Central South Ensemble of Drama and Dance (China) until 2005, and the artistic director of Central South College of Fine Arts (China) until 2000. Previous to that she was a principal dancer with China Performing Arts Troupe and with Central South Ensemble of Drama and Dance for over 25 years. She graduated with top honors from Central South College of Fine Arts in 1954 and went on to train at Peking Opera Theatre of Beijing. She joined the dance faculty at Fei Tian College in 2011.

Vina Lee

Professor

Department: Dance

Areas: Classical Chinese Dance, Performance

Biography

Vina Lee brings a wide range of professional international experience to her post. Among her many achievements, she was a choreographer for Shen Yun Performing Arts, ballet instructor at McDonald College (Australia), dance instructor at the Aboriginal Dance Theatre, principal dancer with Guangdong Dance Theatre (China), and dancer with Sydney Dance Company. She is a graduate of the Beijing Academy of Dance. Today she is the President of Fei Tian College, and has been a member of the dance faculty since 2011.

Tia Zhang

Professor

Department: Dance

Areas: Classical Chinese Dance, Pedagogy

Biography

Tia Zhang taught for over twenty years at the National Ballet School of Canada and was an assessor for the Canada Council for the Arts. She is also a former principal dancer with the National Ballet of China. She graduated in the inaugural class of the Beijing Academy of Dance where she went on to become an instructor. She has been a member of the dance faculty since 2011.

Yung-Chia Chen

Associate Professor

Department: Dance

Areas: Chinese Folk & Ethnic Dances, Choreography

Biography

Yungchia Chen specializes in Chinese ethnic and folk dance. He is a former lecturer in dance at his alma mater Central University for Nationalities in Beijing. Before coming to the United States, he was a council member of the Dance Association of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Trained in classical Chinese and folk dance, along with ballet, he won first place in the 2007 NTD International Classical Chinese Dance Competition, the International Cultural Exchange Award (top honor) and the Silver Medal in choreography at Japan’s Kitakyushu International Dance Competition, as well as both the Silver Medal (performance) and the Gardener Award (pedagogy) in China’s National Peach and Plum Cup Dance Competition. He has been a member of the dance faculty at Fei Tian College since 2011, and is also a choreographer with Shen Yun Performing Arts.

Gu Xuan

Associate Professor

Department: Dance

Areas: Chinese Folk & Ethnic Dances, Choreography

Biography

Gu Xuan is a graduate of the Capital Normal University as well as the Department of Chinese Folk Dance at the prestigious Beijing Dance Academy. He received extensive training in classical Chinese dance, Chinese ethnic and folk dance, and other dance forms, and was the Gold Medalist in the Adult Male Division in Dance at the First National Vocal Music, Instrumental Music, and Dance Competition (China) in 2004. Gu Xuan is experienced in both performance and choreography, and has performed around the world with Shen Yun as a principal dancer and choreographer.

Gu Yuan

Associate Professor

Department: Dance

Areas: Choreography, Classical Chinese Dance

Biography

Gu Yuan began studying at Beijing Academy of Dance at age 11, later majoring in classical Chinese dance and graduating with high honors. He served as a principal dancer with China Opera and Dance Theater for 10 years. Gu Yuan is the winner of multiple top national dance competition prizes (China), including the Bronze Medal in dance and the Gold Medal in choreography at the Peach and Plum Cup Dance Competition, Honorable Mention at China’s National Dance Competition, and first place at the National Dance Drama Competition of China.

Gu Yun

Associate Professor

Department: Dance

Areas: Classical Chinese Dance, Pedagogy, Choreography

Biography

Gu Yun has won multiple national-level dance competitions in China, including first prize (for adult male teams) at the National Peach and Plum Cup Dance Competition (China) in 2003 and the Outstanding Teacher Award at the same competition in 2006, first prize (for trio dance) at Beijing’s 8th Annual Dance Competition in 2005, first prize at the 1st National Collegiate Dance Competition (China) in 2005, and first prize (for solo dance) at Shandong Province’s 5th Annual Dance Competition in 2001. He is a graduate of Beijing Academy of Dance, where he went on to become an instructor for the resident dance company. He is a member of the dance faculty at Fei Tian College since 2011, and is also a choreographer for Shen Yun Performing Arts.

Xuejun Wang

Associate Professor

Department: Dance

Areas: Classical Chinese Dance, Pedagogy

Biography

Xuejun Wang is a former principal dancer with Guangzhou Ballet (China), Guangdong Dance Theatre (China), and for 13 years with Sydney Dance Company. Previous to that he danced with Sydney Festival Ballet and won first prize at the Guangzhou Pro Dance Competition in 1984. He graduated from the Central University for Nationalities (China) and Beijing Academy of Dance. He joined the dance faculty at Fei Tian College in 2011.

Xian Yuan

Associate Professor

Department: Dance

Areas: Chinese Folk & Ethnic Dances

Biography

Xian Yuan is a graduate of the Beijing Dance Academy, where she went on to become an instructor and professor. By the time she joined the dance faculty at Fei Tian College, she had more than 20 years’ experience in dance education with a specialty in Educational Psychology and Pedagogy Best Practices. She was also a member of the Chinese Dance National Judge Committee and served as a judge in numerous international dance competitions in Asia and the Pacific. Her achievements also extend to choreography, for which she won awards in multiple national-level competitions in China, including the Peach and Plum Cup Dance Competition. In 2008, she was selected to be part of the team responsible for the choreography and training of dancers for the opening and closing ceremonies at the Beijing Olympics.

Chad Chen

Assistant Professor

Department: Dance

Areas: Classical Chinese Dance, Choreography

Biography

Chad Chen has been a principal dancer with Shen Yun Performing Arts for over a decade. He is the gold award winner of the 2010, 2012, and 2018 NTD International Classical Chinese Dance Competitions. He graduated with the highest distinction (summa cum laude) from the BFA in classical Chinese dance program at Fei Tian College where he later earned his MFA with a focus on choreography. Over his career, he has choreographed for and coached many award-winning dancers.

William Li

Assistant Professor

Department: Dance

Areas: Classical Chinese Dance, Pedagogy

Biography

William Li is a professional classical Chinese dancer and dance instructor. He graduated with honors from the BFA in classical Chinese dance program at Fei Tian College, where he went on to earn the MFA in Classical Chinese Dance with a focus on pedagogy. He has taught dance at multiple schools and has coached many award-winning dancers. He is the gold award recipient in the teachers’ division of the Fei Tian Academy of the Arts Dance Competition and the silver award recipient in the NTD International Classical Chinese Dance Competition. He is also a principal dancer with Shen Yun Performing Arts, with which he has performed for over 14 years in more than 1,500 shows around the world.

Melody Qin

Assistant Professor

Department: Dance

Areas: Classical Chinese Dance

Biography

Melody Qin earned the BFA and MFA in Classical Chinese dance from Fei Tian College, where she focused on performance. She has been a principal dancer with Shen Yun Performing Arts for more than ten years. She is the gold award winner in the adult female division of the 2012 NTD International Classical Chinese Dance Competition.

Angelia Wang

Assistant Professor

Department: Dance

Areas: Classical Chinese Dance, Pedagogy

Biography

Angelia Wang has been a principal dancer with Shen Yun Performing Arts for over a decade. She is the gold prize winner of the 2009, 2010, and 2012 NTD International Classical Chinese Dance Competitions. She earned her BFA and MFA in Classical Chinese Dance from Fei Tian College, where she focused on performance.

Hsiao-Hung Lin

Instructor

Department: Dance

Areas: Classical Chinese Dance

Biography

Hsiao-Hung Lin graduated with the highest distinction (summa cum laude) from the BFA in classical Chinese dance program at Fei Tian College where she later earned her MFA. She is a two-time gold award winner in the NTD International Classical Chinese Dance Competition, having captured both the junior female division (2012) and the adult female division (2014). Known for her elegance and ability to connect with audiences, she has often performed in lead roles throughout her career as a principal dancer with Shen Yun Performing Arts.

Albert Yang

Instructor

Department: Dance

Areas: Classical Chinese Dance

Biography

Albert Yang graduated with honors from the BFA program in classical Chinese dance at Fei Tian College, where he went on to earn his MFA. He is a principal dancer with Shen Yun Performing Arts, with which he has performed for over a decade in top theaters around the world. He is a silver award winner in the NTD International Classical Chinese Dance Competition.

Yue Yu

Instructor

Department: Dance

Areas: Special Techniques in Chinese Dance

Biography

Yue Yu is a graduate of the Dalian Art School in China with over 20 years’ experience performing Peking opera. He is a tumbling specialist who has taught the technique of tumbling in various art schools in China, Japan, and the United States.

Michelle Ren

Adjunct Associate Professor

Department: Dance

Areas: Classical Chinese Dance, Choreography, Pedagogy

Biography

Michelle Ren began training in artistic gymnastics at age 6. At China’s National Artistic Gymnastics Competition she took fourth place, and at Liaoning province’s Peace and Plum Cup Dance Competition she took first prize (youth division). She was later second runner-up in the national Popular Culture Award Competition of China. In 2007, she won first place at the 2007 NTD International Classical Chinese Dance Competition.

Peijong Hsieh

Associate Professor, Chair

Department: Music

Areas: Piano

Biography

Peijong Hsieh brings a wealth of professional performance, management, and teaching experience to her post as the Music Department Chair of Fei Tian College since 2020. She was a production manager and pianist with Shen Yun Performing Arts since its founding, with which she performed in many of the world’s great venues. Professor Hsieh earned her bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in piano performance from Boston University and Peabody Institute of The Johns Hopkins University, respectively.

Guimin Guan

Professor

Department: Music

Areas: Voice

Biography

Guimin Guan is widely regarded as one of China’s most celebrated tenors. He has taught vocal studies at the China Conservatory of Music and the International Technological University in California. He was named a National Performer of the First Rank by China’s Ministry of Culture. He is also a former tenor soloist with the Chinese Film Orchestra and has recorded over 50 film and television soundtracks. He is a graduate of the Voice and Opera Department of the China Conservatory of Music (Professional Diploma). He joined the music faculty at Fei Tian College in 2014.

Chia-Chi Lin

Professor

Department: Music

Areas: Strings, Conducting, Chamber Music

Biography

Chai-Chi Lin studied at Rice University and the Peabody Conservatory at John’s Hopkins University. She is a former principal second violinist of the Honolulu Symphony Orchestra, and former first violinist in the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra (1992-2008). In 2006, she joined Shen Yun Performing Arts, serving first as concertmaster and then as conductor.

Susan Liu

Professor

Department: Music

Areas: Music Theory & History, Piano Performance

Biography

Dr. Liu is a professor of applied piano, music theory, and music history, as well as an accomplished piano and guzheng (Chinese zither) performer. She is also a prolific composer: many of her works have been featured worldwide in the performances of Shen Yun Performing Arts. She holds a D.M.A. from The University of Texas at Austin and an M.M. from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. She taught and performed piano in Texas for many years with her students receiving many high honors and awards in competitions. Professor Liu herself was a recipient of a NISOD Teaching and Leadership Excellence Award in recognition of her outstanding pedagogical achievements. She is also an active adjudicator for various piano competitions and was invited to arrange the commissioned piece for the 2016 NTDTV International Piano Competition. Dr. Liu has been a member of the music faculty at Fei Tian College since 2016, teaching both theoretical and applied music.

Becky Yao

Professor

Department: Music

Areas: Piano

Biography

Becky Yao has extensive teaching and performance experience throughout New York, Korea, and the southeastern United States. After earning her B.A. in Music from the renowned Xinghai Conservatory of Music in China, she studied for four years with Seymour Lipkin at the Manhattan School of Music on a full scholarship. A former teacher of piano and music appreciation at North Georgia State University, she earned her M.M. in Piano Performance from Georgia State University, where she also took first prize at a piano concerto competition. From 2008-2009, she was the jury member of the NTDTV International Chinese Piano Competition, and she chaired the jury panel for the NTDTV International Piano Competition in 2014 and 2016, and 2019. Since 2012, Professor Yao has been a member of the music faculty at Fei Tian College.

I-Chen Huang

Associate Professor

Department: Music

Areas: Strings, Chamber Music

Biography

I-Chen Huang is the second-prize winner of the UFAM International Chamber Music Competition (Paris) in 2007, the Kaohsiung Regional Cello Competition (Taiwan), and the Kaohsiung Regional Junior Piano Competition (Taiwan), and first prize winner of the National Junior Composition Competition (Taiwan). She received the Diplôme Supérieur d’etude from the Conservatoire à Rayonnement Régional de Paris where she studied with Marcel Bardon. She also holds an M.M. and B.M. from L’Ecole Normale de Musique de Paris where she studied cello performance, and chamber music. She is also a graduate of the Tainan National University of the Arts (Taiwan). She joined the music faculty at Fei Tian College in 2011.

Lisha Li

Associate Professor

Department: Music

Areas: Music Theory & History, Composition, Pipa

Biography

Lisha Li received her M.Phil and D.Phil (A.B.D.) from Oxford University, where she was named the Moberly Graduate Scholar. She specializes in cross-cultural music, ethnomusicology, and composition. Before joining the music faculty of Fei Tian College in 2012, she taught graduate-level Chinese music theory at London University. She contributed to three music research books on Chinese music published in China, and she has published over 30 academic papers in leading journals in China and also in worldwide publishing houses, including ‘Year book of Ethnomusicology’ (U.S.A.).

She is a prize winner of several composition competitions in China and has composed over 500 pieces for CD/DVD published in the United Kingdom and the United States including CD/DVDs of the London Chinese Orchestra (UK), Shen Yun Performing Arts, and the Shen Yun Symphony Orchestra. She has composed for several films and dance dramas in the United Kingdom and the United States, including the 9-category Oscar winning film “The Last Emperor.”

Yi-Chin Lin

Associate Professor

Department: Music

Areas: Ear Training, Piano

Biography

Yi-Chin Lin is the first prize winner of the 93rd Taipei City Music Competition (2004). She holds an M.M. from the Institute of Music of the National Chiao Tung University (Taiwan) and a B.M. from Taipei Municipal University of Education. She trained under flutists William Bennett and Christian Cheret. She joined the faculty at Fei Tian College in 2011.

James Geiger

Assistant Professor

Department: Music

Areas: Music Theory & History, Trumpet

Biography

James Geiger is a graduate of the College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati where he earned a B.M. in trumpet performance. While there he studied with Alan Siebert (Dayton Philharmonic) and Philip Collins (Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra). During the summers he attended Eastern Music Festival studying with Mark Niehaus (Milwaukee Symphony), the Opera, Theater and Music Festival of Lucca, Italy studying with Marie Speziale (Rice University), and the Chautauqua Music Festival studying with Chuck Berginc (Phoenix Symphony). He earned his M.M. in Trumpet performance from the University of South Carolina School of Music where he studied with James Ackley. After earning his Master’s, he was offered the position of Graduate Assistant at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA) where he studied with Judith Saxton and completed the one year Professional Artist Certificate program, for which he received the Gradate Achievement Award for Excellence in Performance. He has performed with the Charleston Symphony (SC) and Salisbury Symphony (NC). He joined Shen Yun Performing Arts in 2013 and has been on the music faculty of Fei Tian College since 2018 where he teaches music theory and Western music history.

Chia-Jung Lee

Assistant Professor

Department: Music

Areas: Music Theory & History, Winds

Biography

Dr. Lee has won numerous awards including first alternate at the 2011 Orchestral Excerpts Competition of the National Flute Association, second prize at the National Young Artist Competition at the Mid-South Flute Festival in 2010, first prize at the University of Texas Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition in 2010, and first prize at the Kaohsiung City Music Competition (Taiwan). She earned a D.M.A. on full assistantship from The University of Texas at Austin, an M.M. on scholarship from Boston University, and a B.F.A. on scholarship from National Sun Yat-Sen University (Taiwan). She joined the music faculty at Fei Tian College in 2014.

Yevgeniy Reznik

Assistant Professor

Department: Music

Areas: Winds, Chamber Music

Biography

Praised for his “round, gorgeous sound” by The Austin Chronicle, Yevgeniy Reznik has been a member of Shen Yun Performing Arts since 2012. Winner of the Young Artist Music Teachers National Association Woodwind Division Competition, State Competition and Collegiate Competition, Yevgeniy was the only clarinet finalist in the National Young Artist Woodwind Competition in Denver, Colorado, 2008. As a performer Yevgeniy have collaborated with distinguished musicians such as members of the Tokyo String Quartet, pianists Andre-Michel Schub and Anton Nel, violist Ettore Causa.

An active educator, Yevgeniy has held a two-year appointment as a Graduate Teaching Assistant at The University of Texas-Austin, where he earned his D.M.A., and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln where he also was a recipient of the Centennial Fellowship and was on the faculty of the Cornerstone Academy of Clarinet. A recipient of the 2011 Ellen Battell Stoeckel Fellowship from the Yale School of Music, Yevgeniy attended Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, one of the most selective music programs of that kind in the World. He was ranked as top clarinetist and alternate to overall winner in the 2005 Young Artist MTNA Competition in the state of Michigan. A native of Ukraine, he attended both – Interlochen Arts Academy and Grand Valley State University on full scholarship. His primary teachers were Valeriy Altukhov, Nathan Williams, Artur Campbell and Diane Barger. He joined the music faculty of Fei Tian College in 2014.

Eric Robins

Assistant Professor

Department: Music

Areas: Music Theory, Trumpet

Biography

Eric Robins has been a trumpeter with Shen Yun Performing Arts since 2012, and was a soloist with the Shen Yun Symphony Orchestra. Eric earned his B.M. from the University of Illinois studying with Dr. Michael Ewald and Prof. Ronald Romm. Eric completed his M.M. from The New England Conservatory where he studied with Ben Wright. While pursuing an Artist Diploma from Rutgers University under the tutelage of David Krauss, Eric won the position of principal trumpet in the Daegu Symphony Orchestra (South Korea).

As an orchestral musician, Eric has performed with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Boston Pops Orchestra, the Gardener Chamber Orchestra, Sinfonia da Camera, the Round Top Festival Orchestra, and the orchestra of the National Orchestra Institute. Eric has been a soloist with the Shen Yun Symphony Orchestra, the Daegu Symphony Orchestra, the Masan Symphony Orchestra, and A Far Cry Chamber Orchestra.

As a music educator, during each stage of his musical career, Eric has been dedicated to teaching trumpet lessons to all ages and abilities. More recently, Eric joined the music faculty at the Fei Tian College in upstate New York where he teaches music theory.

Jurai Kukan

Teaching Specialist

Department: Music

Areas: Double Bass, Chamber Music

Biography

Juraj Kukan received his bachelor’s degree in double bass performance from the Prague Conservatoire in the Czech Republic and his master’s degree from the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, England. He has freelanced with the Czech Philharmonic, Hallé Orchestra, the BBC Philharmonic, and Mahler Chamber Orchestra (Germany).

Fan Li

Teaching Specialist

Department: Music

Areas: Violin, Chamber Music

Biography

Fan Li is a professional violinist specializing in baroque music. She has over ten years’ combined experience performing with such orchestras as Beijing Symphony Orchestra, National Ballet of China, China National Opera, court orchestra of Mannheim, and Main-Barockorchester Frankfurt. She is a graduate of Frankfurt University of Music and Performing Arts in Germany (postgraduate studies) and Xi’an Conservatory of Music in China.

Sheung-Tzu Ma

Teaching Specialist

Department: Music

Areas: Piano, Composition

Biography

Sheung-Tsz Ma is a gifted pianist, piano instructor, and musical arranger. She was an adjunct lecturer in the Music and Fine Arts Department of Hong Kong Baptist College. She is also a former pianist with the Shanghai Philharmonic Society. She is a graduate of the Shanghai Conservatory of Affiliated Secondary Professional Music School (Professional Diploma). She joined the faculty at Fei Tian College in 2012.

Ching-Ya Mahlen

Teaching Specialist

Department: Music

Areas: Piano

Biography

Ching-Ya Mahlen is a professional collaborative pianist with expertise in accompanying classical Chinese dance as well as bel canto singing in the Chinese language and various instrumental soloists. In particular, she has an in-depth sensitivity in combining traditional Chinese music with western classical piano accompaniment. She has been an on-stage piano accompanist with Shen Yun Performing Arts for over a decade. She is currently a part-time teaching specialist for the Department of Music.

Shao-Yi Deng

Adjunct Teaching Specialist

Department: Music

Areas: Harp

Biography

Shao-Yi Deng has been honored as a National Second-Class Performer of China. She was a member of the Pearl River Film Production Company Orchestra of Guangdong Province for 17 years, and has recorded the soundtrack for more than a hundred films and television documentaries.

Janara Khassenova

Adjunct Teaching Specialist

Department: Music

Areas: Piano

Biography

Originally from Kazakhstan, pianist Janara Khassenova is a graduate of the Moscow State Conservatory where she completed her postgraduate studies. While in the United States, she completed an Artist Diploma Program in Piano Performance and Chamber Music from the Longy School of Music. She has performed as a soloist and with chamber ensembles and orchestras in countries of the former Soviet Union, Italy, Greece, as well as the United States.

Brian Marple

Adjunct Teaching Specialist

Department: Music

Areas: Percussion

Biography

Brian Marple is a versatile and highly skilled percussionist who got his musical start on the drumset at age 10. He studied for years with internationally renowned jazz performer Steve Grover before transitioning to classical music, studying both Western and Chinese traditional percussion. Today he is a percussionist of the Shen Yun Symphony Orchestra. Brian earned his M.A. from George Washington University, and his B.A. from the Department of East Asian Languages & Cultures at Georgetown University.

Pavlo Baishev

Affiliated Associate Professor

Department: Music

Areas: Trombone, Bass Trombone

Biography

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 2002 International Competition of Young Performers (Ukraine), and second place winner of the 2004 Ukrainian National Competition for Brass and Percussion, 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.

Alexander Dardykin

Affiliated Teaching Specialist

Department: Music

Areas: Cello

Biography

Alexander Dardykin began learning piano at age four and cello at age eight. He has been invited to serve as principal cellist of the Russian Philharmonic Orchestra, with which he made over 200 recordings, Moscow State Symphony Orchestra, and the Taiwan Soloist Symphony Orchestra, among others. He earned his Diploma from the Gnessin Russian Academy of Music.

Chunlin Gu

Affiliated Teaching Specialist

Department: Music

Areas: Oboe

Biography

One of the few oboists of his generation in China to obtain the honor of “First-Class Performer,” Chunlin Gu served as the principal oboe of the Henan Opera, from which he earned his professional diploma, and was a member of several prestigious music associations in China. Over the years, many of his students have been admitted into China’s top music conservatories and become professional oboists.

Sergey Loginov

Affiliated Teaching Specialist

Department: Music

Areas: French Horn

Biography

Sergey Loginov is an award-winning french hornist originally from the Ukraine. He has performed with the National Radio Company of Ukraine, Symphony Orchestra of the National Philharmonic of Ukraine, National Academic Operetta Theater of Ukraine, among others. He is a graduate of the Tchaikovsky National Music Academy of Ukraine.

Paulina Mazurkiewicz

Affiliated Teaching Specialist

Department: Music

Areas: Viola

Biography

Paulina Mazurkiewicz received her Masters in Performance from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in the United Kingdom. She also received her Bachelor of Music from the Academy of Music in Krakow, Poland.

Xiaochun Qi

Affiliated Teaching Specialist

Department: Music

Areas: Erhu

Biography

Xiaochun Qi is a graduate of the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. In 1991, she received the Performer’s Award at the 14th “Spring of Shanghai” International Erhu Competition. From 2004 to 2006 she performed in New Tang Dynasty Television’s annual Chinese New Year productions. She has been an erhu soloist with Shen Yun Performing Arts since 2006.

Jie Shen

Affiliated Teaching Specialist

Department: Music

Areas: Percussion

Biography

Jie Shen was formerly a Western and Chinese percussion instructor at the Music School of Wenzhou University, as well as the director of the Shanghai Percussion Association. He graduated from the Zhejiang Art School where he studied Chinese ethnic percussion, and went on to earn his B.M. and Diploma in Chinese percussion from the Shanghai Conservatory of Music (China).

Rong-Wen Tsai

Affiliated Teaching Specialist

Department: Music

Areas: Dizi, Suona

Biography

Rong-Wen Tsai is a professional dizi (Chinese flute) and suona (Chinese oboe) player. He completed his B.M. in Chinese music at the Chinese Culture University (Taiwan).

Aleksander Velichko

Affiliated Teaching Specialist

Department: Music

Areas: Bassoon

Biography

Recognized for his extraordinary musicality and superb technique, Aleksander Velichko is the former principal bassoon of the Moscow State Symphony. He 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, and performed as a soloist with the Moscow Virtuosi chamber orchestra.

Yu Lian

Affiliated Teaching Specialist

Department: Music

Areas: Pipa

Biography

Yu Lian began learning pipa from an early age when she lived in China. She has pursued graduate studies both in China and the United States, and is currently the principal pipa of the Shen Yun Symphony Orchestra.

Kang-Gang Xu

Associate Professor, Chair

Department: Stage Production and Design

Areas: Dance Production Technologies

Biography

Mr. Xu has been a production manager with Shen Yun Performing Arts since 2008. He has extensive theoretical knowledge and practical experience in bringing together large-scale stage productions, including the coordination of design, sound, lighting, stage management, crew, live music, and more.

Mr. Xu earned an MS (Ph.D. candidate) in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Rutgers University and a BS in Electrical Engineering from Shanghai Jiao Tong University (China).

Yanping Lu

Professor

Department: Stage Production and Design

Areas: Dance Production Technologies

Biography

Dr. Liu has been a production manager with Shen Yun Performing Arts since 2007. She has designed, advanced, and executed the technical elements of Shen Yun shows in about 45 top venues around the world, including the arrangement, rental, and purchase of show-related items, designing production schedules, arranging local labor, and setting up and striking of all production elements.

Dr. Liu earned a Ph.D. and MS in Cell Biology from Albert Einstein College of Medicine and a BS in Biochemistry from Fudan University (China).

H. Helen Jia

Assistant Professor

Department: Stage Production and Design

Areas: Media Production

Biography

Ms. Jia worked at New York-based New Tang Dynasty Television for 19 years where she served in a number of different roles, including technical director as well as producer and director of broadcast television. She has directed daily live news broadcasts, in-studio talk shows, and many large-scale special event productions. She has also produced many TV programs, such as five seasons of a Chinese-language historical series entitled Xiao Tan Feng Yun and Zoom In, an in-depth/investigative report program.

Ms. Jia earned an MFA in Media Production from The City College of New York and a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Shenyang Aerospace University (China).

Peiyi Marple

Assistant Professor

Department: Stage Production and Design

Areas: Lighting Technologies

Biography

Ms. Marple has been a lighting designer and production electrician for Shen Yun Performing Arts since 2009 and does lighting design for more than 100 live shows every year.

Ms. Marple earned an MFA in Art History, Arts Administration, and Art Criticism from Tunghai University (Taiwan)

Jian Hu

Adjunct Assistant Professor

Department: Stage Production and Design

Areas: Architecture & Drafting

Biography

Mr. Hu is senior architect, working through all design phases including masterplan, code compliance, conceptual design, design development, and construction documents. He leads design team to ensure to meet design intent, schedule, and budget. He was a first prize winner of international architecture design competition. Mr. Hu received Master of Achitecture from the University of Arizona in 2003.

D. Sophie Cong

Adjunct Teaching Specialist

Department: Stage Production and Design

Areas: Art Design

Biography

Ms. Cong has five years’ experience in Environmental Art Design and furniture design. She has also been involved in the design of a number of rooftop gardens and hotel buildings in many provinces in Mainland China as well as an international building in Singapore.

Mr. Cong graduated from the Central Academy of Arts and Crafts (now called the Academy of Arts & Design, Tsinghua University) where she received a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Art Design.

Jim C. Li

Associate Professor, Chair

Department: Liberal Arts and Sciences

Areas: General Education

Biography

Dr. Chunlin Li holds a Ph.D. from the University of California, San Diego and an M.A. from Peking University, China. He specializes in Chinese-Western comparative literature and intellectual history. Courses he has offered range from Chinese Literature, English Literature, and World Literature to the Making of the Modern World. He joined the LAS faculty of Fei Tian College in 2011 and is currently the department Chair.

Shujia Gong

Associate Professor

Department: Liberal Arts and Sciences

Areas: General Education

Biography

Dr. Shujia Gong is a prolific writer, a gifted communicator, and a scholar of Chinese history and culture, under the pen name Tianliang Zhang. He produced a series of history lectures A Grand View of Chinese History (笑談風雲, 100+ hours in total), which covers the major figures and events from Chinese antiquity to the end of the Ming Dynasty (1644 AD).

He was a keynote speaker in Discussions on the Chinese Communist Party Culture (漫談黨文化）, a 27-episode talk show, with New Tang Dynasty Television, which potentially reached tens of millions of viewers in mainland China due to its secret but wide distribution. He published a novel Transcending the Mortal World (出塵, 2003) and China’s Path of Peaceful Transition (中國的和平轉型之路, 2010), a collection of political and cultural commentaries. He also co-authored several other influential books.

He is the host of the YouTube channel “Tianliang Time” (天亮時分), which has garnered 100+ million views in the past three years. He covers a variety of topics, including politics, the economy, international relations, public policy, history, religion, culture, etc. He is also a film producer, a screenwriter, and a lyric writer.

Dr. Gong holds a Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering from George Mason University (2007). He was also a contributor to Voice of America and Radio Free Asia, and a chief commentator for the Epoch Times. He joined the LAS faculty of Fei Tian College in 2011.

Kaishin Yen

Associate Professor

Department: Liberal Arts and Sciences

Areas: General Education

Biography

Kaishin Yen holds a Master of International Affairs (M.I.A.) from Columbia University and a B.A. from Reed College. At Fei Tian, she specializes in teaching courses related to writing and rhetoric, bringing broad experience in marketing and media to her post. She was involved in the overseas marketing campaigns for several award-winning films at Miramax Films in New York and also spent time in Taiwan reporting on politics and economics as a broadcast journalist. Fully bilingual in Mandarin and English, she is a skilled simultaneous interpreter and a professional translator. She was involved in the establishment of Fei Tian Academy of the Arts in 2006 and joined the LAS faculty of Fei Tian College in 2011.

Ellen L. Jin

Assistant Professor

Department: Liberal Arts and Sciences

Areas: General Education

Biography

Dr. Jin specializes in applied mechanics and mathematics. She was an associate professor at Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, an assistant professor at Ivy Tech Community College, and a visiting professor at DeVry University. She was also an assistant researcher at the Institute of Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Dr. Jin holds a Ph.D. from Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, as well as a professional educator’s license, a certificate of online teaching, and a certificate of blended teaching. She won First Place in a teaching competition among national universities of China in 1998 and received the Royal Society International Incoming Fellowship and conducted research at the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom in 2006. She co-authored a college textbook Dynamics (II) published by Higher Education Press in 1999, and published over 20 research papers in publications such as the Journal of Sound and Vibration. Dr. Jin joined the LAS faculty at Fei Tian College in 2019.

Matthew Kutolowski

Assistant Professor

Department: Liberal Arts and Sciences

Areas: General Education

Biography

Matthew Kutolowski teaches courses in both Chinese and Western civilization, with specialization in cultural and religious history as well as the study of visual culture. He received his B.A. from Swarthmore College with Phi Beta Kappa honors, and his M.A. from Columbia University, where he was a Faculty Fellow in the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures; he has studied on fellowship at both National Taiwan University and Tsinghua University. Professor Kutolowski is fluent in Mandarin and holds permanent certification as a Teacher of Chinese. His service to the school has included faculty mentoring, accreditation work, program assessment, as well as pedagogy and instructional technology workshops. For his cross-cultural and language expertise, he is a regular collaborator with music department faculty on creative projects. He holds a joint appointment with Fei Tian Academy of the Arts. He joined the LAS faculty at Fei Tian College in 2011.

Eve Y. Lee

Assistant Professor

Department: Liberal Arts and Sciences

Areas: General Education

Biography

Dr. Lee specializes in cultural geography and community planning as well teaching Chinese as a Second Language. She received a Ph.D. in Community and Regional Planning from the University of British Columbia, Canada, and a B.S. in Geography and Urban Planning from Peking University, China. She also obtained a teaching certificate for Chinese as a Second Language from Rutgers University. Prior to joining the LAS faculty at Fei Tian College in 2016, Dr. Lee worked as a campus planner with Fei Tian Academy of the Arts beginning 2006 and participated in the establishment and development of Fei Tian College. She is presently the coordinator of the Chinese Language and Culture program at Fei Tian College.

Gloria J. Liu

Assistant Professor

Department: Liberal Arts and Sciences

Areas: General Education

Biography

Dr. Jin Liu’s specialities include Chinese literature, culture and history. She holds a Ph.D. and M.A. in comparative literature from the University of California, San Diego and a B.A. in English literature and economics from Peking University, China. Before coming to Fei Tian, she taught courses in Chinese language, Chinese literature, and world history at the University of California, San Diego. She joined the faculty of Fei Tian College in 2012.

Grace Freed

Lecturer

Department: Liberal Arts and Sciences

Areas: Academic Support

Biography

Grace Freed holds a Master of Science and Bachelor of Science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She has worked in academic services since 2011 and was appointed as the Director of Academic Services in 2014. In 2013, she became the Student Learning Outcomes Assessment Coordinator at Fei Tian College and specializes in helping students transition to the rigor of collegiate studies.

Faculty Directory

Christina Li

H. Sue Guo

Vina Lee

Tia Zhang

Yung-Chia Chen

Gu Xuan

Gu Yuan

Gu Yun

Xuejun Wang

Xian Yuan

Chad Chen

William Li

Melody Qin

Angelia Wang

Hsiao-Hung Lin

Albert Yang

Yue Yu

Michelle Ren

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