Jing Xian
Composer
Jing Xian became a professional pipa (Chinese lute) player at the remarkable young age of 15. During her four years at the China Conservatory, she pursued studies in composition, music literature, and ethnomusicology. Many musical pieces written by her have won composition prizes. Later, Jing Xian was awarded a scholarship to Oxford University to pursue a master’s and a doctorate in ethnomusicology. She has also studied computer-based composition and music technology at Britain’s Reading University.
Gao Yuan
Composer
Composer, conductor, and pianist, Yuan Gao has written or arranged many notable Shen Yun Performing Arts pieces. He is steeped in both the Chinese classical and Western classical music traditions, giving him a rare sensibility very suitable for Shen Yun. Yuan Gao attended the Tianjin Conservatory of Music and was later a piano soloist with the Central (National) Ballet of China before relocating to Australia and then the United States.
Yungchia Chen
Choreographer
Yungchia Chen is currently an instructor at Fei Tian Academy of the Arts in New York, and was formerly a lecturer in dance at 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 Chinese classical and folk dance, along with ballet, he won first place in New Tang Dynasty Television’s 2007 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.
Michelle Ren
Choreographer
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 Peach and Plum Cup Dance Competition she took first place in her division (youth). She was later second runner-up in the national Popular Culture Award Competition of China. In 2007, she won first place in the adult female division of New Tang Dynasty Television’s International Classical Chinese Dance Competition.
