Milen Nachev is a conductor well known for his strong musicality, stylistic faithfulness, and extensive repertoire of symphonic works, operas, and ballets. Born in Bulgaria, he is a graduate of the Saint Petersburg Conservatory in Russia, where he earned his master’s degree in symphony and opera conducting. He served as principal conductor and music director of several major Eastern European orchestras, and his recordings have been regularly broadcast by the BBC and Radio France. Appointed as conductor with Shen Yun Performing Arts in 2012, he has since conducted over 800 performances worldwide, including at Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, Tokyo Opera City, and many other celebrated concert halls.
Before joining Shen Yun Performing Arts, Dmitry Russu was assistant conductor of the Saint Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra, conductor of the Ulyanovsk State Academic Symphony Orchestra, and a guest conductor of orchestras throughout the Russian Federation. Holding a master’s degree in orchestral and choral conducting, as well as a doctorate, both from Saint Petersburg Conservatory, he is the first prize winner of the 2013 Ilya Musin National Conducting Competition of Russia.
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.
Chia-Chi Lin studied at Rice University and the Peabody Conservatory at Johns 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. She is currently also Vice President of Fei Tian College in New York. This is her fourteenth season with Shen Yun Performing Arts.