Musician Profiles and Interviews - Shen Yun Performing Arts

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.

Meet the Artists

Artist Spotlight: Angelia Wang

Aleksander Velichko

Hung-Chieh Yang

Pavlo Baishev

Eric Robins

Vladimir Zemtsov

Aleksandr Antonov

Maksym Bilash

Gabriela Gonzalez-Briceno

Chia-Jung Lee

Yevgeniy Reznik

Alistair Crawford

Linda Wang

Yu-Chien Yuan

I-Chen Huang

Meet the Artists