Hanbo Liu, Pianist and Composer (Director)

Hanbo Liu is a pianist and composer, graduated from The Juilliard School in New York City with a master degree, where he studied piano with the world renowned pianist Yeheved Kaplinsky since pre-college. He received the Outstanding Asian Award in New York City. He has performed close to 100 concerts in the United States and China, at important venues including the Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall, Avery Fisher Hall, Carnegie Hall, and United Nations Assembly Hall in New York City, Aspen Music Festival, Bowdoin International Music Festival, Hong Kong TVB, China Central TV (CCTV) in Beijing, Beijing Olympic Water Cube National Aquatics Center, and Anhui TV Spring Festival Gala. He has composed around 40 piano pieces and songs which are either included in his worldwide-released original albums, or for films such as the film music he has been working on recently for the Rollin Studios which is the US Co-Production company for the Wandering Earth 2 film. He has won numerous piano competitions including winning the Elizabeth R. Davis Piano Competition, Nora Lichtenberg Piano Competition, and Juilliard Piano Concerto Competition in New York City.

Jinyoung Song, Violinist

Violinist and Doctor Jinyoung Song is renowned for her technical prowess and artistic expression, earning recognition as a versatile and accomplished musician. Dr. Song began her academic journey at Kyunghee University, where she was awarded scholarships for her undergraduate studies, before advancing to the Manhattan School of Music for her Master’s Degree. She further pursued a Professional Studies Diploma at the Mannes School of Music, also on scholarship. Most recently, she completed her Doctor of Musical Arts Degree at Rutgers University’s Mason Gross School of the Arts, where her thesis explored the works of female composer Amy Beach, reflecting her deep appreciation for Beach’s contributions to music. A prize winner at both the New York International Concours and the Mason Gross Chamber Competition, Dr. Song has performed at prestigious events such as the Texas Music Festival and the National Repertory Orchestra, attending both on full scholarship. She also served as Principal Violinist for the Rutgers Symphony Orchestra. Her performance credits include appearances at iconic venues like Carnegie Hall’s Isaac Stern Auditorium, Riverwalk Center in Breckenridge, and Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall. Mentored by esteemed violinists Lucie Robert and Todd Phillips, Dr. Song has developed a unique musical voice. As an educator, she remains passionate about guiding the next generation of musicians, with many of her students successfully earning spots in All-State Orchestras as well as other festival ensembles.

Yidi Jiao, Pianist

Pianist Yidi Jiao received her master’s degree from the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, where she studied with Professor Vivian Weilerstein and Professor Matti Raekallio. She received her bachelor’s degree from the Manhattan School of Music in New York, where she studied with Dr. Marc Silverman, the Chairman of the Piano Department in the Manhattan School of Music. For the Pre-College, she studied at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music with Professor Christopher Zhong and Kuan-Wen Wang. She is currently studying for a Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) at the Mason School of the Arts at Rutgers University, where she is studying with Professor John Perry.

She is first prize winner of the Bradshaw & Buono International Piano Competition in New York, the first prize winner and piano star winner in the Youth Group of the Piano Sound of China Competition, and the winner of the full scholarship of the Manhattan School of Music in New York and the Mieczyslaw Munz Scholarship Competition. She has performed with the Manhattan School of Music Symphony Orchestra, the Rutgers Mason Gross School Orchestra, the Ridgewood Symphony Orchestra, and the Xiamen Philharmonic Orchestra in China. She has also performed at Carnegie Hall in New York, Harris Concert Hall in the Netherlands, Shanghai Oriental Art Center, and Tianjin Conservatory of Music. She has participated in the Aspen International Music Festival in the United States, where she studied with Professors Anton Nel and Yoheved Kaplinsky. She has also participated in the Holland International Music Festival, where she studied with Professors Matti Reakallio, Bernd Goetzke and Jacques Rouvier.

Yidi has released albums including works by Schubert Sonatas, Chopin and Bach.

Yi Ming (Sofyia) Xue, Singer

Yi Ming (Sofyia) Xue is an aspiring singer, performer, and entertainer of the new generation. She graduated with a Bachelor Degree in Voice Performance from Berklee College of Music, the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world, located in Boston, Massachusetts, with concentrations on vocal performance, songwriting, and music production. Sofyia is a featured vocalist for Disney’s Harmonious Live 2022, now streaming on Disney+, and also the original singer for the theme song of CCTV drama “Qing Shan Bu Mo.” She has won numerous singing competitions including the first prize of The Voice of China 2023 New York, the Water Cube International Chinese Singing Competition in Beijing, US Supernova Singing Competition, and performed in many important events and venues including the Lincoln Center, NYC, China’s CCTV, Sinovision TV, and Water Cube Olympic Stadium.

Joseph Mohan, Composer

Joseph Mohan is a composer whose work is featured in films, series, and video games worldwide. He began manufacturing music in Buffalo with symphonic pops arrangements before continuing to immerse himself in the theatrical world of New York, serving on productions of NEWSIES, IF/THEN, and SILVER SKATES. Upon moving to Los Angeles in 2021, Joseph’s passion for creating music for the screen has seen him score BCC Media’s upcoming open-world game adventure release, GATE ZERO, Bill Posley’s horror feature, BITCH ASS, 2022 SXSW Audience Award winner (Quiver). His music is also featured in Apple TV’s SUPER LEAGUE: THE WAR FOR FOOTBALL, Bravo TV’s latest season of VANDERPUMP RULES, Telemundo’s GAME OF LIES, and he is one of the composers behind the eclectic and hyped score of REVERSE: 1999 (Tencent). Joseph has written and arranged several works for the concert hall, collaborating on projects with Marvin Hamlisch, the Pittsburgh Symphony, and the Buffalo Philharmonic, among many other awesome people and ensembles. He has also had the pleasure of assisting film composers Elik Álvarez and Jason Akana, contributing additional music and support to their projects. Classically trained as a pianist and violinist and enthused with non-classical ways of telling stories, Joseph has contributed orchestrations and score preparation to several projects including BABYLON (Paramount), ROSALINE (Hulu), and ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING (Hulu). His expertise with contemporary vocal arrangement also saw him assist the music teams on CENTRAL PARK (Apple TV) and HOCUS POCUS 2 (Disney). Joseph received his Bachelors and Masters degrees in Piano performance from The Juilliard School, and joined the faculty in 2016 teaching composition and ear training in the Preparatory and Extension Divisions.

 

Kimberly Hou, Composer and Pianist

Kimberly Hou is a composer and pianist whose recent scoring credits include Fish Out Of Water (dir. Francesca Scorsese), which premiered at the 2023 Tribeca Festival and screened at the 76th Cannes Film Festival Short Film Corner; The Polycees (dir. Celia Jaspers), official selection at Dances With Films (DWF:LA); and the web series Drama High (dir. Elizabeth Jaeleigh Davis), the pilot of which won Best Director (Webseries) and Best Ensemble Cast (Webseries) at First Glance Film Festival. Her music has also been placed in BBC’s Winterwatch, TF1’s Reportages découvertes, and SportsNet LA’s Backstage Dodgers among other TV programs globally.
For her achievements growing up as a classical pianist, the U.S. White House Commission named Kimberly a Presidential Scholar in the Arts, and she was recognized by the National Young Arts Foundation as a Silver Award Winner. In addition to receiving First Prize in over 30 national and regional competitions, Kimberly has appeared on NPR’s From the Top and performed at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Hall, Kennedy Center Concert Hall, U.S. Department of State, and the Hungarian and Bulgarian Embassies.
Kimberly is a graduate of the Columbia University-Juilliard School Exchange Program in New York City. Her professors at Juilliard include Matti Raekallio and Hung-Kuan Chen.