JO CHAN LIN

CELLO DEPARTMENT CHAIR

Ms. Jo Chan is the Principal Cellist of Tbilisi State Chamber Orchestra. She started her musical journey with piano, violin and cello.

Completing her diploma in cello performance, she moved to Italy and graduated from the Santa Cecilia Conservatory with highest honours.

She later obtained the Royal Degree of Chamber Music from the National Academy of Santa Cecilia.

Ms Jo Chan participated in a number of masterclass performances as a soloist and chamber musician, and won numerous awards in international competitions.

She was also the principal cello teacher of Rome International School in Italy.

DEGREES AND QUALIFICATIONS

Soloist and chamber musician

Royal Degree of Chamber Music,

National Academy of Santa Cecilia

 Principal cello teacher of Rome International School

Suzuki Cello Certified Teacher (SAA)

Trainer: Barbara Wampner

MATTHEW TOSCA

VIOLIN DEPARTMENT CHAIR

Matthew Tosca, is a highly trained orchestral conductor and violinist. Mr. Matthew holds a Bachelor of Music degree with Honors in Violin Performance and Master of Music Degree with Honors in Orchestral Conducting from the Mannes College of Music in New York City, and has worked as guest conductor with The Royal Ballet, the London Classical Soloists, The London Mozart Players, The Mannes Orchestra and the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra.

Mr. Matthew’s students have been accepted to Juilliard Pre-College & College Concerto Competitions, the Verbier and National Repertory Orchestra Summer Festivals, the Juilliard and Yale graduate school programs and the Metropolitan Opera and New World Symphony Orchestras.

His mentors included Sally Thomas (Juilliard & Mannes Violin Faculty), David Hayes (Mannes & Curtis Conducting Faculty), JoAnn Falletta (Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra Music Director), Barry Wordsworth (The Royal Ballet Conductor Emeritus), Ann Setzer (Juilliard & Mannes Violin Faculty), William Needelman (Mannes Ear Training Faculty), Carl Schachter (Juilliard & Mannes Music Theory Faculty), Jorma Panula (International Conducting Pedagogue) and the Emerson & Orion String Quartets.

CHI LI

VIOLINIST

Chi Li “Superb performance” – The Boston Globe 
Mr Chi Li started playing the violin at 5 under the Suzuki Violin Approach. Since his debut with l’Orchestre de Chambre de Toulouse at the age of 12, he has performed across North America, Asia and Europe in prestigious venues such as the Boston Symphony Hall, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Verizon Hall at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, Maison Symphonique de Montréal, Salle Pleyel in Paris. In 2013, Chi became the first Taiwanese violinist to be awarded a prize at the Montreal International Music Competition. He received the Jules C. Reiner prize in 2017. 

Chi holds the Bachelor’s and Master’s degree from the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris. Major musical influences include Olivier Charlier, Joanna Matkowska, Ikuko Mizuno, Régis Pasquier. 

Hired by Edo de Waart, Chi Li joined the first violin section of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra in 2017 and serves as the assistant concertmaster in 2020.

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Suzuki Piano Certified Teacher (SAA)

ASHLEY CHUNG

EARLY CHILDHOOD MUSIC EDUCATION PROGRAM DIRECTOR

Ms. Ashley Chung graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in music with first class at Hong Kong Baptist University, where she studied the piano with Dr. Cheung Pang Jane and Dr. Sophia Yang respectively.

She enjoys working particularly with young kids, from toddlers to elementary level. Having taught various music programs at Hong Kong Professional Piano Education Academy and Hong Kong Music Office over the years, Ms. Ashley has devoted herself into early childhood music education.

She is a certified Musikgarten teacher (18 months to 8 years old) and she adopts the Kodaly, Orff, Dalcroze, and Montessori approaches into her classes, as she strongly believes that speech, singing (i.e. solfege), movements are integral in early childhood development.

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Apart from classical music, Ms. Ashley is passionate about world music. She plays the violin and the yangqin leisurely, and is currently studying the santur (Persian hammered dulcimer) with Mr. Sepehr Rafiiean.

​BA in English Language and Literature (Hons), HKBU

LTCL (Distinction) in Piano Recital

ATCL (Distinction) in Piano Recital

DipABRSM in Piano Performance

Certified Musikgarten Teacher (18 months to 8 years old)

CHING CHING TAO

PIANO TEACHER

Ms. Ching Ching graduated from the Department of Music at The Chinese University of Hong Kong. 

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She obtained the diploma of the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (DipABRSM) and the licentiate diploma of Trinity College London (LTCL) under the

tutelage of Ms Wong Mei-ling. 

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She then furthered her master degree in piano performance at Indiana University Jacobs School of Music (Bloomington), where she studied with Karen Shaw and Jean Louis Haguenauer. 

Besides piano, she also studied harpsicord with Elizabeth Wright.

During her years in United States, Ching Ching lectured the Young Pianist Program in her alma mater and served as a répétiteur in ballet school. 

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She dedicated herself in piano education after the return to Hong Kong. She is also active in collaborating and performing with various singing societies and choirs. 
 

Suzuki Piano Certified Teacher (SAA)

Trainer: Jane Reed

JASON KAI

CO-FOUNDER &PIANO DEPARTMENT CHAIR

Jason was awarded for a 4-year scholarship and received his bachelor’s degree in music in Weber State University in the United States, majoring in piano performance.

Jason has performed widely in Utah and Hong Kong, including for the Weber State Orchestra. Awarded in Utah State Fair Competition in 2007, and UMTA Concerto Competition in 2008, he was selected to perform in the Weber State Concerto Night with the Weber State Orchestra in 2008.

Jason has worked with famous artists such as Rieko Aizawa, Catherine Rollin, Nelita True and Dr. Regina Yeh in master class settings. He also studied piano under the direction of Dr. Ralph van der Beek and Dr. Scott McCarrey.

He is a registered Piano Suzuki Teacher under the Suzuki America Association and received training from Dr. Rita Hauck, Fay Adams and Jane Reed. Jason served as a piano faculty of the KinderU Suzuki Music Academy for 4 years and has more than 3,000 hours teaching and as a cooperative pianist.

Suzuki Piano Certified Teacher (SAA)

REBEKAH LAU

CO-FOUNDER & MUSIC DIRECTOR

Rebekah Lau received her Bachelor and Master’s degree in Piano Performance on scholarship at Brigham Young University, under the direction of Dr. Scott Holden, Dr. Richard Anderson, Dr. Irene Peery Fox and Dr. Paul Pollei.

In addition to pedagogical studies at BYU, Rebekah completed her Suzuki Piano training through Book 7 with registered Piano Trainers Cleo Brimhall, Fay Adams, and Caroline Fraser.

Performance highlights include winning first prize at the Hong Kong School’s Music Festival Piano Competition. In the summer of 2010, she attended the International Music Academy in Pilsen (IMAP), Czech Republic, where she studied with international renowned artists Arthur Greene and Ivan Klansky.

Rebekah has also attended many Suzuki conferences around the world and has performed in United States, Taiwan, Japan, Indonesia and Hong Kong. She has worked with over 100 students under the Suzuki and traditional method.

DEGREES AND QUALIFICATIONS

Brigham Young University

Brigham Young University

National Certified Music Teacher, 

Piano Performance, M.M,

Piano Performance, B.M,

NCTM, U.S. A

Suzuki Piano Teacher,

Suzuki Associations of the Americas

Diploma in Collaborative Piano,

 Chinese University of Hong Kong 

Suzuki Piano Certified Teacher (SAA)