Vivian Fang Liu
Vivian Fang Liu, a distinguished Pianist, Singer, and Songwriter, boasts an impressive musical career marked by significant achievements and contributions. With dual master’s degrees from Teachers College Columbia University and New York University, Liu has graced prestigious stages worldwide, including Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center. Notably, she has performed the American national anthem at MLB and WNBA games and appeared at Gracie Mansion and on North American tour concerts.

Liu’s dedication to music education is evident through her adjudication at NYSSMA festivals and judging roles in various competitions. She has received accolades for her compositions, including recognition as “Artist of the Year” and awards for her albums and singles. Her film compositions have earned international acclaim and awards.

Establishing SOL SHARP Music Education, Liu has nurtured talented students who have excelled in national and international competitions, earning over 80 invitations to perform at Carnegie Hall. Beyond musical achievements, her students engage in volunteer work, notably raising funds for senior center safety during COVID-19.

Liu’s influence extends to music research, with presentations at global conferences and publications in top music education journals. Engaging in music production, she collaborates with notable clients such as ByteDance, Ltd.

In essence, Vivian Fang Liu’s illustrious career embodies excellence across performance, composition, education, research, and production, cementing her as a prominent figure in the global music industry.

Jon Samson
Jon Samson, hailing from Johannesburg, South Africa, is the first board-certified music therapist in history to have received a Grammy award. He earned his master’s degree in music therapy from NYU and holds a bachelor’s degree in studio composition from SUNY Purchase. His self-produced album focusing on mental health, “Ageless: Songs For The Child Archetype,” won the Grammy for Best Children’s Music Album in 2020. Among his other achievements are four first-place wins in the International Songwriting Competition, the John Lennon Grand Prize, and the Parents’ Gold Choice award. In addition, Samson has produced music for acclaimed authors Caroline Myss and Andrew Harvey on their Sounds True audio learning programs, and he is credited for audio engineering in the Oscar-nominated film “Beasts Of The Southern Wild.” Most recently, he produced “Accents Of Love” by renowned teaching artist Vivian Fang Liu. Currently based in Brooklyn, New York, Jon continues to mentor through his private practice, CoCreative Music, which he founded in 2005.

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Soprano Allison Charney
Soprano Allison Charney debuted with the New York City Opera immediately after becoming a National Finalist in the Metropolitan Opera Competition. She has since sung leading operatic roles throughout the country, and has been a featured soloist with the esteemed Philadelphia Orchestra, the Boston Pops, and in celebrated venues including Carnegie, Alice Tully and Avery Fisher Hall. She sings the featured single on AVIE Records newly-released recording of Kelly Hall-Tompkins’ FORGOTTEN VOICES, and can be heard on Navona Records’ARK RESOUNDING, the ARK Trio’s debut album that has repeatedly reached #1 on the Amazon charts, the Pulitzer Prize-nominated oratorio Choose Life, and Allison and Ben: For the Record. An active recitalist and master teacher, Ms. Charney is co-creator of the WQXR mini-series,Her/Music;Her/Story and the Artistic Director of the long-running series, PREFORMANCES™. During the pandemic, Ms. Charney pivoted her creative attention to the virtual stage with both her concert and conversation series, SEASON OF HOPE, and OPERA AT HOME, her reimagined, abridged version of classic operas – both presented by NYC’s historic Town Hall.

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Ricky Persaud, Jr
Ricky Persaud, Jr. is an award winning artist and multi-instrumentalists. Ricky is a member of the Recording Academy/GRAMMYs®. He attended the prestigious Berklee College Of Music on a full 4 year scholarship and graduated summa cum laude. Ricky is now a graduate student working on a Masters Degree in music business at Berklee.

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Ricky’s many accolades include a full four-year scholarship to the prestigious Berklee School of Music in Boston, a 2016 Governor’s Award for Excellence in Music, the Artist of The Year in Pop award at the 2019 Josie Music Independent Awards, a 2020 Global Music Award and 2020 Best Male Artist in Pop at the Indie Music Channel Awards. He is a Grammy voter, was a singer and guitarist in Cissy Houston’s much-admired regional choir for high school students, and had the opportunity to work with Savion Glover, who took in Ricky and his clear talent and drive, through the NJPAC program.

Andy Cong
Andy Cong is a highly accomplished dancer with a diverse portfolio of achievements in both national and international dance scenes. Graduating from Minzu University of China College of Dance with notable accolades, including second-class scholarships, Cong’s career has been marked by participation in prestigious competitions and productions. Noteworthy highlights include choreography assistance representing China at the Beijing Winter Olympics opening and closing ceremony and premiering dance works at esteemed international festivals. His talent transcends various dance styles, from ethnic folk dances to contemporary performances, showcasing his versatility and creativity. With significant roles in key productions like “Butterfly Mama” and “Twelve Zodiac Signs,” Cong has established himself as a prominent figure in the dance community. Overall, Andy Cong’s career exemplifies dedication, talent, and success in the world of dance.

Sol Sharp Music School

Sol Sharp Music School provides high quality education in instruments, voice and composition. The students at Sol Sharp Music School have won numerous awards in national and international competitions and have been invited to perform at Carnegie Hall in the United States, Royal Albert Hall in the United Kingdom, Mozarthaus in Austria, and CCTV concerts in China. Sol Sharp Children’s Choir has been invited to perform at GRAMMY museum, Citi Field, Long Island Children’s Museum, Boston Jazz Festival, and Colours of Love International Concert in Canada.

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Hyewon Park
Hyewon Park is a South Korean jazz pianist, composer, and producer currently based in New York and Boston. She received her

undergraduate degree from the Berklee College of Music, during

which she held the position of composer for the Berklee Jazz

Concert Orchestra (directed by Greg Hopkins). She is also the

recipient of Berklee’s Annual Commencement Processional

Composition Award and Clare Fisher Award. Park holds a Master’s Degree in Jazz Composition from the Manhattan School of Music and is currently a member of the BMI Jazz Composers’ Workshop. Park has worked as the sound designer for the Korean Traditional Opera ‘Chunhyang-jeon’ and as the pianist & audio creative for ‘So

Am I-Worthy’. Her debut album, ‘Take the “A” Train,’ transitions from

jazz to electronic music as she creates a unique style through the

intersection of these genres.

Park is also an enthusiastic educator in New York City and Boston as an instructor for the Berklee City Music Program.

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Silvana Brizuela Weigel
Born in Buenos Aires, Silvana Brizuela Weigel studied Ballet and performed at the world famous Teatro Colón, Argentina’s Ballet and Opera House. Silvana later got admitted and studied Contemporary Dance at Teatro Municipal General San Martin. While keeping the vast training at the Teatro San Martin, Silvana started learning Tango from world renown masters such as Mingo and Esther Pugliese, Pupi Castello, Natalia Games and Gabriel Angio, Rodolfo Dinzel, Gabriel Missé, Leandro Oliver and Leila Rezk, Lorena Ermocida.

She performed and taught for more than 20 years at various noteworthy venues and Festivals in Buenos Aires and USA.

Currently, Silvana works at organizing events, teaching and performing mostly in New York, New Jersey, and with the Tango Society of Boston at Dance Union in Somerville, etc.

Huangmei Opera
Performers:

Tai Wang, Huang Yu

Instruments: 
Pipa 琵琶 Ran Guo 果然

Bangu 板鼓 Linsong Wang 王林松

Erhu 二胡 Baoan Cao 曹宝安

Chinese Flute 笛子 Kong Tong 孔童
Sanxian 三弦 Lirong Zhu 朱黎蓉

“Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai” (The Butterfly Lovers) is one of the four major folk legends in China. It is an oral legend that tells the story of Zhu Yingtai, a woman who disguised herself as a man to study, where she met and fell in love with her classmate Liang Shanbo, but in the end was unable to form a marriage.

The “Eighteen-Mile Farewell” is a classic aria from the eponymous opera, which narrates Zhu Yingtai’s return home on her father’s orders, with Liang Shanbo accompanying her down the mountain. The two of them traveled eighteen miles together. During this journey, Zhu tried to express her feelings with the hint of various things (such as mandarin ducks, woodcutter, peonies, carps, etc.), but Liang could not get any before they parted ways.

The term “eighteen-mile farewell” has thus become a synonym for a couples’ farewell.

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Linda Quach
Linda Quach, a Vietnamese-American Diabolo Performing Artist located in Queens, New York, is known for her captivating performances blending elegance, grace, and theatricality. She has showcased her talents at various cultural events and venues across New York, including Glow Cultural Center and Flushing Town Hall. Linda’s passion for dance and music influences her rhythmic and dramatic presentations, aiming to inspire audiences and elevate the diabolo cultural arts. As a freelancer, she teaches diabolo classes and workshops, collaborating with organizations like the USA Diabolo Association and Sundia USA to promote the sport and provide quality equipment. Linda’s commitment to expanding the boundaries of diabolo and fostering its community reflects her dedication to artistic innovation and cultural enrichment.

New York Chinese Chorus (NYCC)

New York Chinese Chorus (NYCC) promotes cultural exchange by performing both Chinese classical and folk songs to our communities. Tai Wang, as the president, creates an environment for all music lovers to learn and enjoy music. With the hard work and enthusiasm from all the chorus members, NYCC has organized and participated in many musical and cultural events both in the US and overseas, gaining recognition throughout the New York area and internationally. Members are enthusiastic vocalists from China, Taiwan and Southeast Asia who have come together in the New York area to introduce and enhance the understanding of Chinese culture through a brilliant repertoire of folk songs, classical music and pop music.

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Hostess: ZaoZao Wang
Zaozao is an outstanding Chinese-English bilingual host who has worked with many well-known domestic and foreign companies, including McDonald’s, Macy’s, GNC, Mead Johnson, Abbott, Xiamen Airlines, Hainan Airlines, T-mall, Maotai, Jiannanchun, Tongrentang, and more. After graduating from Columbia University in 2013, Zaozao founded “Zao Learning Education” in the United States and Taiwan, which focuses on cultivating Chinese-American children who can later on enter mainstream modeling and acting industries in the United States. Mrs. Zaozao Wang and her students were quite active during the pandemic, hosting the anti-Asian hate rally attended by more than 30,000 people in lower Manhattan, as well as hosted fundraising events by mayor Eric Adams, and thus obtained many awards and certificates from the New York State Assembly, the New York City Council and the New York Mayor’s Office. 

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