Artist Directors

Jin Zhang – Artistic Director of the B.C. Chinese Orchestra

Jin (Jack) Zhang,composer and conductor, received his first musical education at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing. Then he traveled to Japan and studied at Toho Gakuen School of Music in Tokyo, Japan. He also studied conducting in master classes with maestro Kazuyoshi Akiyama and Seiji Ozawa.
Jin Zhang, associate composer of the Canadian Music Centre, is a multiple recipient of commissioning grants from the Canada Council for the Arts. In 2006, he was selected by the Canadian Music Centre to be part of their new online initiative entitled “Composer Portraits – Influences of Many Musics.” This project focuses on Canadian composers who have come to Canada from other countries, highlighting their valuable contributions to Canadian music. His compositions have been played by many major orchestras that include the Vancouver Symphony, the Calgary Philharmonic Symphony, the Victoria Symphony and the San Francisco Symphony. 
Jin Zhang (Jack) is an internationally awarded artist. His acknowledgements include AVIFF Award Cannes in France for his film score of “Lama in the West”,  Artistic Achievement Awards issued by Vancouver Chinese Culture Centre,the multimedia project “High Muck A Muck” that he did composition and sound design received the Main Prize in an international competition in England,  the composition “Fire” received a nomination for Eclectic Song in the 17th International Independent Music Awards in USA, CD tracing received nomination for the best instrumental music album in the West canada Music Award. In his early years, his compositions won prizes in  competitions in China. In 2004, Jin Zhang was honored by the City of New Westminster for ten years of distinguished service to the New Westminster Symphony Orchestra. 

 

Dailin Hsieh – Co-Artistic Director of BC Chinese Music Ensemble

Dai-Lin HSIEH, one of the most talented zheng performers of her generation, is very
active on stage as a soloist and chamber music player in Taiwan and abroad.
Performing with precision and astonishing techniques, She has been invited to

perform in Asian countries, Germany, Luxembourg, Belgium ect. In recent years, Dai-
Lin has given many solo recitals internationally and premiered a number of important

Taiwanese zheng compositions. Her solo CD Zheng Image, released in 2014, is a
collection of new compositions, and it has quickly met critical acclaim.
In 2019, Dai-Lin lives in Vancouver, BC. Focusing her music career in Guzheng
performance and teaching, Dai-Lin currently is cooperating with Orchid Ensemble,
Naadaleela Ensemble, Vancouver Inter-culture Orchestra, BC Chinese Orchestra,
Allegra Chamber Orchestra, Music on Main, Turning Point Ensemble and NOW Society.

 

Bruce Bai – Co-Artistic Director of BC Chinese Music Ensemble

Born in China, Bruce Bai followed his musical pursuits to the Canadian west coast. Actively exploring careers as a composer, songwriter, sound designer, and a solo performing artist, he has studied voice with Geordie Robert, and composition with Mark Armanini at Capilano University. Since 2014, he has been learning Erhu with Nichole Li.
In October 2017, he went to Inner Mongolia to study Mongolian throat singing. Starting from November 16, 2014, his music works have been performed by various ensembles and orchestras such as Toronto Dim Sum Ensemble, Vancouver Inter-Culture Orchestra (VICO), The Piano and Erhu Project (PEP), Erato Ensemble, Sound of Dragon Ensemble, BC Chinese Orchestra, Toronto Chinese Orchestra, Borealis String Quartet, Turning Point Ensemble, as well as the Little Giant Orchestra from Taiwan. Currently he is the board member of Sound of Dragon Society, composer in residence of BC Chinese Music Association, producer and artistic director of BC Chinese Music Ensemble. Focusing on combining and exploring the possibility to combine or mix western and the eastern music, his goal is aiming to learn from tradition and innovate for the future.

Nathania Ko – Artistic Director of BC Youth Chinese Orchestra

Nathania Ko is a Konghou player, Harpist, and composer based in Vancouver, Canada. She obtained her Master’s degree from the University of British Columbia, studying the Harp with Elizabeth Volpé Bligh, and a Bachelor’s degree from Shenyang Conservatory of Music in China, where she studied the Konghou with Hong He. Nathania was a finalist at the 2022 World Harp Competition held in Utrecht, Amsterdam by the Dutch Harp Festival, and she was also a finalist at the Creative Media Competition held by the 13th World Harp Congress in Hong Kong, where she served as a member of the hosting committee. Nathania has given lecture recitals and masterclasses in major cities such as Vancouver, Xi’an, Beijing, Shenyang, and virtual academies such as the Virtual Harp Summit. In 2019, Nathania presented her research, “Music Unearthed from the Silk Road,” at the MUSCAN conference. Her students are located across the globe in the UK, China, USA, Canada, Singapore, Ireland, and France. Nathania not only plays the Western Harp, but she is also the only Konghou (Chinese Harp) player in Canada. She is engaged in international World Music events and has been involved with music festivals such as the premiere Silk Road Music Festival in Xi’an, and Wu Man’s Improvisation Workshop in Beijing. She is an active performer in Vancouver and China, and her compositions became Konghou examination repertoires that have been awarded gold and silver prizes in major Chinese national competitions. As a cultural bridge between Chinese and Canadian music, Nathania’s extensive travel and performances were supported by grants from the Canada Arts Council and the British Columbia Arts Council.