Award-winning Canadian Conductor, Kenneth Hsieh has emerged as one of the top rising young conductors to watch. The 2018-2019 season marks his 16th year as Music Director of the Vancouver Metropolitan Orchestra in addition to his many international guest conducting engagements. He has maintained a close relation with the Hyogo Performing Arts Center Orchestra where he has conducted their subscription, masterworks, and educational series. Highlights in this upcoming season includes: Ken taking the Kyushu Symphony Orchestra on tour, debut and appearances at the Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra and the Shanghai Music Festival, the Nutcracker ballet production with the Goh Ballet and Victoria Symphony Orchestra, as well as return engagement to conduct the Japan Century Orchestra in Beethoven Symphony 9 at The Symphony Hall in Osaka, produced by Asahi Broadcasting Corporation and sponsored by Air Canada.

Born in Edmonton, Canada, Ken is the winner of several prizes including the Heinz Unger Award in Conducting and the Jean-Marie Beaudet Award in Orchestral Conducting. At the age of 22, Ken was appointed Assistant Conductor of the Pacific Music Festival (founded by Leonard Bernstein) where he worked with the Sapporo Symphony Orchestra and the Pacific Music Festival Orchestra as well as serving as an assistant and collaborator to Bernard Haitink, Edo De Waart, Krzysztof Penderecki, Seikyo Kim, Yutaka Sado and Ken Takaseki. The following year, Ken became the youngest ever Conductor-in-residence/Assistant Conductor with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and the National Academy Orchestra where from 2004-2007; he conducted over 100 performances from the Main Subscription series to lighter and pops series concerts with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra.

He has collaborated with a wide range of distinguished artists such as Cyprien Katsaris, Mayuko Kamio, Tamaki Kawakubo, Janina Fialkowska, Ryu Goto, Anastasia Chebetorova, Holly Cole, Natalie McMaster, Ikuyo Nakamichi, Kosuke Atari, Three Celtic Tenors, and John Pizzarelli. Several of his concerts have been recorded live and broadcasted on CBC Radio across Canada. His concerts have also been broadcasted on television in Taiwan, Japan, Canada, and the USA. Ken made his France debut with the historical l’orchestre Lamoureux, performing at their subscription concert at the Theatre Champs-Elysee in Paris, France.

Remaining dedicated to promoting young artists and education; Ken works often with Youth orchestras including the Vancouver Youth Symphony Orchestra, Surrey Youth Orchestra, BCMEA Honor Orchestra, as well as the Japan Junior Philharmonic Orchestra as their summer session conductor in a series of concerts that included a benefit concert for the United Nations (World Food Program) in the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Space. He is a guest professor and conductor with the National Tainan University and has worked with the Geidai Philharmonia, preparing them for the Martha Argerich Festival in Beppu, which was later conducted by Antonio Pappano and Seikyo Kim.

Ken’s internationally renowned conducting teachers and coaches have include: Kurt Masur, Kazuyoshi Akiyama, Morihiro Okabe, Yuji Yuasa, Ronald Zollman, and Jorma Panula. He is a graduate of both the Royal Conservatory of Music and the University of British Columbia where he majored in piano and percussion. He completed his post-graduate studies in orchestral conducting in Japan at the Toho Gakuen School of Music and the Senzoku College of Music on full scholarship and did further studies in Vienna, Austria with Yuji Yuasa.

In addition, Ken has been a guest conductor with orchestras in Europe, Asia, and the Americas; including l’orchestre Lamroureux, Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, Hiroshima Symphony Orchestra, Kyoto Symphony Orchestra, New Japan Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestra Ensemble Kanazawa, Victoria Symphony Orchestra, Osaka Century Orchestra, Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Gunma Symphony Orchestra, Hyogo Performing Arts Centre Orchestra, CBC Radio Orchestra, National Arts Centre Orchestra, National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra London, Siena Wind Orchestra, Evergreen Symphony Orchestra, and has made two recordings with the Orchestra Ensemble Kanazawa on Avex Label.

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Libby Yu will be performing at our 2018/19 Season Opening Concert, Sep.9, 2018, at the UBC Chan Centre for the Performing Arts.

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Austin Ng will be performing at our 2018 Finale Concert.

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Barry Tan will be performing at our 2018 Finale Concert.

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10-year-old Ryan Wang started playing piano at the age of 4 and has been a student of Professor Lee Kum Sing at the Vancouver Academy of Music since September 2014. Ryan has won top honors and scholarships in numerous Canadian and international piano competitions and has performed at Carnegie Hall (New York), on the Ellen DeGeneres Show, for the CBC, at Yundi Li’s 2014 New Year’s Concert in Beijing. Ryan was invited to perform as part of the cultural component of Canada’s participation in the APEC Summit in Beijing, 2014, and at a private concert at the Canadian Prime Minister’s home. In 2017, Ryan is the winner of an Emerging Artist Grant from Vancouver Academy of Music.

In July 2015, 2016 and 2017, Ryan participated in Casalmaggiore International Music Festival in Italy where he gave solo recitals and performed piano concertos with the festival orchestra, and he got the First Place of the Gabora Prize of the festival. In October 2015, Ryan gave concerts in Japan and China, including a solo recital at Nankai University for the grand opening of Jialing Academy built for the Poet Chia-ying Yeh. In March 2016, Ryan accompanied Professor Lee who was invited to give a series of lectures and master classes in China, including Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Xiamen, Shanghai, and Beijing. Ryan performed solo recitals in these cities. In November 2016, Ryan gave solo recitals in Xi’an Music Conservatory and China Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing. In March 2017, Ryan spent his spring school holidays doing a concert tour of Southern China, including Hong Kong where he recorded for Radio Hong Kong, Guangzhou, and Xiamen where he performed Beethoven Concerto No.1 with the Xiamen Philharmonic. In June 2017, Ryan was invited to perform with Singapore Symphony Orchestra to celebrate Chung Ling High School 100 years anniversary. In January 2018, Ryan was invited to give a solo recital in Toronto, and also to play Beethoven’s piano concerto No. 2 with the Toronto Festival Orchestra for the New Year’s concert.

Ryan has also participated in many fundraising concerts to support the Sarah McLachlan School of Music, Vancouver hospitals and social programs, and elementary schools in China in need of funding for their music programs.

Ryan is a big fan of sports. He loves swimming, skiing, badminton, and hockey. Ryan also enjoys reading and traveling. He is presently a Grade 5 student at Collingwood School in West Vancouver, Canada.

Photo credit: Iris Wang

Ryan Wang will be performing at our 2018 Spring Concert

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Mezzo-soprano Yeeun (Yenny) Lee is a fourth-year undergrad student at the University of British Columbia, majoring in Opera. She was born and raised in Korea, and her great love and passion for music lead her to Vancouver, Canada. She won awards in Kiwanise Festival and Nationals in Kelowna in 2014. Starting from Bard on the Beach 2014 as a role of Cesare from Giulio Cesare, she performed in various productions with UBC Opera including Rosette from Manon, Hermia from A Midsummernight’s Dream, Sesto from Giulio Cesare, Mother from The Consul, and Olga from Eugene Onegin. On February 2016, she traveled to Nürnberg in Germany with UBC Opera to present joyful excerpts from various operas.In July 2017 she traveled to Prague, Czech Republic to perform Il Barbiere di Siviglia as the role of Rosina in with European Music Academy, and in August she came back to Vancouver to present Rosina in the Bard on the Beach.

Yenny Lee will be performing at our 2018 Spring Concert.

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Grand Prize Winner of 2017 Theodor Leschetisky Concerto Competition. The competition finals were held on April 22nd, 2017 in New York. Out of 6 semi-finalists and 3 finalists, William was selected to perform with orchestra. William was awarded first place overall and on April 25th, he performed the complete Piano Concerto No.1 in G minor by Mendelssohn with the Camerata New York Orchestra under the direction of Conductor Richard Owen. William subsequently received a cheque for a $1,000.00 scholarship.

Twelve year-old William Lin started piano at the age of 6. In 2013, he began his studies with Donna Fishwick and completed his Grade 9 RCM piano examination with first class honours with distinction. Currently he is preparing for the Grade 10 Royal Conservatory of Music examination, while also building a wealth of repertoire at the ARCT Solo Diploma level.

William started competing locally in the Festival on the Lake, Burnaby, in 2014 and has since garnered numerous awards, trophies, and scholarships from local, national, and international competitions for his outstanding performances. He received second place at the Canadian Music Competition in 2015 and was subsequently awarded third place at the “Fifth Chinese Children Small Golden Bell Music Competition”, after which he was invited to play in Guangzhou, China. In January 2016, William was invited to play in Carnegie Hall as a Vancouver representative in the Crescendo International Music Competition, where he was the Grand Prize winner. In May 2016, he won First Place in the Richmond Delta Youth Orchestra Concerto Competition and achieved very high marks of 98. William was also awarded first place in the 2016 Vancouver Metropolitan Orchestra Concerto Competition. He will be performing with the VMO on June 2nd, 2017.

This past year, William has been a guest artist with major symphony orchestras such as the Richmond Delta Youth Orchestra, the Richmond Orchestra, the West Coast Symphony Orchestra, and Orchestra di Alicante – in Perugia, Italy. Locally, he performed at the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts, the Vancouver Convention Centre, Tom Lee Music Concert Hall, Anvil Centre, Gateway Theatre, and Vancouver’s Queen Elizabeth Playhouse. Internationally, his performance venues include Bosendorfer Recital Hall in Vienna, Austria, Hellbrunn Palace in Salzburg, Austria, Teatro Pavone in Perugia, Italy, and Carnegie Hall in New York.

William has also attended master classes with Sasha Starcevich, Wayne Weng, and Alexander Karpeyev. He is the piano accompanist for the Richmond Orchestra and also plays violin as a member of the Intermediate String Division of the Richmond Delta Youth Orchestra. As a member of the Donna Fishwick Piano Ensemble, William has performed a wealth of repertoire arranged for piano duet, duo, and quartet.

William Lin will be performing at our 2017 Season Finale Concert, for more info or buy tickets online (Eventbrite): visit here

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Pianist Natalie Lo has achieved recognition in her career as a concert pianist from a very young age. She has given concerts as a soloist both in Canada and abroad. She has been highly successful in her early competitive career including First and Top prizes at the Vancouver International Russian Music Festival, the Seattle International Piano Competition, the Canadian Music Competition, the Seattle Young Artists’ Music Festival, and the Stravinsky Awards Piano Competition of North America. She has also been a two-time winner of the BC Performing Arts festival. Most recently, Natalie found success as a finalist at the Shean Competition, winning Fourth prize as well as the award for the Best Performance of the Test Piece. Natalie has been awarded the Youth Arts Award by the City of Richmond in recognition of her artistic achievements and her contributions to the cultural community. She has also been invited to perform at various showcases and charities, including the Vancouver 2010 Olympics.

Natalie made her orchestral debut as a soloist with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra at the age of 13, and since then has appeared in performance with various orchestras including the Seattle Symphony Orchestra, the Philharmonia Northwest, the Vancouver Metropolitan Orchestra, and the UBC Symphony Orchestra.

In addition to her solo work, Natalie is involved in chamber music. A highly sought-after collaborative artist, she has received many awards with her chamber groups including the Friends of Chamber Competition, the BC Provincial Performing Arts Festival, and the Vancouver International Russian Music Festival.

Natalie is a recent graduate of the University of British Columbia, where she has received her Bachelor Degree in Piano Performance, having studied with Dr. Corey Hamm. Upon graduation from UBC, she was awarded the Director’s Graduation Prize in Piano Performance. Along with her Bachelor degree, Natalie also holds a Perfomer’s Certificate from the Vancouver Academy of Music and a Performer’s ARCT Diploma from the Royal Conservatory of Music, studying with Lorraine Ambrose. In addition to her studies in piano, Natalie has also achieved top marks in violin exams with the Royal Conservatory, and in yang-qin with the Central Conservatory of Music of China.

Natalie Lo will be performing at our 2017 Season Finale Concert, for more info or buy tickets online (Eventbrite): visit here

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Internationally acclaimed Japanese soprano Mihoko Kinoshita brings life and emotional depth to iconic characters, ranging from Mimi in La Bohème and Liu in Turandot to her signature role of Cho-Cho-san (Butterfly) of Madama Butterfly. Critics praise her “luxurious and elegant, entrancing and exhilarating” voice (Houston Grand Opera) and acting skills that convey a “deep grasp of (the tragic) character’s emotions and nuances.” (Ventura County Star).

Throughout her career as a professional opera singer, Mihoko has earned a reputation as one of the best Butterflies in the world. Her performance in the role has received numerous accolades from both fans and critics. For example, Midland Symphony Orchestra wrote: “Kinoshita embraced the full range of the Butterfly character, and was thoroughly convincing whether expressing the shyness of a child bride, the joy of young love or the sorrow and grief of a wronged wife.” The hard-to-please Guardian notes Mihoko’s compelling Butterfly “rises fearlessly to the challenges of the second half of the drama.”

Today Mihoko is a sought-after Butterfly, having performed the title role worldwide, including but not limited to:

Although Butterfly is an important part of her career, Mihoko is also renowned for her performances as Verdian heroines, with her authentic and flawless Italian opera style she acquired through many years of training in Italy, including her stunning roles as Violetta in La Traviata, Leonora in Il Trovatore, Desdemona in Otello, Amelia in Un Ballo in Maschera, and as a soloist in Messa da Requiem.

Mihoko also continuously pushes her frontiers to expand her repertoire of work, as her life and professional experiences add more depth and a new dimension to her voice and performances. She performed Yani Rose at the world premiere of “New Arrivals” (2012) and Hana in “The Memory Stone,” both with Houston Grand Opera. In 2017, she will be performing the title role of Tosca at Nikikai in cooperation with Teatro dell’Opera di Roma, followed by the title role of Aida at Sapporo Cultural Theater under conductor Andrea Battistoni as the opening performance of the theater in 2018.

Her distinguished career started when she swept first prizes at “the three major voice competitions” in Japan in 2001: Italian Vocal Concorso, Japan Italy Vocal Concorso and Music Competition of Japan. Since then, she has won many prestigious awards, including first prize at the Licia Albanese Puccini Foundation Competition (2007), as well as second prizes at the Verdian Voice International Competition in Busseto (2005) and the Riccardo Zandonai International Opera Competition (2004). In 2005, she was honored with the New Nippon Steel’s “Fresh Artist Award” and in 2006 received Japan’s highest honor, the “Idemitsu Music Award.”

Mihoko was born in Kagoshima, Japan, where she earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the Musashino Academy of Music. In 2001, she traveled to Italy on a Rotary International Friendship Scholarship, Recruit Scholarship, and Rohme Music Foundation Scholarship to continue her music studies at Accademia Santa Cecilia Opera Studio Renata Scotto class and Solti Opera Academy Mirella Freni Master class. The following year, Mihoko debuted in Tokyo at the Bunka Kaikan as Donna Elvira with Seiji Ozawa in Don Giovanni and as Mimi in La Bohème. In 2006, she sang a gala concert with the Toscanini Philharmonic, conducted by Lorin Maazel.

She currently lives in Houston, Texas, with her family.

Mihoko Kinoshita will be performing at our 2017 Spring Concert, for more info or buy tickets online (Eventbrite): visit here

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Recently named a 2016 RBC Stockey Young Artist for the 37th season at the Festival of the Sound, Linda Ruan strives to create the human connection across time and space between the composers and the audiences.

Music, she believes, is all about those “magical moments, when time becomes suspended”, which all of humanity somehow innately understands. This passionate pursuit of her vision has taken her all over the world, from the Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center in New York to the Orpheum Theatre in Vancouver. Linda was the only Canadian competitor at the prestigious PianoArts North American Piano Competition in 2016, where she was awarded the special prize for the best performance of a North American work as well as the junior jury prize. During the 2014-2015 season, she was given the opportunity to give a concert tour in China which included an orchestra debut with the Xinghai Philharmonic Orchestra. Additionally, as the winner of the third prize and the Best Performance of a Work by Frederic Chopin at the Canadian Music Teachers’ Association National Piano Competition, she had the opportunity to perform in the Young Artist’s Tour across the province. She was also one of the first soloists to ever perform at the newly-opened Bella Concert Hall at the Mount Royal University in the July of 2015.

As an avid chamber musician, Linda is part of the Jupiter Piano Duo; they were crowned the youngest winners of the 2016 Glenn Gould School Chamber Music Competition.

Born in Tokyo Japan, Linda began her piano studies at the age of seven in Shanghai, China, before immigrating to Canada a year later. She is currently a full-tuition scholarship student at the Glenn Gould School at the Royal Conservatory of Music in the studio of James Anagnoson.

Linda will be performing at our 2016/17 Season Opening Concert, for more info or buy tickets online: visit here

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