Alan Yang- Cello

Alan Yang was born in China to a family of musicians. He received his Cello Performance Bachelor’s degree from Wu-Han Conservatory of Music in China and went on to achieve his Master’s degree and Artist Diploma in Cello Performance from Indiana University in the U.S.
During his study at the Wu-Han Conservatory of Music, Alan was a member of the East Symphony Orchestra and the East Chamber Orchestra. In 2001, he became a member of  The First China Cello Orchestra, led by the Swiss Cello master Albert Roman. The highly gifted members of the orchestra were all selected from China’s leading music academies. They performed in Sils, Scuol, Luzern, and Basel in Switzerland, and Beijing, Ji Nan, Shanghai and Su Zhou in China. In 2003, Alan was invited to perform at the Elitist Concert organized by the Texas Chinese Performing Arts Association. He was awarded the prestigious “Honor Citizen Certificate Award’’ by the Dallas city government.
Alan has been teaching private cello lessons since 2002 and has been teaching full time in the Bay Area since 2006. He was a faculty of Community School of Music and Arts in Mountain View, has been a member of the faculty of the California Youth Chinese Orchestra, a member of the CMTANC and American String Teachers Association and  He has played for Southwest Michigan Symphony Orchestra, Silicon Valley Philharmonic, Silicon Valley Symphony, and was the Principal Cellist of South Bay Symphony. Alan has also instructed the beginner and intermediate string orchestras at Hopkins Junior High in Fremont.
Alan’s students have won many competitions, including BIMC, ASTA, IGM Competition, Enkor International Competition, KAMSA Competition,United State Open Music Competition, USIMC, the CMTANC International Music Competition, Spotlight National Youth Music Competition, Global Online Great Composers Competition, Global International Music Competition, Quebec International Music Competition, Grand Maestro International Competition, Young Maestro Competition,  Fremont Symphony Youth Recitalist Competition, Silicon Valley Youth Music Competition, American Protégé International Music Talent Competition, and performances by invitation in Carnegie Hall. Alan’s students have participated in various youth symphonies in the Bay Area including SJYS, CYS, ECYS,FYSO and CODA All -State Jr High School Orchestra. In addition to his teaching experience, Alan is a professional brass and woodwind instruments repair technician and loves to compose music.

Helena Huang – Violin, Viola

She has more than 30 years of violin teaching experience. She started playing violin at the age of 7, and studied with Professor Zhao Xun and Gong Zhenbang at Central Conservatory of Music. At an early age, she was given the opportunity to go abroad and study violin at University of Utah School of Music. She has Teacher Certification for university level. Many of her students received awards and high achievements in violin competitions; and she has sent students to Peabody Music School and Curtis Institute of Music. Every year her students are adopted by different youth symphony in Bay Area. Also her students passed ABRSM exams on different level every year

David Wang – Violin, Viola

He first picked up the violin at 7 years old with the Shanghai Children’s Art Theater in China. His practice continued to build through the Music and Arts program at Xiamen University. Career highlights in China include performing with the esteemed China Radio Orchestra, as well as traveling with the China Puppet Art Theatre as first violin. He had the further privilege of studying under the illustrious violin master Sheng Zhongguo – internationally lauded as one of the world’s greatest artists.

In America, He acquired the tutelage of Clayton Haslop, famed LA concertmaster, perfecting his craft with the unique violin techniques. After moving to California, He also played with the De Anza Chamber Orchestra of Cupertino. In an early instructional capacity, He lead the youth Song of Songs orchestra at San Jose Christian Assembly – lending his additional viola expertise to the quartet chamber.

All in all David has taught in the Bay Area for more then 20 years. Students of all ages ranging from 5 to 65 years old! In both English and Chinese languages.

 

Samuel Boruszko – Violin, Viola, Clarinet, Saxophone, Composition, Conductor

Samuel is a Composer, Orchestra Conductor, Music Educator and founder member of the Simón Bolivar Orchestra. He is the Director of Community Synergy Inc and Bow to Strings and he Stratfford School Orchestra Teacher. He holds a Master’s Degree in Music from California Institute of the Arts. Samuel is also a choir director, a composer and an arranger, he has an extensive list of compositions and/or arrangements ranging from classical, popular, world music, symphonic, choral works and worship music.

  • EDUCATION

    California Institute Of The Arts, CALARTS, Santa Clarita, CA.
    [Master Of Fine Arts]
    Instituto Universitario De Estudios Musicales IUDEM, Caracas, Venezuela
    [Bachelor Of Arts In Music Composition]

  • PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

    Founding member of “El Sistema” Of Symphonic Orchestras in Caracas, Venezuela directed By the legendary Dr. Jose. A. Abreu:
    Simón Bolívar Symphonic Orchestra

    National Youth Orchestra of Venezuela

  • Worked as a conductor at:

  • Simón Bolívar Symphonic Orchestra
  • Symphonic Band of the State of Carabobo
  • Emil Friedmann College String and Voice Orchestra
  • Carabobo Symphony Orchestra
  • Haydn Orchestra – Emil Friedmann College
  • Conservatory Orchestra (ONJV)
  • ONJV National Children’s Orchestra “B”

 

Ernest Yen – Violin

Born and raised in Taiwan, Ernest Yen began his violin lessons at the age of 5, under the tutelage of Kuei-Chu Chu. At age 11, he was featured as a soloist in the Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto and toured Japan with Jhen-Si Youth Orchestra. At age 13, he was the youngest member of the Taiwan Youth Symphony Orchestra during its U.S. tour. Ernest served as concertmaster in orchestras through his study, and played Vivaldi The Four Seasons Violin Concerto and Mendelssohn Violin Concerto with National Tsing Hua University Orchestra, and Prokofiev Violin Concerto No. 2 with Bei-An Symphony Orchestra. In 2002, he won the first prize in the violin category in the Taiwan National Music Competition. His string quartet also won the first prize in the chamber music category in the same year.
Ernest moved to the U.S. to pursue his doctorate degree in 2006 and has been a member of the UC Berkeley Symphony Orchestra since then. He studied with Hagai Shaham, Alexander Barantschick, Catherine Van Hoesen, Chen Zhao, Franklyn D’Antonio, and is currently study with Yukiko Kurakata. He was threetime concerto competition winner and performed with the UCBSO as the featured soloist in several seasons, including the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto in 2008, Saint-Saens “La Muse et le Poete” in 2010, and Korngold Violin Concerto in 2011, on a 1865 J.B. Vuillaume violin generously lent to him by the Music Department of UC Berkeley. In 2008, he was the Semi-Finalist of the KDFC Classical Star Competition. In 2010, he was invited to perform on the Four Seasons Arts “Cameo Concerts” program and performed with Miles Graber in the Yachats Music Festival in Oregon. He also plays frequently with the Berkeley Symphony, Symphony Silicon Valley, Master Sinfonia Chamber Orchestra, Palo Alto Philharmonic etc. Ernest Yen is currently living in San Jose. His students have won local music competitions / youth symphony auditions and performed in Carnegie Hall.

Kitty Chen -Violin

Key Competencies & Offerings

  • Violin performance
  • Orchestra experience and knowledge
  • ABRSM preparation (including aural test and music theory) Ear training
  • Sight reading
  • Piano performance/accompaniment
  • Musical analysis, theory and history
  • Speak Mandarin and English

Profile

  • In spring 2020, she graduated from UCSC music department and gain Honors in Music. She was the concertmaster in UCSC orchestra from winter 2019- spring 2020. In spring 2019,  She won the Concerto competition in UCSC and perform Tchaikovsky violin concerto with the orchestra in fall 2019. Besides, She also start to tutor some children during that period. To help more children with the violin,  She participated the teacher training camp held by Suzuki in Chicago in summer 2019 and spring 2021.
  • Awards2020- Honors in Music in UCSC
    2019- Winner, University of California Santa Cruz concerto competition 2019- Concertmaster, University of California Santa Cruz orchestra 2018- Dean scholarship
    2018- Regent scholarship
    2009- First place, Mandarin Daily new violin competition
    2007-First place, Mandarin Daily new violin competition
    2005-First place, Mandarin Daily new violin competition

Dennis Ngai – Violin, Viola

 

Dennis has been teaching Violin, Viola in the SF Bay Area for more than 16 years. He has tremendous experience helping students age 4 and up to learn how to play the Violin and Viola from the start. Dennis himself started learning how to play the Violin at the age of five from his father Richard, who is a former member of the Singapore Symphony Orchestra (SSO). All his music mentors were classically-trained Violinists with great violin pedagogies. To name a few, Antoine van Dongen, Lin Li and Wei He are the wonderful famous faculty with extensive experience who made Dennis very strong in his Music field.

Dennis is committed to education and sharing his passion in music, so he focuses on performance techniques and expression when he teaches various levels of students from Beginner to Advanced Levels.

Dennis uses his passionate styles in teaching teenagers and young adults to create a longstanding love of music and to provide productive learning for them based on each individual’s goal and interest. Dennis also does preparation for the ABRSM Exams and School Orchestra Performances.

Many of the students who took lessons from Dennis have eventually got admitted to a number of prestigious youth symphony groups such as California Youth Symphony (CYS), Peninsula Youth Orchestra (PYO), Golden State Youth Orchestra (GSYO), Fremont Youth Symphony Orchestra (FYSO), and Silicon Valley Youth Symphony (SVYS).

Dennis, as an experienced Violin coach, mentor and an inborn music teacher, believes that establishing a profound foundation plays an outstanding role in a successful musical performance. Dennis builds up love, passion, and confidence in his students to play the Violin in their life as a real musician. He is an extremely patient, enthusiastic and passionate musician interested in coaching and encouraging his students to achieve artistic goals, always!

Juila Chiu – Viola,Violin

 

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