Ying Zhang

Composer/Conductor

Ying Zhang plays traditional Chinese folk music on eleven different traditional woodwind instruments. He is equally accomplished as composer, having premiered more than twenty compositions with the Minnesota Chinese Music Ensemble since his arrival in the United States in 1993. In the People's Republic of China, his 200-some compositions won over 40 awards. He studied with some of China's greatest musicians, notably Fen Zi-Cun on the flute, Shen Wu-Jun as conductor and Luo Zhong-Rong as composer. Zhang Ying has toured the United States, China, South East Asia, Russia and Europe, and is a recipient of several awards, including Bush Artist Fellowship, McKnight Composer's Fellowship, and Minnesota State Arts Board Artist Fellowship. His recently released CDs include: "Stone Cloud Water-Chinese Meditations on American Landscapes" 1998; "Ancient Music of China's Dragons" 2001; and "Ancient Journeys" 2003.

Ben Zhao

Professional Musician

Ben Zhao has been a professional musician since 1977 and was one of the principle players with the Beijing Song and Dance Ensemble. He has held concerts performing various Chinese musical instruments and gave lectures on Chinese music and instruments both in Europe and the United States. Ben Zhao is one of the rare musicians who not only a virtuoso in bow-string instruments - Er Hu, Gao Hu, Tiqin but also a master of pluck-string instruments - Guqin, Ruan, Lio Qin, PiPa, and Wind instruments - Di, Xun, Xiao and Sheng. He currently resides in Vancouver, Canada and can be reached at zhaobenmusic@yahoo.come.

Master Artist Sang Yim

Master Artist

Cheuk Sang Yim is a talented artist who moved from Hong Kong, China to United States in Summer of 2006. He has acquainted himself with skills in Chinese Brush Painting, western oil painting and pencil sketch. He was awarded with a certificate in Advanced Chinese Painting – Ningnam Flowers & Birds - in 2005.

He had been invited to demonstrate the Chinese Brush Painting at the Festival of Nations since 2007. For three consecutive years, his artwork attracted thousands of visitors at the event. His masterpieces became favorite in the collections of many people.

He has actively participated in other art shows held in Minnesota including the Peony Festival and the Highland Fest . He has designed and hand painted costumes for Twin Cities Chinese Dancing Center for their annual performance.

Conor O'Brien

Violinist

Since moving to the United States from his native Ireland in 2004, Conor has built up an eclectic professional portfolio. A member of the Minnesota Opera Orchestra, Conor has also played with the Minnesota Orchestra and the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. He enjoys playing chamber music and has performed with various ensembles throughout the Twin Cities. In addition to his private violin teaching, Conor shares his love of chamber music with many young ensembles in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area. In November 2008, he performed throughout South Korea as part of the inaugural tour of the World Symphony Orchestra. Conor holds a Bachelor's degree from the Royal Irish Academy of Music, and earned his Master's and Doctorate degrees from the University of Minnesota where he studied under the renowned violinist and pedagogue Sally O'Reilly.

Composer Carleton Macy

Professor - Theory / Composition Collegium Musicum Macalestri Music 108 macy@macalester.edu (651) 696-6186 Catalog of Compositions Catalog of Recordings Minnesota Chinese Music Ensemble Collegium Musicum Macalestri

Professor Carleton Macy has been teaching theory and composition at Macalester since 1978. He directs and performs recorders and crumhorns with Collegium Musicum Macalestri, a chamber ensemble specializing in medieval, renaissance, and baroque music. He established the MacJazz big band in 1979 and directed the ensemble until 2005.

Professor Macy's composition catalog includes more than 120 works for orchestra, band, chamber ensembles, vocalists, traditional Chinese instruments, and jazz ensembles. His music can be heard on CDs produced on the INNOVA label (American Composers Forum), on DAPHENO (a French company specializing in saxophone music), and other CDs produced by various professional ensembles in the United States and Europe. Among his most popular works are woodwind quintets and saxophone quartets. He has twice won the commission award at the National Symposia for New Woodwind Quintet Music held at the University of Georgia. His saxophone works have been performed throughout Europe, North America, and Asia, and are featured on 4 different CDs.

Macy's active interest in Non-Western music has led him to become a performer, conductor and composer with the Minnesota Chinese Music Ensemble, which specializes in the performance of traditional and contemporary music written for Chinese traditional instruments. His compositions for Chinese instruments make use of traditional styles and techniques, blending them with traditional western styles. When not conducting the ensemble Macy plays the sheng, a 36-note mouth organ. In addition to his interest in Chinese music Macy plays tenor drum in the Macalester Pipe Band and owns his own Javanese Gamelan.

Macy's non-music interests include tennis, golf, running, mountain climbing, and gastronomy.

Brushworks School of Art

Marina Liadova

Orchestra Conductor

Marina Liadova was born in Russia in 1960. She grew up in Moscow and attended Gnessin Music School for talented youth, where she was invited to teach after finishing college. She was only 18. She taught Music theory at that school for 10 years, while working on her Graduate Diploma in Musicology at the same time.

She pioneered a Young Opera Troup, where she created and produced many original shows and commissioned several new operas, including King Matiush by Lev Konov.

After moving to the United States, Marina worked in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, as a music teacher at Boyd and Park elementary schools. She directed many memorable "synergy" concerts, which included choral singing, creative movement, theatrical surprises and even 6-foot tall puppets.

When she moved to the Twin Cities, Marina continued to work as a teacher in Roseville, where she conducted the Brimhall International Choir, comprised of singers from 35 countries around the world. She also began collaborating as a Music Director and a pianist with such theaters as Park Square, Lakeshore Players, Theater in the Round and Gilbert and Sullivan Very Light Opera Company.

Her orchestral studies led her to an esteemed German professor Alexander Vitlin. These studies inspired her to start Lidia Productions. Marina will be creating memorable concerts with a strong focus on Twin Cities musicians. In September 2009 Marina became a new Music Director and Conductor of St. Paul JCC Orchestra. Please visit the JCC website: www.stpauljcc.org.

Lu HAN

Public Relations and Communication Intern

Lu HAN is originally from Hunan province, China. She graduated from SUN Yat-sen University, one of the top universities in China in 2008. With the strong interest in public policy, she came to Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs, University of Minnesota to continue her masters degree, concentrating on Advanced Policy Analysis.

She has a strong interest in nonprofit management. She joined Lidia Productions as a public relation and communication intern in 2010. She can speak mandarin, Cantonese, English and Chinese. She is also a music lover; she believes music is a universal language and that different people from different cultures can communicate with each other.

Alexia Nompeli

Manager of Operations

Alexia Nompeli was born in Greece and since early age she developed a love for the theatrical arts and a talent for playwriting and directing. Her earliest memories are the plays she wrote, directed and performed in the back yard of her house before family, friends and neighbors. She came to the United States in 1996 and she attended Winona State University where it all began.

She participated as an undergraduate student to WSU's theatrical productions as a crew member doing sound design, stage design and stage management. Her debut as a director came on Spring 1997 with WSU's Productions of "Shakespeare in the Park" where she directed scenes from the play, "The Two Gentlemen of Verona". Alexia casts predominantly amateur actors and helps them develop their own acting techniques. She later joined Rochester and Minneapolis College where she directed, stage managed and performed in various productions. She received a degree in Theater and Communications from Metropolitan State University in 2006 where her final projects included stage management for the Spring production of Tango; she also wrote, directed, performed and produced her very own "When Life Throws You A Curve" a collection of classmates' memoirs from childhood to adulthood. Her latest project included stage managing for The Lakeshore Theater where while working on the musical "She Loves me" she met Marina.

Alexia is currently the resident playwright, stage manager, producer and director of public relations for Lidia Productions.

"Being part of Lidia Productions completes me as an artist, it is a pleasure and an honor to work with Marina and to see the ideas taking form off and on stage. Here, at Lidia Productions we strive to turn our visions, into tradition.-Alexia Nompeli"