Sound of Dragon Ensemble musicians (中文)

Lan Tung – Erhu & vocal, Artistic Director 董籃 – 二胡／人聲
Crossing between Canada’s new music, improvised music and world music scenes, Lan is the artistic director and resident composer of Sound of Dragon Ensemble, Orchid Ensemble, Vancouver Erhu Quartet, Crossbridge Strings, Proliferasian, and Sound of Dragon Music Festival. Lan co-leads the Nadaaleela Ensemble with Curtis Andrews and is the founding member of the Vancouver Inter-Cultural Orchestra. Lan has released numerous CDs, winning the International Independent Music Awards and nominations from JUNO, Canadian Folk Music, and Western Canadian Music Awards. Lan has appeared as a soloist with Lublin Philharmonic Orchestra (Poland), Orchestre Metropolitain (Montreal), and Symphony Nova Scotia; as soloist and composer with Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, Turning Point Ensemble (Vancouver), Upstream Ensemble (Halifax), Atlas Ensemble (Amsterdam & Helsinki), Vancouver Inter-Cultural Orchestra, and Little Giant Chinese Chamber Orchestra (Taipei, China, Mexico, Chile). Originally from Taiwan, Lan has studied graphic score with Barry Guy, improvisation with Mary Oliver, Hindustani music with Kala Ramnath, Uyghur music with Abdukerim Osman, and Mongolian horsehead fiddle with Bayar, in addition to her studies of Chinese music. Lan has toured in Europe (Germany, Switzerland, and the Netherlands), Asia (China, Taiwan, Singapore, Indonesia), Chile, and North America (US, Canada, Mexico).

Dr. Paolo Bortolussi – flute
Paolo has premiered over 150 works, including flute concerti by Dorothy Chang, Jocelyn Morlock, and Aaron Gervais. Paolo co-directs new music ensemble Nu:BC Collective. Nu:BC’s debut CD “Beyond Shadows” and Paolo’s recent solo release “Israfel” have received multiple nominations at the Western Canadian Music Awards. Paolo graduated from the University of Ottawa and the Indiana University School of Music. He teaches at UBC, Kwantlen University, and Trinity Western University, and presents masterclasses in North America, Korea, and Taiwan. He is Vancouver Island Symphony’s principal flutist and director of its Canadian Concerto Project to commission, premiere, and record new concerti by Canadian composers.

Charlie Lui – dizi/Chinese bamboo flute  呂畇初 –笛子
A multiple award winner, Charlie masters a wide range of Chinese wind instruments. Charlie performs with the Vancouver Inter-Cultural Orchestra, Multicultural Wind Ensemble, Sound of Dragon Ensemble, and BC Chinese Music Ensemble. He was the principal dizi player of the BC Chinese Music Orchestra and co-founded Pentatonics. Charlie has performed numerous dizi concerti and appeared on numerous CDs. He has performed as soloist with the Nu: BC, the BC Chinese Orchestra, and Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. Charlie studied the dizi with Jian Min Pan (潘建明) in Vancouver and Wei-Yu Tan (譚謂裕) in China. Charlie is on faculty at VSO School of Music.

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Itamar Erez – guitar 
Itamar is an internationally renowned composer, guitarist and pianist. He blends the delicateness of Middle Eastern music, the freedom found in Jazz, and the passion of Flamenco, creating a unique sound. Recipient of the 2014 ACUM Prize for Special Achievement in Jazz & the lucrative 2014 Landau Prize, Itamar has toured in Canada, USA, Germany, Holland, Austria, Cyprus, Israel, India, Tunisia and Colombia, as a soloist, leading his ensembles, or as a collaborator. He has released six albums to date, as a soloist and with his quartet the Adama Ensemble, with Yshai Afterman (percussion) and Antonio Serrano (harmonica), and with Hamin Honari (Iranian-Canadian percussionist). Itamar gives workshops and masterclasses to teach his unique approach to music and guitar playing. He is on faculty at the VSO School of Music.

Zhimin Yu – ruan 于志敏 – 阮
Born in Beijing, Zhimin started to learn the pipa at an early age and later focused on the ruan. Yu was a member of the China Broadcast Chinese Orchestra in Beijing and founder of Chinese Folkloric Troupe in Japan. After moving to Vancouver, she has appeared as a guest with Vancouver and Calgary Symphony Orchestras and performed regularly with Vancouver Inter-Cultural Orchestra, Sound of Dragon Ensemble, Silk Road Music, Red Chamber, and Vancouver Chinese Music Ensemble across Canada and in China, Japan, Singapore, the US, UK, France, Holland, Hawaii, Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia, and Hong Kong. She has appeared on many award-winning CDs. Zhimin is the director of UBC Chinese Music Ensemble and Azalea Ensemble of VSO School of Music, and VSO School’s World Music Department Head. In addition, her compositions have been featured at Sonic Boom Festival of BC Composers.

Dailin Hsieh – zheng 謝岱霖 – 箏
Dailin is a vibrant zheng player based in Vancouver. She graduated from Taiwan’s National Tainan University of the Arts and received a Master’s Degree in Ethnomusicology from National Taiwan Normal University. Aside from receiving numerous awards for her artistry, she has premiered numerous groundbreaking works by Taiwanese and Canadian composers to critical acclaim. Dailin has performed as a soloist with Turning Point Ensemble, Allegra Chamber Orchestra,Taipei Municipal Chinese Orchestra and Little Giant Chinese Chamber Orchestra (Taiwan & European/China/Canada tours). Dailin is a member of the JUNO nominated Orchid Ensemble, Naadaleela Ensemble, Sound of Dragon Ensemble, BC Chinese Music Ensemble, Qing Ensemble, 88 Strings, and Sounds Global Ensemble. She is a regular collaborator with Music on Main, Vancouver Inter-Cultural Orchestra, and BC Chinese Orchestra. Dailin’s solo CD Zheng Image (2014) featured original Taiwanese compositions. 

Mark Ferris – violin
Graduated from Yale University, Mark is active as a multi-instrumentalist, arranger, and composer. A member of the Yaletown String Quartet, Sound of Dragon Ensemble, and Three Rivers Trio, Mark has been the concertmaster of Vancouver Opera Orchestra for 20 years, concertmaster of John Avison Orchestra, CBC Radio Orchestra, Manitoba Chamber Orchestra, and Vancouver Metropolitan Orchestra, and former concertmaster of Lions Gate Sinfonia. He has recorded/performed with numerous musicians and ensembles, including Juno Award winning recordings by the CBC Radio Orchestra and Phil Dwyer. Mark has toured with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra (Beijing, Shanghai, Seoul, Guangzhou, Macao), Winter Harp Ensemble, Winnipeg Ballet, and CBC Radio Orchestra.

Sungyong Lim – cello 林成容 – 大提琴
Sungyong graduated from the Yewon School, the Seoul School of the Arts, and the Korea National University of Arts. He earned VorDiplom (Bachelor), Diplom (Master), and konzertexamen (the highest degree in Germany) in cello performance from the Detmold Musik Hochschule. Sungyong has been invited as a soloist by German Johannes-Brahms-Saal, Detmold Konzert Hause, as well as music festivals and ensembles in Switzerland , France, Luxembourg, Germany and Korea. He performs/tours with Borealis String Quartet, Sound of Dragon Ensemble, Vancouver Inter-Cultural Orchestra, and Vancouver Erhu Quartet. Sungyong has coached countless students in schools, given masterclasses, and worked with school orchestras worldwide.

Jonathan Bernard – percussion
Jonathan combines his background in western percussion with a fascination for Asian and Middle Eastern traditions to create a unique sound palette, incorporating a myriad of instruments, techniques and styles. Active in genres from orchestral music, to new music, and intercultural music, Jonathan is a member of Turning Point Ensemble, Orchid Ensemble, Sound of Dragon Ensemble, Vancouver Inter-Cultural Orchestra (VICO), Sounds Global Ensemble, and Naadaleela Ensemble. He has performed with the Vancouver, Victoria, CBC Radio Orchestras and is the principal percussionist with the Vancouver Island Symphony Orchestra (VISO). Having premiered over 200 chamber works, he has been a soloist with VISO (Tan Dun’s Water Concerto), VICO, and the Little Giant Chinese Orchestra (Taipei’s National Concert Hall). Jonathan studied percussion at the University of Ottawa and the University of British Columbia. He has studied traditional and contemporary Chinese percussion in China, Arabic percussion in Egypt, Flamenco Compas in Spain, North African rhythms in Morocco, and Carnatic rhythms in India. Jonathan has toured in North America, Europe, and Asia.