Get to know our instructors
Ms. Irene Long
Concert Pianist / Accompanist/ Improvisation
rene Yin Long, award-winning pianist and accompanist, has performed internationally from Washington D.C. to Singapore. Winner of the Hong Kong International Piano Competition, she was awarded the Distinction in New Music by National Artistry Honors in 2022, leading to a tour of contemporary music composition. As principal and Orchestra Pianist at National Music Festival Symphony Orchestra in Washington D.C., Indiana University Symphony Orchestras and Wind Ensemble, New World Symphony Orchestra in Miami, she collaborates with esteemed conductors and performs a diverse repertoire, including works by Saint-Saëns, Stravinsky, Ligeti, and more. Long is also a skilled improvisation specialist, often incorporating improvisational elements into her performances.
Long is also a versatile accompanist in the fields of Theater and Dance, having served as a professional accompanist at Jacobs Ballet Theater, Boston Belvoir Ballet and Chicago Summer Intensive, she has collaborated with faculty members from the New York City Ballet, the Royal Ballet in London, and the Boston Ballet. Additionally, Long is music director at the Bay View Music Festival, Boston Belvoir Summer Institute. Her exceptional talent and versatility have made her a sought-after pianist and accompanist across the country.
Sue Yang
PIANO | VOCAL | VIOLIN
Sue Yang, a virtuoso with a strong classical piano background, embarked on her musical journey at the tender age of 4. By the age of 9, she seamlessly added the violin to her repertoire, laying the foundation for a remarkable career in music.
Her prodigious talent shone brightly as she graduated from the Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University in Australia with a Bachelor of Music at the young age of 18. Sue's exceptional abilities were further acknowledged when she clinched first place in the Australian National Singing Competition, propelling her into the limelight as a signed artist with Rock Records.
Under the tutelage of the iconic John Denver in Hollywood, Sue's singing career flourished. Her prowess extended beyond performance as she assumed roles as the Education System CD vocalist and head voice training instructor at the YAMAHA Music Education System in Taiwan. Simultaneously, Sue showcased her versatility as a demo vocalist and featured singer in the theme song of the online game "Star Dream 3 / 明星志願3"
Having spent a decade in performance, event production, and teaching, Sue made Sunnyvale, California her home. She served as a resident bilingual music instructor at the International School of The Peninsula in Palo Alto, where she played a crucial role in developing curriculum from nursery through 5th grade. In 2009, Sue established the Sue Yang Music Studio, a precursor to her founding of the First Movement Music Academy. In 2018, she enriched the musical landscape with the release of her first Mandarin children's music album, "Bam! Boo! Music."
As a devoted mother of two, Sue's expertise spans piano, voice, violin, and songwriting. With 22 years of experience seamlessly blending classical discipline, jazz technique, and contemporary music, she has crafted engaging curriculums tailored for students of all ages in the SF Bay Area. Sue's impact extends beyond the studio as she is the founder of the TAJCCNC National iSing singing competition with ETTV North America. She is an active contributor to the Taiwanese-American Chamber of Commerce (TACC), ardently promoting Taiwanese culture worldwide through the universal language of music
SONYA TANG 湯怡盈
PIANO | VOCAL
MASTER IN MUSIC EDUCATION
台灣東吳大學音樂系音樂學碩士。
現任PALO ALTO CHINESE SCHOOL教師、FMMA音樂教師。
曾參與台北市立交合唱團、南加州臺大校友合唱團、COLBURN COMMUNITY CHORALE、華山天主教聖樂團、實驗合唱團等演出。
發表文章<十七、十八世紀法國歌劇-從歷史背景談拉摩的相關創作>與論文<兩部義大利寫實歌劇代表作的探討-馬斯卡尼的"鄉村騎士"與雷昂卡發洛的"丑角">
曾任桃園市建國國中、新北市福和國中、台北市百齡高中音樂教師。
Ms. Jane Au
Born and raised in Hong Kong, Jane started learning to play the piano at the young age of 4. She received dozens of awards from the Hong Kong Music Festivals throughout her elementary school years, completed her ABRSM Grade 8 at age 12 and received her Trinity ATCL diploma when she was 15.
Jane’s real interest in music sparked when she got invited to play in a contemporary band in high school. She realized that there was more to piano than just reading off of music sheets. She began to explore the world of pop and immediately fell in love with it. She decided to continue to broaden her horizon by completing her Bachelor’s Degree in Music from Berklee College of Music in 2016. Jane moved home in 2018 and started teaching piano, preparing her students for their Hong Kong Music Festival competitions and ABRSM exams. Having just moved to the Bay Area, she is beyond excited to continue her passion in teaching!
Jane is a patient, encouraging and fun teacher who is loved by kids. She teaches both Classical and Pop piano (chord theory). She believes in helping kids build a strong foundation in sight-reading, ear training and theory, so they can explore the world of music on their own in the future.
Ms. Jocelyn Wei (Wei,Yi-Ying)
Degrees
Master in Music Performance-Cello ,
Essen Folkwang Hochschule (Germany, 2003)
Performance 1998-2014:
Solo, chamber and concerto performances in Taiwan 2006-2012
Solo recital toured throughout seven cities in Europe, 2010 August.
1998-2003 Performed in chamber with world renowned cellist Rudolf Weinsheimer from Berlin Phiharmonie. Worked with internationally acclaimed cellist Steven Isserlis, Ralph Kirschbaum, Wen-Sinn Yang and Prof. Alexander Hülshoff.
Teaching experience 2004- 2012:
2005-2012, appointed as the instrumental specialist for individual cello lessons at Stella Martutina Girl’s High School 曉明女中音樂班特聘, Taichung Taiwan.
Minshen Elementary School, Changhua Taiwan
Tina Yen (virtual)
PIANO & IMPROV
鋼琴即興演奏家 | Yamaha 3 級講師
MASTER IN MUSIC | PIANO | DANCE ACCOMPANIST
Ms. Tina Yen started to learn piano at age of 4. Graduated from NATIONAL CHIAO TUNG UNIVERSITY with master of music degree in Taiwan. She has been teaching piano privately while being a professional dance accompanist. She was the featured dance accompanist of Cloud Gate 2 (Cloud Gate Dance Theater), BALLET & MODERN DANCE department at TAIPEI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF THE ARTS, UNIVERSITY OF TAIPEI, TAIPEI MUNICIPAL ZHONG ZHENG SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL, and CURRENTLY at TAICHUNG MUNICIPAL WEN HUA SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL.
於4歲開始習琴，畢業於國立交通大學音樂系碩士。畢業後從事鋼琴教學以及專業舞蹈伴奏至今。曾於雲門舞集2，台北藝術大學，台北市立大學，台北市立中正高中等著名舞團及舞蹈科系擔任芭蕾與現代舞舞蹈伴奏。目前定居於台中，於台中市立文華高中擔任舞蹈伴奏。
Andy Lin (virtual)
Viola I Erhu 二胡
First Prize in the 2008 Juilliard Viola Concerto Competition
Wei-Yang Andy Lin, is recognized as one of the most promising and the only active performers who specialized in both western and eastern instruments. Praised by The Strad “The great Molto adagio…..elicited some of the night’s most sensitive work, especially from Wei-Yang Andy Lin on viola.” and New York Times “Taiwanese-born violist Wei-Yang Andy Lin..…is also a virtuoso on the erhu, and he gave a brilliant performance.” Andy came to the U.S. in 1997 to attend the Idyllwild Arts Academy and holds his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from The Juilliard School with full scholarship, and received his Doctor’s degree in Musical Arts from SUNY Stony Brook also with fullscholarship. Andy has won numerous competitions including Taiwan National Viola Competition, the Idyllwild Concerto Competition, First Prize in the 2008 Juilliard Viola Concerto Competition and subsequently made his Lincoln Center solo debut at the Avery Fisher Hall (now David Geffen Hall) with the Juilliard Orchestra. He has also appeared as soloist with orchestras such as Yonkers Philharmonic Orchestra, Orford Academy Orchestra, Incheon Philharmonic, New York Classical Players, and Children’s Orchestra Society. In addition to his solo career, Andy is an avid chamber musician and is a founding member of the award winning string quartet, the Amphion String Quartet. The quartet was a winner of the 2011 Concert Artists Guild Victor Elmaleh Competition and was on the roster of the Lincoln Center Chamber Music Society CMS2 Program from 2013~2016. Andy is also a member of the Musicians of Lenox Hill and serves as principal violist of the New York Classical Players and the Solisti Ensemble. He has been invited to perform chamber music with Itzhak Perlman where The New York Times described “Mr. Perlman, playing first violin..… answered in kind by the violist Wei-Yang Andy Lin.” In addition to his accomplishments as a classical musician, he is also an active erhu player. He has recorded film music for a number of movies and short films, including “The Blood Brothers” and the award winning short film “Daughters” (Best Original Score at NYU Tisch Film Festival). He has performed the erhu solo part at the U.S. Premiere of Sir Peter Maxwell Davies’ “Kommilitonen!” with the Juilliard Opera Production, as well as the world premiere of Jeeyoung Kim’s “Engraft” for solo erhu and string orchestra with Solisti Ensemble at Carnegie Hall. He also premiered Winnie Lan-In Yang’s “Fantasy for Erhu and Strings” with the New York Classical Players. He has recently performed an erhu concerto “Wild Grass” by Wenjing Guo with the Juilliard Orchestra at its Focus! Festival final concert at Alice Tully Hall at the Lincoln Center in which it was featured on the New York Times, this also made him the only person in the Juilliard history who performed concertos with the Juilliard Orchestra on both western and eastern instruments.
