Dr. Taichi Akutsu

(Japan)

Violinist, Educator, Researcher

Seisa University, Japan

Shujitsu University, Japan

Dr. Taichi Akutsu is a Japanese violinist-teacher-researcher and a full time lecturer at Seisa University and Shujitsu University. He has earned multiple degrees BM, Tokyo College of Music; MM, Manhattan School of Music (2005) in Orchestral Performance Program; MA, from Lehman College, The City University of New York (2011) in Music Teaching and PhD in Education, from Tokyo Gakugei University.

Dr. Akutsu studied the violin with Mr. Glenn Dicterow, former concertmaster of the New York Philharmonic, and was also a principal violinist of the New World Symphony under the direction of Michael Tilson Thomas (2006- 2009).

He gained teaching experiences in community music schools and public schools in NYC and Miami, Florida. While focusing on children’s musical engagement and human development, Dr. Akutsu recently presented research and practice in Helsinki, New Orleans, Seattle, Miami, New York, Seoul, and Tokyo.

Min Yen Chien

(Taiwan)

Professor of Violin, Taipei National University of the Arts, Taiwan

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Min Yen Chien is one of the foremost and first generation of Taiwanese international violinists. Born on August 2. 1953 into a medical and musical family in Nantou, Taiwan. He started his violin lessons at age seven, and by the age of eight, he had won the first prize of the National Violin Competition for children in Taiwan. Chein came to the United States in 1967 and entered the Pre-College Division of the Juilliard School in 1968 as a full scholarship student. With the Scholarship funded by the Rotary Club of New Jersey, Chien received his Bachelor (1975) and Master (1976) Degrees in Music from Juilliard School in New York.

In 1991 Min Yen Chien made his Alice Tully Hall debut in New York City with pianist Wendy Fang Chen to a sold out capacity. And since 1986 he has been on the faculty of the Taipei National University of the Arts in Taipei. Taiwan.

Charlotte Leng (Malaysia)

Violist & Early Childhood Music Specialist, British International School Kuala Lumpur

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Charlotte began teaching in London, UK in 2002, as an instrumental teacher and then as a Music and Movement specialist in various Early Years settings across the city. In Malaysia, she has taught music at KS2 and KS3 level at an international school in the heart of Kuala Lumpur and then had the opportunity to teach children right through from Early Years and Primary to Year 7 at British International School Kuala Lumpur (BSKL). Currently working with BSKL's youngest learners, from Early Years and KS1, which is where Charlotte's true passion lies, she is developing ways to inspire in the children a love of music by creating music together and developing their musical awareness through movement, improvisation and singing. She is also very keen to develop music-making with BSKL's youngest musicians through the Training Orchestra and our instrumental programme for students who are learning an instrument privately at school. In her spare time, Charlotte enjoys running and more recently, the Brazilian martial art Capoeria.