Professor (Fu Jen Catholic University of Taiwan), Head of APA Strings (School of Music)

Born in Vienna of Chinese parents, Michael Ma was taught the violin initially by his father before being accepted at age 14 to the Curtis Institute and the New School of Music, Philadelphia, to study under Ivan Galamian and Adolph Brodsky. Upon graduating, he began performing with the Concerto Soloists of Philadelphia and founded the New Art String Quartet which toured throughout Europe, United States and the Middle East.
He has appeared frequently as soloist, and held the position of concertmaster with many orchestras including the Oklahoma Symphony Orchestra, the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, the Santa Fe Opera Orchestra, the Mainly Mozart Festival, San Diego, and the New Mexico Symphony Orchestra. Prior to his appointment as Head of Strings at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts in 1996, he was Professor of Violin at the University of Oklahoma.

Winner of the Philadelphia Orchestra Greenfield Competition, Korean-born cellist Nayoung Baek made her American debut with the Philadelphia Orchestra in 2000. She has appeared as soloist with the Hudson Valley Philharmonic, DuPage Symphony Orchestra, Seoul Philharmonic and Korean Chamber Ensemble at major venues, such as the Academy House in Philadelphia and the Rheingau Musik Festival in Frankfurt, Germany. Recent highlights include performances of Dvořák’s Cello Concerto with the Ulsan Symphony Orchestra, Wonju Philharmonic Orchestra and Greenwich Village Orchestra in New York City and Beethoven’s Triple Concerto with the Macau-Hong Kong-Taipei Symphony Orchestra for its New Year’s Concert in Macau, China.

At the age of 15, Baek became the youngest winner in the history of the prestigious Choong Ang Times competition in Korea and also garnered the Virtuoso Prize at the first Tchaikovsky Competition for Young Musicians in Moscow, Russia. Baek was a prizewinner in the Gyeongnam International Competition (in memory of Isang Yun) and won first prize in Hudson Valley Philharmonic Competition and Holland-America Music Society Competition. Her recital appearances have included a New York-debut recital at Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall, presented by the Korea Music Society, and the Dame Myra Hess Concert Series in Chicago. An avid chamber musician, Baek has participated in and performed at the Marlboro Music Festival, Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival, Casals Festival in Prades, Aspen Music Festival and Isaac Stern Seminar in Israel. She has been featured at Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, Salle Gaveau in Paris and Cadogan Hall in London, and on NPR’s “Performance Today.” She has toured twice with Musicians From Marlboro, playing the Mendelssohn Octet and Janáček Quartet.

Baek studied with Orlando Cole at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. She continued her studies at Yale University for her master’s degree and at The Juilliard School for her Artist Diploma with Aldo Parisot, who awarded her the Aldo Parisot Prize at the end of her studies. She completed her Doctor of Musical Arts degree at Stony Brook University, where she studied and performed with Colin Carr. Baek served as an adjunct faculty member at Kean University and is a member of the Sejong Soloists and East Coast Chamber Orchestra.

An internationally acclaimed pianist, educator and ambassador for the arts, Michelle Kim has performed in concert halls throughout the US, Europe and Asia including performances at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Caramoor, New Jersey Performing Art Center, Sejong Cultural Center, Hong Kong Cultural Center, LACMA and Chicago Cultural Center, among others. She has performed as soloist with numerous orchestras across the world including the New Jersey Symphony, the Brevard Music Festival Orchestra, the Seoul Philharmonic, the Xiamen Philharmonic, the Bergen Philharmonic, Bangor Symphony, Ridgefield Symphony, Reading Symphony Brooklyn Symphony, the Orchestra del Teatro Massimo di Catania, and many others. Her performances have been televised in the US, Europe and South Korea and broadcast on radio stations throughout the US and abroad.

An advocate for young artists and disadvantaged youth, Michelle is motivated by a profound belief in music’s power to transform lives. In 2009, she founded Hong Kong Generation Next Arts (HKGNA), a Hong Kong Charity dedicated to nurturing artistic excellence and personal success in young artists and changing lives through music. In 2011, she was awarded ‘a Hong Kong & Shenzhen Lifestyle Award’ by the Southern Metropolis Daily for being an ambassador for culture and performing arts and promoting youth development in Hong Kong. Featured as one of the “Inspiring Women of Hong Kong” in the October 2013 Anniversary Issue of Marie Claire, she has performed numerous concerts to raise money for Hong Kong Charities including performances with violinist Lu Siqing at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre and “Concert of Power” with renowned evangelist and motivational speaker, Nick Vujicic. Michelle was invited to speak at TEDxWanchai and shared a talk “Finding the True Gift of Music.” She was also invited by Humanitarian Affairs, UK, in partnership with the Hong Kong Government to speak at the 6th University Scholars Leadership Symposium, which was attended by over 700 student leaders representing 69 different countries. Recently, Ms. Kim received the 2020 Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism Award from the South Korean Government for her dedication and contribution to Korean classical  music abroad and enhancement of the reputation of Korea.

Born in Seoul Korea, Ms. Kim began her musical training at age four. At age ten, she gave her orchestral debut with the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra. She went on to graduate from The Juilliard School earning both a Bachelors and Masters of Music. She was also the recipient of the prestigious Arthur Rubinstein Award and garnered top prizes in numerous international competitions.