Teacher's Team

Zhong Zhiyue

Sheng, Guqin player, Composer
High-level Talents Introduced By Shanghai Conservatory of Music in 2019
Associate Professor Of Folk Music Department
"Young Oriental Scholar" in Shanghai Universities
Master tutor of Singapore Raffles Conservatory of Music
Artistic Director of Singapore He Yue Zhai Guqin Music And Arts Centre
Director of Sheng Professional Committee of Chinese National Orchestral Society
Standing Director of the China Nationalities Orchestra Society
Vice President of Sheng Art Research Association of Shanghai Musicians Association
Director of Singapore Chinese Music Federation (Singapore Chinese Music Federation)
President of Guqin Association of Singapore
Executive Director of the Guqin Society of the International Federation of Chinese Musicians

Zhong Zhiyue is an accomplished composer and musician specialising in both the Sheng and Guqin. At the age of 13, he started learning Sheng under the tutelage of Professor Xu Chaoming from the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. He has also studied Guqin performance under the guidance of Professor Dai Xiaolian. Due to outstanding achievements, Mr Zhong graduated one year ahead of schedule and in 2016, became the first master’s degree student majoring in Sheng performance at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. He also learn composition from Huang Lei, Xu Jianqiang, Luo Weilun, etc.

Mr Zhong is the President of the Guqin Association of Singapore and the co-founder of He Yue Zhai Guqin Music and Arts Centre. He is currently Director of the Singapore Chinese Music Federation and lectures at Singapore Raffles Music College. He is also a committee member of the professional Sheng instrument section and Guqin instrument section of the China Nationalities Orchestra Society, and a member of the Shanghai Musicians Association and the Shanghai Guqin Research Association. 

Han Ying

Singapore Chinese Orchestra Ruan Musician
Co-founder of He Yue Zhai Guqin Music and Arts Centre

A graduate from the Folk Music Department of Shenyang Conservatory of Music, Han Ying has taught in the Singapore Chinese Youth Orchestra, Singapore Raffles Music College and the Singapore Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts. She has many students and most of them have gone on to further their music training in prestigious academies such as Xi’an Conservatory of Music, Shenyang Conservatory of Music, Suzhou National Orchestra and the Ding Yi Music Company, etc.

In 2020, Han Ying was invited to be the art consultant and judge of the Singapore International Ruan Arts Festival. She is the co-founder of He Yue Zhai Guqin Music and Arts Centre, and is currently a Zhongruan performer for the Singapore Chinese Orchestra.

Zeng Zhi

Singapore Chinese Orchestra Dizi and Xiao Musician
Director of Guqin Association of Singapore

Zeng Zhi is a graduate of the prestigious China Conservatory of Music (Beijing) and has studied under the tutelage of Professor Zhang Weiliang, a renowned Chinese flute master. In 2008, he joined the Singapore Chinese Orchestra and became their flute player. Zeng Zhi has held successful performances in places such as the Esplanade (Singapore), Beijing Concert Hall (China) and the Heidelberg Concert Hall (Germany) etc.

He is currently a director of the Guqin Association of Singapore and an instructor for the Singapore Chinese Youth Orchestra. He also teaches in He Yue Zhai Guqin Music and Arts Centre as well as the Singapore Raffles Music Academy. 

Wu Xiaodan

PhD in Musicology, Shanghai Conservatory of Music
Master of Guqin Performance
Vice President of Guqin Association of Singapore

Wu Xiaodan was awarded a Chinese government scholarship to study music at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. In 2018, she graduated with a master’s degree in Guqin performance under the guidance of renowned Guqin master Professor Dai Xiaolian.

Xiaodan once served as the Guqin teacher of the Songjiang Branch of Shanghai Qin Association and the Guqin teacher of Shanghai Foreign Language School. She is currently the Vice President of the Guqin Association of Singapore and a council member of the Shanghai Guqin Research Association.

Jiao Jian

Senior Guqin Lecturer at He Yue Zhai Guqin Music and Arts Centre
Director of Guqin Association of Singapore

Jiao Jian graduated with a master’s degree in Education from Beijing Normal University.  She studied Guqin under Mr Zhong Zhiyue, and hopes to combine her knowledge in cultural education to help her Guqin students reach their learning goals.

In 2018, Jiao Jian was the gold medal winner in the adult category (Southeast Asia) for the Hongqin Cup Guqin Show. Since then, she has been invited to participate in numerous Guqin performances. She is a member of the Guqin Association of Singapore, and a member of the Guqin Professional Committee of the Chinese National Orchestral Society.

Amy Yao

Senior Guqin Lecturer at He Yue Zhai Guqin Music and Arts Centre
Member of Guqin Association of Singapore

Amy learned Guqin under Ms. Lu Xiaozi, a young Guqin performer and Guqin teacher at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. After that, she learned Guqin with Associate Professor Zhong Zhiyue, an accomplished composer and musician specialising in both the Sheng and Guqin, and Wu Xiaodan, a master’s degree holder majored in Guqin performance and a PhD candidate majoring in Chinese traditional music theory at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. 

In 2018, Amy won the Bronze Award in Guqin Performance of the Adult category in the 2nd “Hongqin Cup”, Southeast Asia Constituency. In 2020, she was awarded with outstanding result, Diploma in Guqin Performance from the Confucius Institute, Nanyang Technological University (CI-NTU). In 2021, she won the Bronze and Singapore Grand Awards of the non-traditional category in the 2021 “HeYue Cup” Singapore International Guqin Invitational Competition. She won the 3rd prize for Guqin performance of the Adult category in the 2022 Shanghai International Music Festival Finals; In 2023, she won the Silver Award in the Ensemble category at the Nanyang International Music Festival, and Bronze and the Singapore Grand Awards of the Professional category in the “NanFeng Cup” Singapore International Guqin Competition.

She is currently a member of the Guqin Association of Singapore and teaches Guqin at the He Yue Zhai Music and Arts Centre.

Zhang Yaotian

Guitarist
Music Producer
Singer

Zhang Yaotian is a pop music lecturer at the Singapore Raffles Music College. He is also the guitarist and lead singer in GIMA band – the first Mongolian horsehead fiddle and guitar fusion band in South East Asia that blends ancient folk music with a modern style. A prolific musician, Yaotian has also produced soundtracks for several Singapore films.

In 2020, he was invited by Singapore’s  National Arts Council of Singapore and Ministry of Foreign Affairs to perform his composition “Singapore Medley” in the “Chengdu International Sister Cities Youth Music Week” and “Russian Online Cultural Marathon”.

Goh Ek Meng

Calligrapher
Pipa Musician

Goh Ek Meng is a musician and calligrapher from Singapore. Mr Goh studied calligraphy from renowned artist Zeng Guang Wei, and honed his craft by participating in numerous painting and calligraphy exhibitions at home and abroad. He is a member of the Lion City Calligraphy and Seal Carving Association, and a member of the Yiling Calligraphy and Painting Association.

Gao Hui

Senior Tea Assessor
Senior Tea Ceremony Teacher

Gao Hui is a senior tea assessor who has studied tea appreciation for close to 20 years. She graduated from the College of Agriculture and Biotechnology in Zhejiang University. Due to her immense love for tea culture, she furthered her studies in China’s Tea Research Institute and became a certified tea authenticator. Gao Hui has conducted numerous tea appreciation classes for students in China, Singapore and Malaysia.