About the Artists

Immigrating to the U.S. in her early twenties, Taiwanese American composer Shih-Hui Chen is fascinated by the narratives at the intersection of identity, culture, and tradition. In her works, she seeks to cross boundaries between music and society, between the music of distinct cultures, and between music and other art forms. Chen is the founder/director of 21C: Classical, Contemporary, and Cross-Cultural Asian Music, a performing arts festival that fosters international exchange between Asia and the U.S. through an annual series of lectures and performances.

Chen has worked with the Philadelphia Orchestra, Cleveland Symphony Orchestra, Utah Symphony and National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra. Recognition of her work has come from institutions that include: American Academy in Rome, Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, Fulbright Scholar Program, and American Academy of Arts and Letters. She is currently on faculty at the Shepherd School of Music, Rice University.

Lung-Yi Huang, sheng: Ling-Yi Huang graduated from Fo Guang University and Chinese Culture University (Chinese Music Division), where he won the first prize twice in National Music Competitions in Taiwan. As a recipient of the 1998 Young Star Series, he made his debut at the National Recital Hall in Taipei. In addition to traditional Chinese music, Huang also has a strong interest in contemporary music and has premiered several contemporary compositions. Huang has appeared at music festivals including the Contemporary Music Festival in Grenoble (France), the Hudders Field Contemporary Music Festival in the United Kingdom, the March Festival in Berlin and the Viktring Modern Music Festival in Vienna. He has also had recitals in Vienna in 2003 and Texas in 2009. Huang is currently the CEO and Artistic Director of Taipei Harmony Ensemble, and has a lectureship at the Chinese Culture University, National Taiwan College of Performing Arts, and Hua Gang Art School.

Hui-Kuan Lin, pipa: Pipa musician Hui-Kuan Lin received her M.A. from the Art Institute of Fo-Guang University in Taiwan. She is the Founder of Chai-Found Music Workshop and has been President since 1991. In 2014, she became Associate Professor of the Department of Chinese Music in Chinese Culture at the University in Taiwan. With her superb pipa skill, Lin specializes in cross-over performances cooperating with different styles of composers and performance groups including renowned international orchestras in the United States, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Austria, and Canada, which have included Klangforum, Music Lab, EXXJ-Ensemble of the 20 Century, Nieuw Ensemble Amsterdam, NDR Symphony Orchestra, Ensemble 2e2m, Jack String Quartet, and Toronto Accordes String Quartet. She has also been involved with numerous music festivals including Contemporary Music Festival in Grenoble (France), Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival (UK), Berlin Music Festival in March (Germany), Vienna Viktring Modern Music Festival (Austria), and Avignon Art Festival (France).

Performing Arts and Culture programs at Asia Society Texas are presented by Syamal and Susmita Poddar. Major support comes from Nancy C. Allen, Chinhui Juhn and Eddie Allen, the City of Houston through Houston Arts Alliance, Houston Endowment, and The Brown Foundation Inc. Generous funding also provided by AARP, The Anchorage Foundation of Texas, The Clayton Fund, The Cullen Trust for the Performing Arts, and the Wortham Foundation. Additional support provided by the Texas Commission on the Arts, National Endowment for the Arts, and through contributions from the Friends of Asia Society, a dedicated group of individuals and organizations committed to bringing exceptional programming and exhibitions to Asia Society Texas.

Performing Arts and Culture Presenting Sponsors

Syamal and Susmita Poddar

Program Sponsors

Presenting Partners

Program Partner

About Asia Society Texas

Asia Society Texas believes in the strength and beauty of diverse perspectives and people. As an educational institution, we advance cultural exchange by celebrating the vibrant diversity of Asia, inspiring empathy, and fostering a better understanding of our interconnected world. Spanning the fields of arts, business, culture, education, and policy, our programming is rooted in the educational and cultural development of our community — trusting in the power of art, dialogue, and ideas to combat bias and build a more inclusive society.