Joined TFO: This is her first season

Originally from: Zhengzhou City, Henan Province, China

Education: Doctoral and master’s degrees in music from Indiana University, Peabody Conservatory of The John Hopkins University, Baltimore School for the Arts, Wuhan Conservatory of Music (China) and Central Conservatory of Music (China)

Started playing the violin: Age 6

Other interests: Cooking, travel, learning to paint

Excited to join TFO because: I felt the friendliness and warmth at my audition and want to be a part of this wonderful group. And looking forward to a warm winter!

‘A language that everyone understands’

“I came to the U.S. all by myself when I was very young to pursue my dream of becoming a better musician. When I first arrived in U.S. Customs at the Detroit airport at age 14, there was a misprint on my ticket. The officers were trying to communicate with me, but I understood nothing. After several unsuccessful attempts, they saw my violin on my back. A translator finally came and told me that they wanted to see if I could play the violin. In the middle of the crowded airport, I played Beethoven’s Violin Sonata No. 5, “Spring.” They smiled at me after five minutes and told me, ‘Welcome and have a good summer.’ I realized that violin is something that I can communicate with, even if I don’t speak the language and know nothing about what people are talking about. As I’ve grown up, I see my music making as a tool of communication without words. I practice to be skillful at this art form, express what is in my heart, and hopefully it can become a language that everyone understands.”