Artist Directors
Peggy Hua – Artistic Director of the B.C. Chinese Orchestra
Peggy Hua is a conductor and music educator based in Vancouver, Canada. Drawing inspiration from their Taiwanese heritage and connections to Chinese culture, Peggy is a strong supporter of Vancouver’s diverse music scene. Peggy is currently appointed as the Resident Conductor of the BC Chinese Orchestra and BC Chinese Music Ensemble, Conductor of Egret Taiwanese Choir, Left Coast Labour Chorus, Vancouver Huaren Choir, and Artistic Director of Downton Singers. In 2014, Peggy directed Cor Flammae as the inaugural guest conductor and is currently the associate conductor of the choir. In 2016, Peggy was invited to guest conduct the Vancouver Inter-Cultural Orchestra (VICO) in an intercultural fusion concert featuring Contemporary Vietnamese and Canadian composers. Peggy has also been on the faculty at the University of British Columbia, teaching choral conducting at the School of Music.
Peggy received their graduate degree in choral conducting from University of British Columbia under the tutelage of Dr. Graeme Langager. Peggy has also studied conducting under Lars Kaario, Maestro Dwight Bennett, and Maestro Vance George. Peggy has served on numerous boards in Vancouver, namely the Vancouver Women’s Musical Society, and was recently appointed as board director of the Pride in Art Society (PiA).
Dailin Hsieh – Co-Artistic Director of BC Chinese Music Ensemble
Dai-Lin HSIEH, one of the most talented zheng performers of her generation, is very
active on stage as a soloist and chamber music player in Taiwan and abroad.
Performing with precision and astonishing techniques, She has been invited to
perform in Asian countries, Germany, Luxembourg, Belgium ect. In recent years, Dai-
Lin has given many solo recitals internationally and premiered a number of important
Taiwanese zheng compositions. Her solo CD Zheng Image, released in 2014, is a
collection of new compositions, and it has quickly met critical acclaim.
In 2019, Dai-Lin lives in Vancouver, BC. Focusing her music career in Guzheng
performance and teaching, Dai-Lin currently is cooperating with Orchid Ensemble,
Naadaleela Ensemble, Vancouver Inter-culture Orchestra, BC Chinese Orchestra,
Allegra Chamber Orchestra, Music on Main, Turning Point Ensemble and NOW Society.
Bruce Bai – Co-Artistic Director of BC Chinese Music Ensemble
Born in China, Bruce Bai followed his musical pursuits to the Canadian west coast. Actively exploring careers as a composer, songwriter, sound designer, and a solo performing artist, he has studied voice with Geordie Robert, and composition with Mark Armanini at Capilano University. Since 2014, he has been learning Erhu with Nichole Li.
In October 2017, he went to Inner Mongolia to study Mongolian throat singing. Starting from November 16, 2014, his music works have been performed by various ensembles and orchestras such as Toronto Dim Sum Ensemble, Vancouver Inter-Culture Orchestra (VICO), The Piano and Erhu Project (PEP), Erato Ensemble, Sound of Dragon Ensemble, BC Chinese Orchestra, Toronto Chinese Orchestra, Borealis String Quartet, Turning Point Ensemble, as well as the Little Giant Orchestra from Taiwan. Currently he is the board member of Sound of Dragon Society, composer in residence of BC Chinese Music Association, producer and artistic director of BC Chinese Music Ensemble. Focusing on combining and exploring the possibility to combine or mix western and the eastern music, his goal is aiming to learn from tradition and innovate for the future.
Nathania Ko – Artistic Director of BC Youth Chinese Orchestra
Nathania Ko is a Konghou player, Harpist, and composer based in Vancouver, Canada. She obtained her Master’s degree from the University of British Columbia, studying the Harp with Elizabeth Volpé Bligh, and a Bachelor’s degree from Shenyang Conservatory of Music in China, where she studied the Konghou with Hong He. Nathania was a finalist at the 2022 World Harp Competition held in Utrecht, Amsterdam by the Dutch Harp Festival, and she was also a finalist at the Creative Media Competition held by the 13th World Harp Congress in Hong Kong, where she served as a member of the hosting committee. Nathania has given lecture recitals and masterclasses in major cities such as Vancouver, Xi’an, Beijing, Shenyang, and virtual academies such as the Virtual Harp Summit. In 2019, Nathania presented her research, “Music Unearthed from the Silk Road,” at the MUSCAN conference. Her students are located across the globe in the UK, China, USA, Canada, Singapore, Ireland, and France. Nathania not only plays the Western Harp, but she is also the only Konghou (Chinese Harp) player in Canada. She is engaged in international World Music events and has been involved with music festivals such as the premiere Silk Road Music Festival in Xi’an, and Wu Man’s Improvisation Workshop in Beijing. She is an active performer in Vancouver and China, and her compositions became Konghou examination repertoires that have been awarded gold and silver prizes in major Chinese national competitions. As a cultural bridge between Chinese and Canadian music, Nathania’s extensive travel and performances were supported by grants from the Canada Arts Council and the British Columbia Arts Council.