Dr. Emma Rui-Xuan Shi
Dr. Joseph Krush
Ellen Kung
Julie Xu
Dr. Emma Rui-Xuan Shi
Artist director
Senior piano / theory teacher
Dr. Emma Rui-Xuan Shi is a unique and dynamic pianist, music educator, and a church musician. From a young age she has concertized throughout Canada, the United States, Australia, Japan, mainland of China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. During her more than thirty-years’ piano career, as winner of numerous competitions, her name resulted in widespread recognition as a pianist to watch.
Emma got her Bachelor of Arts degree from Capital Normal University (Beijing, China). Afterwards she was admitted to the University of Victoria followed by acclaimed Canadian pianist, Professor Bruce Vogt, while awarded Wilhelm Rieder Scholarship, and received her Master of Music degree in 2010. In 2016, she has received the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in piano performance under the guidance of world-famous pianist, Dr. Corey Hamm, and theorist Dr. John Roeder, at the University of British Columbia, where she is offered full Scholarship and a teaching assistance position as a highly recommended musician and instructor.
Dr. Emma Shi is an active music educator, public speaker and adjudicator. She is the director of Doctor Music Academy, director of International Piano Professional Association (IPPA) Canada division, music director of Cloverdale United Church. During the pandemic period, Dr. Shi published numerous videos of piano pedagogy, hosted virtual concerts to global audience, organized fundraising concerts for local community. One of the highlight performance was a live solo recital in Sierra Leone National TV Station invited by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. In addition to her solo performance career, she was invited to offer several professional lectures, topic includes jazz piano, piano fundamental techniques, new syllabus of RCM exams, etc. She is a seasoned adjudicator and has served in the juries of national and international piano competitions including RCM exams, IPPA-Conero International Competition, Maria’s Records International Music Festival, China “Xuehui” Cup Piano Competition. She is renowned for developing prodigious talents from early formative ages to young professional artists. Her students are prize winners in national and international competitions.
Ms. Ellen Kung
Expert of early music education
piano / theory teacher
Ms. Ellen Kung was born and raised in Hong Kong and attained Grade 8 piano in the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music from the United Kingdom when she was 15 years old and licentiates as Latin Dance teacher of the National Dance Council of America when she was 18 years old.
She is fond of music in her first piano class at the age of 5, and has fostered a keen sense of musical appreciation, and acquired a good balance of musical sensitivity thereafter. She has further taken a study for a Master’s degree in Manchester, United Kingdom, and graduated when she was 25 years old. Hence, she has started her music classes with her students as a Music Instructor in 2014 in Hong Kong till present in Canada.
Her motto of teaching music is providing timely music education through a learning cycle of listening, singing, playing, reading, and creating a piece of music. In the end, the students can share their satisfaction with friends and parents and be motivated to take an initiation to learn music proactively and independently.
Ellen loves watching movie and listening to music in her leisure time and will keep having her music lessons with children as her lifelong career in Canada. She is capable of speaking English, Mandarin, Cantonese and Taiwanese.
Dr. Joseph Krush
Theory specialist
Organ / piano teacher
Dr. Krush first studied piano (since 1960) and organ (since 1970) and completed his B. Mus. and ARCT and A. Mus. in Piano Performance. In graduate studies, he moved to Music Theory and specialized in Instrumental Acoustics (M. Mus.) and History of Music Theory (Ph. D.) He also earned a B.A. in Mathematics and Teacher`s Certificates in Saskatchewan and Ontario. He has been arranging music (on and off) since 1974, and has been a church organist (again, on and off) since 1970, at the same time holding various positions. A surprise occurred (starting in 2007) when he wrote a book and published it in 2013. Its title is “Dodecaphonic Tonality,“ and it is available in both printed and electronic formats online from www.FideliPublishing.com and www.Smashwords.com.
Since retirement, his favorite activity is arranging music for piano and organ duets, combined with some performance and teaching (as the need arises). He still hopes to write another book entitled “Contrapuntal Harmony.“
Ms. Julie Ke-Zhen Xu
Teaching assistance
Julie Xu is a UBC student with a great passion for music. She has performed at local music festivals such as the Richmond music festival and the Kiwanis music festival. In 2018, she obtained an ARCT in piano performance. While Julie is not keeping busy with music, she can be found at local church services and nature trails