Conservatory Faculty and Students Celebrate China-US Student Exchanges and Chinese New Year
Shenandoah Conservatory music faculty and students were invited to the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Washington, D.C., on Sunday, Jan. 28, to participate in a Chinese Lunar New Year Celebration. Conservatory faculty representatives and performers in attendance included Interim Dean and Professor of Music Education Jeffrey Marlatt, Ph.D.; Anna Lee van Buren Endowed Chair in Clarinet, Coordinator of Winds and Percussion and Professor of Clarinet Garrick Zoeter, M.M., and Director of Guitar Studio and Associate Professor of Guitar Colin Davin, M.M.
Student performers included Yisong Yang ’25 (Doctor of Musical Arts in Performance – Viola), Nicholas Whitley ’25 (Bachelor of Music in Performance – Violin), Gabrielle Gans ’25 (Bachelor of Music in Performance – Violin), Benjamin Paul Figgs ’25 (Bachelor of Music in Performance – Cello), Yu Wang ’24 (Doctor of Musical Arts in Performance – Clarinet), Shanshan Zhan ’25 (Doctor of Musical Arts in Pedagogy – Voice), Bixiao Wang ’23 (Doctor of Musical Arts in Performance – Voice), Hang Yin ’24 (Doctor of Musical Arts in Performance – Guitar) and Jian Song ’19, ’25 (Master of Music in Performance, Doctor of Musical Arts in Performance – Violin).
A special thank you to Director and Assistant Professor of Contemporary Music Rod Vester, Ph.D., and the CONTEMPO Ensemble members who were also involved in celebration planning.
Ambassador Xie Feng, along with embassy staff, warmly welcomed participants to the Chinese Lunar New Year Celebration. Attendees had the opportunity to interact not only with embassy staff but also with Chinese international student representatives from the D.C., Maryland and Virginia areas. Collaborating with these student leaders from various universities, the embassy staff and students organized a comprehensive program, featuring traditional New Year temple fairs, a gala concert, and a Chinese traditional dinner — all in celebration of the Year of the Dragon.
Ambassador Feng of the Chinese Embassy in the United States was present at the event and expressed deep admiration for the performance of Shenandoah Conservatory students. He extended gratitude to the faculty for their presence. Notably, Ambassador Feng complimented Dr. Marlatt on his red tie, humorously noting its beautiful Chinese red color. In a cordial gesture, Ambassador Feng shook hands with all participating faculty and students from Shenandoah Conservatory and took photos with them, highlighting the significance of the culture.
