People
NHCCC is a CT 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with a board of directors, participating members, and volunteers, who work together to promote cultural awareness in communities around Connecticut.
Artistic Director
Chia-Yu Joy Lu 呂家玗, an accomplished musician, ensemble director, conductor, educator, and scholar, hails from Taiwan. Renowned for her expertise in erhu (二胡) and zhonghu (中胡) performance, she has graced stages globally, from Taiwan, China, England, New Zealand, and the Netherlands to prestigious U.S. venues such as Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Yale University, and Cornell University. With over a decade of experience as the artistic director of the Wesleyan Chinese Music Ensemble, she played a crucial role in establishing and leading the Smith College Chinese Music Ensemble and NHCCC. Joy holds a Ph.D. in Ethnomusicology from Wesleyan University, an M.A. in Ethnomusicology from the University of Sheffield, UK, and a BFA in erhu performance and music education from National Taiwan Normal University. Her research delves into music, gender, politics, and identity in Taiwan and China. Additionally, she has created music textbooks, erhu scores, and albums. Passionate about promoting traditional Chinese and Taiwanese music, she collaborates with other artists across diverse musical traditions and artistic disciplines.
Musicians
Mark Eggerman plays the ruan (阮) in our group. A self-taught rock and blues guitarist, Mark has a Higher National Diploma in Jazz, Pop & Commercial Music from Newcastle College, UK, and an M.Phil. in Oriental Studies from Oxford University. Mark speaks Arabic and French and has a lifelong interest in the musical forms and instruments of Asian and African cultures. As Associate Head of Morse College at Yale University, he promotes music performance and recording opportunities for students, faculty, and professional artists. Mark also works in the college’s Crescent Underground Recording Studio (CURS) and supports audio-visual and sound projection activities.
Born and raised in Taiwan, Lely Evans 戴玲利 studied music and worked for several years with orchestras and “Peta Lithgo and Malaika,” a world music band that performed in the Australian festival circuit. After moving to New Haven in 2001, Lely began cultural advocacy for families by leading New Haven Chinese Language School. Having retired from teaching, Lely feels grateful to have found her voice in guzheng (古箏), a sound that brings her back to her heritage. She is excited to chair the board of NHCCC and help make her culture accessible to so many more people around Connecticut!
David Evans has been a bassist since he was nine years old, but only recently began playing Chinese music, as part of NHCCC. His other musical groups include Berkeley College Orchestra and occasionally the Yale Symphony Orchestra. He is interested in the history of incorporating western instrumentation, such as the contrabass, within traditional Chinese musical ensembles. His day jobs are Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences and Head of Berkeley College at Yale.
Dehong Jin and Chuanzhen JIang 金德宏 and姜传珍 came from Jingzhou in Hubei (湖北荆州)，a small town with 3000 years of history，Jin yeye and Jiang nainai have been teachers of math and English there for over 35 years. They started playing erhu (二胡) in their twenties. They enjoy playing erhu as well as cooking and gardening. Jin yeye also likes to spend hours on bike riding daily. They helped raised three grandkids and each one of them loves music and arts. They feel so lucky and excited to meet others who love Chinese traditional music in Connecticut!
Dakota Langdon came to New Haven in April in search of something new, working at YNHH as a Radiation Safety Technician. He later found NHCCC and joined where he plays the Zhongruan 中阮, as well as mostly acts as the stage manager. Dakota studied Criminal Law earning a degree, before graduating with a degree in Disaster Prevention Emergency Management, as well as a Certificate in Chinese. Dakota likes Chinese culture, the language and its history. So he took on something new joining NHCCC to make New Haven his new home.
Jiayan Liu 刘家嫣 is a 16-year-old highschooler who plays the pipa (琵琶) at NHCCC. Jiayan has loved Chinese musical instruments since childhood and has been playing the pipa since the third grade. She believes that her years of musical practice are responsible for helping her develop patience, concentration, teamwork, and communication skills, and she is passionate about showcasing traditional Chinese art and culture, including the unique flavor of the pipa.
Born in Hong Kong and raised in New Jersey, Mary Lui is learning the dizi for the first time. She started playing the flute in elementary school and took a 27-year hiatus until she began lessons with Naomi Senzer. She still plays the flute as a hobby and is also learning the piano. She is on the faculty at Yale University where she teaches nineteenth- and twentieth-century U.S. historian, specializing in the field of Asian American history.
Maria Ma hails from Beijing and is rarely not thinking about cats. Having wrestled with the dizi (笛子), erhu (二胡), and gong (鑼) in the Wesleyan Chinese Music Ensemble, she has since embraced the rhythm section and now plays the daruan (大阮). When she is not playing music with NHCCC or drawing regal feline portraits, Maria can be found pursuing a Ph.D. in Classical Philology at Yale University.
Alec McLane was Music Librarian and Director of the World Music Archives at Wesleyan University for 21 years, before his retirement in 2019. His graduate studies were in Music Composition, Ethnomusicology, and Library Science, and he has played Chinese musical instruments, for over 25 years – initially erhu (二胡), later adding gaohu (高胡), sanxian (三弦), and sheng (笙). He has traveled to China several times, visiting music libraries and attending conferences, and performed in Chinese music ensembles at Kent State University and Wesleyan.
Frank Parker is a passionate music educator and ethnomusicologist. A clarinetist, Frank taught in Lahaina, Maui, where he developed a deep appreciation for Hawaiian music, language, and its native biodiversity. He is currently researching how music of the Jewish diaspora, specifically klezmer, has been shaped by the diverse environments in which Jewish communities have lived throughout history. Frank now teaches music in New Haven Public Schools and sings with the Yale Camerata. He recently started playing the dizi with NHCCC. Frank is excited to deepen his understanding of traditional Chinese music.
Aika Sato is a PhD student in anthropology, and gender and sexuality studies at Yale, exploring the afterlives of Japanese imperialism in East and Southeast Asia. At NHCCC, she’s dusting off her Erhu skills after a 15-year hiatus. When she’s not playing Erhu, you’ll find her whipping up desserts, hosting potluck parties, getting misty-eyed over a good book, or burning the midnight oil in deep chats with friends. Her most demanding role? Serving her feline overlord, baby Katsudon🐈🐱❤️
Naomi Senzer studied music and French at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and completed a year of musical studies at the Conservatoire de Lille, in France. She received an M.M. from the Yale School of Music. Naomi teaches French at Hopkins School and flute at Southern CT State University; she also maintains a flute studio at her home. When she is not busy teaching or performing, she can be found working in the garden, reading, hanging out with her two kids, husband, dog, chickens and ducks, or baking a pie. She is excited to play dizi (笛子) with the lovely and talented people at NHCCC!
Emy Zheng 郑维熙 is a Year 10 student at Hamden Hall Country Day School. Emy started learning guzheng at a young age and plays guzheng in NHCCC. Emy hopes to promote more beautiful Chinese culture in the United States, as well as to improve her expertise and bring traditional music to more people. She loves to practice and meet others, and sees NHCCC as a great platform for developing experiences and fostering relationships, and hopes it will continue to thrive.
Margaret Wei 魏華慧 is from Taiwan and has been teaching Mandarin for more than a decade. She is an amateur pianist and continues practicing during her leisure time. Margaret serves on the board of NHCCC, overseeing various initiatives for promoting Chinese culture to our community. She is also an active participant of the ensemble, playing yangqin (揚琴). Besides music, Margaret also enjoys cooking, reading, and traveling.
Hongyu Li 李红羽 is a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Neurology at Yale University, where she studies Alzheimer’s disease in a mouse model. She began learning the erhu (二胡) at age seven and is passionate about traditional Chinese music. During her undergraduate years at Southern Medical University, China, she joined the university’s Chinese music ensemble, and in her PhD years, she performed in annual New Year’s celebrations. She feels fortunate to have joined NHCCC, where she can meet diverse individuals and immerse herself in the rich world of traditional Chinese and Taiwanese music.
A classical guitarist from LA, Brandon Wong discovered the guitar while watching "soul train." He started lessons at age 5 and the rest is history. Later, Brandon started to connect with his Chinese heritage enjoying Chinese history, ancient instrumentation and art. Brandon met the Ruan when joining NHCCC. When he isn't practicing, Brandon likes to watch sports, play video games, or catch up on HBO fantasy series. Brandon currently pursues a Classical Guitar Masters of Music degree at the Yale School of Music, with Prof. Benjamin Verdery.
Mei Zheng 郑玫 is an erhu (二胡) player from China, currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology at the University of Connecticut with a focus on creativity. She completed her undergraduate studies at the Tianjin Conservatory of Music (TJCM), majoring in erhu performance. She thinks of playing the erhu as a means of communication that fosters connections and friendships and is enthusiastic about participating in NHCCC. She believes NHCCC provides a valuable platform to showcase traditional Chinese instruments to diverse audiences, contributing to the promotion and development of Chinese culture.
Kyle Rivera is an American composer whose music has been performed across the U.S. and in Russia, Thailand, Italy, Hong Kong, and China. He has received honours from Chamber Music America, San Francisco Symphony, and the American Composer’s Forum. Kyle was the 2023 Anne Spencer Fellow with the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts and in 2024 received fellowships from MacDowell and Aaron Copland House. With an M.M. from Yale University, Kyle plays with the Gamelan ensembles at Yale and Wesleyan Universities. He joined NHCCC this year to learn Erhu and plays percussion. Outside of music, Kyle loves to cook, exercise, learn about linguistics, and watch anime (he is the biggest Hunter x Hunter fan you will meet). He is thrilled to be a part of NHCCC to foster a deeper connection to Chinese music and culture.
Leadership
Lely Evans (president, chair of the board)
Margaret Wei (vice-president, board)
Leslie Stone (secretary, board)
Elisabeth Kennedy (treasurer)
Gary Martin (board)
Mary Lui (board)
Past members:
Mark Yan
Raymond Luo
Sonia Guan
Kevin Chan