Washington Chu Shan Chinese Opera Institute

Key Artistic Personnel Biographies

The success of WCSCOI arts education is due to the leadership and outstanding professional qualifications of ZHU Chu Shan and Judy HUANG, the organization’s cofounders. Since the founding of WCSCOI in 1992, Mr. ZHU and Ms. HUANG have developed arts education programs never before available to students of the Washington, DC area. Offering classes in Chinese opera and other traditional performing arts, Mr. ZHU and Ms. HUANG have designed pedagogical methods and materials effective for teaching students of any linguistic or cultural background the fundamentals of Chinese opera and Chinese folk arts. The challenging artistic forms and content of Chinese opera are made accessible to students through teachers’ emphasis on movement and expression, conveying the expressions and actions appropriate to various operatic roles. Students feel that learning Chinese opera, or the art of the Chinese play, is nothing other than “play,” and retain a long-term interest. To present students with an extraordinary arts learning experience, the cofounders draw from their strong roots in the performing arts communities of China and Taiwan to invite the best professional artists and teachers of Chinese folk and performing arts.

ZHU, Chu Shan

Executive Director

WCSCOI Executive and Founding Director

Mr. ZHU studied Chinese opera acting and performance from an early age. He trained at the Shanghai College of Traditional Opera, the Shanghai Institute for the Performing Arts, and the Chinese Center for Film and Television. A director of more than 60 operas, he has won awards for script writing and Modern Chinese Opera. At WCSCOI, he has introduced Chinese art forms unfamiliar to most American schoolchildren and the public, such as Peking and Kunqu Opera, and the lion and dragon dances, (which both won awards for excellence in Washington, DC area parades), to name a few, and has performed at over 150 local area schools, introducing 60,000 school children to the art of Chinese opera.

Judy HUANG

Artistic Director

WCSCOI Artistic and Founding Director

Ms. HUANG has been a professional performing artist since childhood.  She was trained in both Chinese and Western opera at the Shanghai Institute for the Performing Arts.   Among her acting credits is the lead female role in the Chinese television series, “Emperor Qianlong Visits Jiangnan.”  Because of her dedication to teaching and performing Chinese opera and traditional folk arts in the United States, in 1994 and 1996, she received the Maryland State Award for Excellence in the Arts.

HUANG, Zheng Qin

Renowned Master of Chinese Traditional Arts

Winner of the prestigious Golden Award of East China, Master HUANG is an outstanding performer with a long list of acting credits in Chinese film and opera. Currently, he is the Primary Artistic Consultant, Teacher, and Performer for WCSCOI.

HUANG, Shi Rong

Shanghai Peking Opera Institute Percussionist/Conductor

As percussionist, Mr. HUANG conducted the Chinese opera instrumental ensembles for many excellent large-scale productions over the course of 40 years.  He has won numerous awards, and has performed in Japan, Hong Kong, the former Soviet Union, and the United States.

ZHANG, Qi

Jing-hu Performing Artist

Capable of performing all the instruments within the Chinese Opera Orchestra, Mr. ZHANG studied composition at the Shenyang Music Institute.  His primary instrument is the jing-hu, a two-string bowed instrument.  As a jing-hu player, he serves as one of the primary members of the orchestra.  He frequently provides instrument accompaniment and performs his own solo compositions.