Victoria Keum Jee is an actress, writer, musician, and director based in Los Angeles. After realizing her love for performing at an early age, her parents stoked her creativity and encouraged her to pursue music and theatre. But it wasn’t until they took her to see a production ofJoseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat that she knew she had to pursue acting. After studying Musical Theatre/Vocal Performance at the University of Hartford, her resume now overflows with film credits–including her recent appearance inClone Cops, a sci-fi comedy film! Her advice to young artists? “Try all the new things you can and don't be afraid to fail–it's how you learn and grow!” Read on to learn more aboutVictoria Keum Jee and what makes her an Amazing Asian in the Arts!
Eunbi Kimis a musician based in NYC. Upon graduating from the Manhattan School of Music, she began a project of her own entitled “Murakami Music” (inspired by stories by Haruki Murakami). Since then, she’s won the 2023 Astral Artists National Competition, performed in solo programs at the Kennedy Center and Lincoln Center, and even gave a TedX Talk. Now, Kim is working on”it feels like a dream,” a multimedia sonic memoir. When she’s not creating or performing, Kim serves as co-founder of bespoken, “a mentorship program for women and non-binary musicians working in classical, jazz, and contemporary music,” and as a board member of the New York Foundation for the Arts.Her advice for young artists? “Don't listen to anyone who's done nothing and isn't where you want to be.”Read on to learn more aboutEunbi Kimand what makes her an Amazing Asian in the Arts!
Betty Keis a songwriter based in Los Angeles. After founding a pop music club at her university, Ke began exploring different facets of music – from songwriting and production to marketing and festival organization. Now, she’s participating at the Grammy U program at the Recording Academy and working as an A&R intern at Ocean Five Records in addition to releasing her own music inspired by Eastern and Western styles! Ke’s advice to young artists? “Stay curious, keep exploring new ideas, and always believe in your unique voice.”Read on to learn more aboutBetty Keand what makes her an Amazing Asian in the Arts!
Yen-Nien Hsu is a multi-faceted musician (and leap-year baby) based in NYC. At 7 years old, she participated in orchestra performances on violin and piano and in the choir. However, it wasn’t until high school that Hsu discovered acting and theatre, leading her to attend Berklee NYC for Writing and Design for Musical Theatre and pick up pop music production. Now, Hsu has written many shows, namely The Night With a Ghost, a play from the 5th dimension with Taiwanese folk elements, and Vincent, a musical about a boy diagnosed with ADHD navigating his world. Her advice to young artists? “Don’t overthink – explore everything you like as much as you can!” Read on to learn more about Yen-Nien Hsu and what makes her an Amazing Asian in the Arts!
Yify Zhang is a “cinematic-electronic singer-songwriter and sound healer”based in Berlin. Gaining music exposure through violin study at the age of five, Zhang never considered a performing career until she sustained a spine injury and began piano music composition. Now, her work is heard in over 90 countries, gathering over 1 million streams! When Zhang isn’t songwriting, she hosts a sound healing project during full and new moons, “where singing bowl sounds are mixed with piano and electronic binaural beats to provide relaxation and transcendental activation for listeners.” She finds the ability to provide healing and comfort for her audiences to be exceptionally rewarding, and strives to take her healing project on a world tour someday! Her advice to young artists? “Even if there is rejection along the way, or feeling like your execution may never reach your vision, you (and your art) will keep getting better… Find artists who not only inspire you, but also give you that feeling of "if they can do it, so can I.” Read on to learn more about Yify Zhang and what makes her an Amazing Asian in the Arts!
Mickey Bertelsen is a percussionist and Army Musician based in New Brunswick, NJ – but you might have caught her playing at the Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse Live in Concert National Tour or at the New York Giants Drumline. She went on to receive her undergrad at Central Michigan University, Masters at MSU, and Doctorate at Rutgers. Bertelsen loves that music has the capability to heal and and change lives, and that through this profession, she is “afforded many opportunities to travel” doing what she loves. Her advice to young artists? “Be fun to hang around, it's not all business all the time… gigs come by being a dependable person who's fun to work with!” Read on to learn more about Mickey Bertelsen and what makes her an Amazing Asian in the Arts!
Elise Solbergis a musician and performer based in Los Angeles. She got her start at four years old playing piano, which took her to the Yamaha Advanced Piano Academy in Tokyo. Upon moving to America, she took classical lessons from individual teachers, eventually receiving admittance to theUniversity of Southern California in the Thornton School of Music. After graduating, Solberg received an offer to perform alongside Chloe x Halle on MTV! Now, her resume includes credits such as playing at Coachella with Doechii, the Oscars for Beyoncé, the Veterans History Project for the Library of Congress, and NPR’sTiny Desk Concert. You can also catch her flute solo in Dannylux’s new album, “DLUX” with a flute solo – and now that she’s signed with Warner Chappell and Sir Nolan, you can expect to hear more soon! When she’s not creating, Solberg is the founder and executive director of Turn Up Her Mic, a nonprofit to empower women in live music in a male-dominated field. Her advice to young artists? “Whatever career you choose in the arts, it’s important to always remember that it is a marathon, not a sprint.”Read on to learn more aboutElise Solbergand what makes her an Amazing Asian in the Arts!
Claire Chan is a violinist based in NYC. She also learned to play the viola at a summer music camp run by Joseph Fuchs. During audition preparation for her Master’s, she unknowingly was considered for a regional orchestra and received her first paid gig in New York! After attending The Juilliard School for her Master’s and Doctorate with her teacher, Joseph Fuchs, she went on to collaborate with the Harlem Chamber Players Quartet and play with Broadway’s revival ofSweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Chan attended Brown, where she studied pre-med and majored in Neuroscience as an undergraduate, and has experience as a phlebotomist! Her advice to young artists? “Play for as many people as you can; go to them if they can’t come to you.” Read on to learn more about Claire Chan and what makes her an Amazing Asian in the Arts!
Sita Chay is a violinist, composer, and producer based in NYC. A chain reaction of events pushed her towards the Arts – watching a friend perform on Broadway led to her eventual Broadway orchestra career, which inspired her to take on other artistic projects outside the theatre, such asSaaWee, a “Korean Shaman Ritual for the modern global citizen,”Ritual of Le Sac, a “music-based storytelling [film] of baby’s mysterious life inside the womb,”Tokala, a celebration of tradition that “[brings] together Japanese and Korean folk, pop music, Eastern European and Middle Eastern music,” and Multidimensionally Human, “an initiative exploring psychotherapy’s “Internal Family Systems” through theater, music, dance, and art installation.” Chay is continually inspired by live art’s ability to evolve and breathe through mishaps and mistakes, and loves discovering friendships as she continues on her path. She advises young artists looking to discover their role in the arts to “carve out a practice that feels good” and let the rest follow. Read on to learn more about Sita Chay and what makes her an Amazing Asian in the Arts!
Donna Weng Friedman is a multidisciplinary artist based in NYC. Taking her mother’s advice to find a “stable job,” Weng graduated from Princeton and became an assistant agent for ICM before recognizing music as her true passion and pursuing a Masters in Music from Julliard. After a traumatic encounter with racism in March of 2020, she decided to create change herself, and founded Heritage and Harmony to connect the community around her through music and stories Through this organization, Weng established “an educational role model program to help school-age girls of color find their artistic voice” and combined the voices of BIPOC artists to produce an EP (Heritage and Harmony: Silver Linings) during the pandemic to raise funds for an anti-racism foundation. Weng is currently collaborating with Chun Wai Chan on a short film, Never Fade Away, which narrates her immigrant father’s life through dance (starring fellow Amazing Asian in the Arts,Xiaoxiao Cao!). Her advice to young artists? “... Be strong and resilient… Listen to people who you trust, but most of all, listen to your heart.” Read on to learn more about Donna Weng Friedman and what makes her an Amazing Asian in the Arts!
Rachell Ellen Wong is a violinist, pickleball fanatic, and bunny mom based in New York City. She began her musical journey at six on the violin thanks to her father’s influence, and went on to attend the University of Texas at Austin, Indiana University, and the Juilliard School to further her education. Now, Wong has performed with “the Academy of Ancient Music, American Bach Soloists, Jupiter Ensemble, Bach Collegium Japan, Les Arts Florissants,” and more – and is the co-founder of her own ensemble, Twelfth Night! Her advice to young artists? “Make sure you really love your art and that you always have a goal in what you want to do with it.” Read on to learn more about Rachell Ellen Wong and what makes her an Amazing Asian in the Arts!
Jessica Wang is a freelance musician based in NYC. She got her start from her mother at 4 years old with the piano, and picked up the cello at 6. However, music wasn’t always the path she envisioned – Wang also held an interest in psychology and therapy, and recieved her B.A. in Psychology from Harvard before realizing music was her true passion and obtaining her Masters in Music from Julliard. Her work includes playing on “the first North American tour of An American in Paris…Saturday Night Livewith musical guest Shawn Mendes, …Radio City Christmas SpectacularOrchestra… [and the] NYC premiere of the off-Broadway show "Between the Lines.” She also collaborates with her husband for Chips n Cellos (a chiptune music project)! Wang’s advice to young artists? “Work hard, show up prepared and be nice to everyone.” Read on to learn more about Jessica Wang and what makes her an Amazing Asian in the Arts!
Sami Ma is an actress based in NYC and former band nerd. After taking up dance and piano classes at a young age, she auditioned for “a very illegalproduction of Wicked Hairspray” that shaped her career path! Since her days as Tracy Turnblad, Ma is currently in the world premiere of Nativity Variations at Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, made her off-Broadway debut in Once Upon A (korean) Time (Ma-Yi Theatre Company), performed regionally in The Chinese Lady, The Great Leap,and Gloria, and starred as Jen in Tender Ears (a film to premiere this October)! Offstage, Ma is a diehard Celtics fan and “self-proclaimed Chinese grandma to all!” in the process of creating a cookbook with her family’s Indian and Cantonese recipes.Her advice for young artists? “Get into the habit of cheering for everyone and remembering that their successes are NOT your failures. There’s room for every single person in this industry and all you have to do is focus on enjoying your own path!” Read on to learn more about Sami Ma and what makes her an Amazing Asian in the Arts!
Wen Wu is an artist and musician based in Phoenix. Through her father’s clarinet, she found a love for music and decided to pursue it professionally. After attending Capital Normal University in China, she became an exchange student at Northern State University in South Dakota, transferring to Arizona State University to get her Master’s and Doctorate! Now, Wu plays with the national tour of Anastasia and various Brazilian, Cuban, and jazz groups. Offstage, Wu is a paper artist and practices quilling and sculpture art. Her advice to young actors? “Enjoy it!” Read on to learn more about Wen Wu and what makes her an Amazing Asian in the Arts!
Melissa Li is a musician, writer, and composer based in Montreal. She got her start creating her own scripts as a child before turning to songwriting and short film development in high school! After finding a home with True Colors at The Theatre Offensive in Boston, Li began to craft her very first musical. After a stint as an editor on a (bad) self-help book, wedding videographer, office manager, and director of nutrition, she attended Boston University and got to work onInterstate,MISS STEP, andAgain,and has several TV/Film projects in the making! Li finds in writing that the details – from the way characters stand to how something is placed – can really aid in her storytelling process. Her advice to young artists? “Don't be afraid of your own voice. It's what makes your art special and unique.” Read on to learn more about Melissa Li and what makes her an Amazing Asian in the Arts!
