November 19th, 2022 7:30 PM

Highland Recital Hall

Free Admission

The Woven Sounds

Founded by pianists Dr. Tzu-Feng Liu and Wan-Hsuan (Joyce) Wu in 2022. The Woven Sounds is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to promote recognition and appreciation of Asian classical musicians and musical works written by composers of Asian descent.

Risa Ando, violin

Dr. Risa Ando is originally from Tokyo, Japan. She received her Bachelor Degree of Music in violin performance from the Tokyo Gakugei University, where she graduated with highest honors. She earned her Doctorate of Musical Arts in violin performance at UT Austin with summa cum laude. During the time of graduate studies, she participated in numerous master classes, including the Guarneri Quartet, St. Petersburg String Quartet, Miami Quartet, Miro Quartet, and Mikhail Kopelman of the Tokyo Quartet.

Dr. Ando is currently a tenured member of the Austin Opera. She gives lectures in Switzerland, Scotland, Italy, Germany, Austria, U.S.A., Taiwan, and Japan. She also actively performs in recitals and live concerts with rock bands and makes recordings. She works as a violin instructor of Round Rock ISD and her violin studio, Armstrong Community Music School, and continuously works with other musicians around Austin.

Valeria Diaz, piano

Dr. Valeria Diaz is an active concert pianist, collaborative pianist and a dedicated music educator. She currently serves as an adjunct faculty member at the Austin Community College providing instructions in American Music, Piano Class and Applied Piano courses.

As a solo pianist, she has been a featured soloist on numerous occasions with Lima (Peru), Perugia (Italy) and Texas Tech Symphony Orchestras. She is an active collaborator of Chamber Music Ensembles and an advocate of SOFIA, Foundation for the Arts in Toluca, Mexico.

Over the course of her career, Dr. Diaz has worked with hundreds of students in private lessons, masterclasses, musicianship classes, chamber music sessions and concerts. With the SOFIA foundation for the Arts, she is organizing an international piano festival and competition that will take place every summer in Toluca, Mexico.

In her free time, Dr. Diaz enjoys hiking, dancing, cooking, traveling and reading psychology books on human learning.

Francis Nieves, tenor

Francis Nieves is a musician known for his diverse musical interests and his dedication to the Fine Arts. He holds an MM in Choral Conducting from Texas State University, studying under world- renowned choral director and Grammy Award Winner Dr. Craig Hella Johnson. Francis currently serves as the Director of Choirs at Akins Early College High School in the Austin Independent School District.

Francis is a Character/Leggero tenor. In his scholarship at Texas State, he studied voice under Brigette Bellini and Dr. Richard Novak. He was featured as a soloist in the 2018 Texas Music Educators Association Conference with the Texas State Chorale in Craig Hella Johnson's “Considering Matthew Shepard” under the direction of Dr. Craig Hella Johnson.

Francis has performed with local ensembles including the early music group Les Ancients presenting Aaron Copland’s “In the Beginning” and for the world premiere of Robert Fayrfax's “Missa O Quam Glorifica”. Francis is a choir scholar for the Episcopal Church of the Good Shepard in Austin, Texas, where he performed in 2016 as a soloist in their tour through Germany and the Czech Republic, performing and recording Russell Schulz's “Requiem”. In the summer, Francis keeps up his chops as the front man and guitarist for his rock band, Cosmic Decay.

Peir-Shiuan Tang, piano

A native of Taiwan, Dr. Peir-Shiuan Tang is a versatile performer and dedicated educator. She is a prizewinner of various competitions and scholarships, including the 2nd WPTA Finland International Piano Competition and the Mary Frances Bowles Couper Presidential Scholarship. In 2020, Dr. Tang gave a solo recital as part of the 12th World Piano Conference and the following year, she released a digital album, 24 Preludes, Op. 34 by Dmitri Shostakovich. In addition to her work as a solo pianist, she enjoys performing as a collaborative pianist.

As an educator, Dr. Tang works with students of all ages and levels. She has presented at MTNA National Conferences and MTNA Collegiate Piano Pedagogy Symposiums. Dr. Tang received her Doctor of Musical Arts in Piano Performance from The University of Texas at Austin under the tutelage of Prof. Gregory Allen. She currently serves as Adjunct Assistant Professor at Austin Community College.

Emily Thiele, cello

Emily Thiele is a cellist in Austin Texas, native to northern Wisconsin, where she grew up surrounded by forests and lakes. She began learning cello at the age of 14 on her own, and began lessons at the age of 17, and her quick development on the instrument led her to complete two Bachelor’s degrees in Music and English, and to land a position in the Central Wisconsin Symphony Orchestra at the age of 18. Here she studied with Dr. Lawrence Leviton, among many other wonderful faculty. Emily moved from rural Wisconsin to Austin, Texas, and eventually received her Master’s Degree in Music Performance and Pedagogy there, graduating summa cum laude from Texas State University, where she enjoyed her studies with Dr. Karla Hamelin. While at Texas State, Emily served as the Principal Cellist of the Texas State University Symphony Orchestra, and won a position both years as the cellist in the Graduate String Quartet. During this time, Emily also maintained a very full private studio in Austin.

Emily currently enjoys a lively teaching and performing career, holds Suzuki certifications in cello, and welcomes students of all ages and abilities into her teaching studio. She was recently recognized as “Teacher of the Year” at Lone Star School of Music for her dedication to her students. She is now an adjunct professor of cello at ACC and enjoys teaching American Music and Music Appreciation.

Wan-Hsuan (Joyce) Wu, piano

Dr. Wan-Hsuan (Joyce) Wu is an active solo and collaborative concert pianist. She has appeared on concert stages in Asia, Europe, and North America. She is the co-founder and executive director of The Woven Sounds, a non-profit piano duo dedicated to promoting appreciation and recognition of musical works written by composers of Asian descent.

Native of Taipei, Taiwan, Dr. Wu started her formal musical training as a pianist at age 5. She received both Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees in Piano Performance from The University of Texas at Austin under the guidance of internationally renowned pianist, Nancy Burton Garrett.

Dr. Wu enjoys working in diverse environments with students of all levels and backgrounds. She currently serves as an adjunct professor at the Austin Community College and provides instruction to American Music and Applied Piano courses. While not teaching and performing, Joyce enjoys making crafts, hiking, visiting museums, listening to podcasts and talking about music with friends on the social audio platform ClubHouse.