Dorothy Lê

Flutist and Project Lead

Dorothy Lê is a BA music student at the University of Texas at Austin where she studies flute with Professor Marianne Gedigian and is completing her capstone project with Professor James Gabrillo. She is the founder and director of AMP, an idea that started from creating a simple recital where her parents can connect with the music. You'll see her play the flute at events in flat shoes because she refuses to wear heels. In her free time, you can catch her eating spicy instant noodles or rewatching her favorite show, Avatar: The Last Airbender. As a flutist, she should probably be an airbender, but deep down, Dorothy is actually a waterbender.

Daniel Kim

Composer

Daniel Kim is a 3rd year BM Composition major at UT Austin and is currently studying with Dr. Grantham. He is one of the arrangers of the music, likes cats and dark chocolate, and enjoys Studio Ghibli movies for their simplistic and nostalgic qualities.

Jingchao Wang

Composer

Jingchao Wang (b. 1994) is a US-based composer who has been living in China, Germany and the US. Her music is influenced by Eclecticism with numerous Eastern elements. In 2009, Jingchao was accepted to the composition department of the Central Conservatory of Music High School with the highest overall ranking. Three years later, she was admitted by the Central Conservatory of Music as the top-ranked student where she studied with Prof. Xiaogang Ye. During her undergraduate studies, Jingchao was exchanged in Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg, Germany, as the first composition bachelor student in CCOM with the support of the National Scholarship honored by the China Ministry of Education. During her time in Hamburg, she hosted the concert “Imagine and Reflection” to popularize Chinese contemporary music. Jingchao pursued her Master’s degree in Composition at the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University, where she studied in the studio of Professor Michael Hersch. Jingchao is currently an Assistant Instructor at The University of Texas at Austin, meanwhile doing her DMA degree in Composition.

Selina Xu

Cellist

Second prize winner of the Florida Keys International Music Competition, Yilin (Selina) Xu had her solo debut at the Carnegie’s Weill Recital Hall at the age of 17. As an international student, Xu appeared with the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, and was a member of the Florida Symphony Youth Orchestra (FSYO), Florida Orchestra Association (FOA) of All-State, and National Orchestra of China (NYO China) of 2020. Xu has attended several music festival around Europe, such as the Internationaux d’Orchestra de Jeunes, the Summa Cum Laude International Youth Music Festival. Miss. Xu participated in various cello and chamber masterclasses with Si-Yan Li, David Bjella, Richard Aaron, Jason Wang, Jamie Clark, Alan Rafferty, Hai-ye Ni, the Callisto String Quartet, and Miró Quartet. She is currently studying at the University of Texas at Austin with cellist Bion Tsang.

Maya Hazarika

Staging Designer

Maya Hazarika is a Dual Architecture and Architectural Engineering Major at UT completing her 5th year of a 6 year program. Maya is one of the set designers for AMP. Her professional interests are in sustainable and resilient buildings, but her hobbies outside of school vary. She enjoys any creative outlet involving her hands, including drawing, painting, sculpting, embroidery, knitting, cooking, and the list goes on. You can often find her indulging in one of these activities or catching up on sleep.

Ellen Okamura

Graphic Designer

Ellen Okamura is a Design BFA and Business Minor at the University of Texas at Austin, who specializes in branding design and UI design. She is finishing up her senior year with her capstone design project focused on Asian-American female empowerment. Ellen is currently the lead designer for AMP and contributes to the branding identity, as well as the website and marketing graphics. As a Japanese American, she was raised on Studio Ghibli movies, and owns almost all of them on DVD. Her favorite Ghibli movie to this day remains “Spirited Away”. A fun fact about Ellen is that she is actually pretty small in stature, however, she makes up for it with a big personality and her trademark heels.

Moegi Amano

Pianist

Moegi Amano is pursuing her Master of Music at the University of Texas at Austin, where she also completed her bachelor in 2020. She studies under Anton Nel and is the pianist for AMP. Although originally from Japan, she grew up in multiple places, including her hometown Yokkaichi, Kyoto, Kentucky, and Singapore, and considers herself a third culture kid. Through AMP, she enjoys being able to connect with others from Asian backgrounds and feels fortunate to share her love for Ghibli and for music with the audience.

Pranav Subramanian

Staging Designer

Pranav Subramanian is wrapping up his final year in the architecture program at the University of Texas. He is the stage designer for AMP, along with Maya Hazarika, and will be designing the venue layout and set pieces for “A Studio Ghibli Tribute.” Pranav just came back from the Netherlands, where he spent 6 months reintroducing Europeans to Indian cooking.

Sammy Le

Poet and Writer

Samuel Lê is a poet currently working on an MFA at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst where he studies under Ocean Vuong. He will be responding to Miyazaki's films with poetry to accompany the sonic tribute. He loves cuddling with his 2 shiba inus and going out to discotecas to dance.

Ansh Jain

Web Developer

Ansh Jain is a computer science and math student at UT Austin, with a focus on general software engineering and its applications in the tech industry. He builds and maintains the website for AMP, and you'll see him at the events loving the music despite never having seen a Ghibli movie. In his free time, he likes to work on his 2022 New Year's Resolution, which is to learn how to proficiently spin nunchucks.

Kevin Lam

Business Consultant

Kevin Lam recently moved to Denver after graduating with a BBA in Management Information Systems. He remotely works with Dorothy to develop business strategies and connections. Mainly just keeps her sane. Kevin loves to connect to cultures through food and cooking.

Peter Le

Pianist

Peter Le is a BM Music Education major at the University of Texas at Austin who currently studies the piano under Andrew Brownell and is one of the pianists for AMP. Having lived in Texas his whole life, he joined to be more connected with individuals of similar cultures and because he likes anything Ghibli-related. You can usually find him playing video games or sleeping.

Lindsay Chu

Pianist

Lindsay Chu is a recent graduate from UT Austin with a BBA in Marketing, and she currently alternates between staying in Austin and visiting her family in Katy. She is one of the AMP pianists but also Dorothy’s hype-woman. Her comfort food is basically anything spicy, but especially her mom’s chicken curry. Apart from playing music, Lindsay’s hobbies include hiking, eating, overthinking, and trying to finish Hades, not necessarily in that order. Much to her chagrin and for reasons untold, her name is frequently misspelled.

Brigit Fitzgerald

Bassoonist

Brigit Fitzgerald is a DMA bassoon student, freelancer, and entrepreneur in Austin, TX. Visit www.brigitfitzgerald.com to learn more about her bassoon journey and to enjoy media samples, including an award-winning humorous bassoon tango video!

Evan Schnurr

Clarinetist

Clarinetist Evan Schnurr is in his second year of graduate study at UT's Butler School of Music, and is thrilled to be joining the team at Asian Memory Project! Before calling Austin home, Evan grew up outside of Philadelphia and studied at Oberlin Conservatory in Ohio for his undergrad. In addition to performing, Evan operates a large private lesson studio and has interned at Austin Chamber Music Center and Austin Classical Guitar. On days off he can be found thrifting, perusing local coffee shops and bakeries, and catching the occasional concert or movie!