Biography

I was born and raised in a small town in east Taiwan. My musical journey began with piano when I was six years old. I didn’t come from a musical family, so I have always felt special being able to express myself through music making. I was given the French horn aged nine at school — funnily enough, I initially wanted to learn the flute or percussion, so I wouldn’t need to carry a big instrument around. My mum was worried at the start because the horn was so big, and I was so small! I still remember the moment I first buzzed on the mouthpiece and successfully made a sound on the first try. I fell in love with this shiny, pretty instrument and all the cool sounds I could make. A few years later, I joined the school symphony orchestra, and it was the first time I experienced the joy of making music with friends and working towards goals collaboratively.

After graduating from high school, I moved to the UK and started a new chapter of undergraduate study at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, where I later completed my master’s degree. My time at the conservatoire enabled me to perform in various settings with a wide range of repertoire, from small ensembles to major orchestral works and opera. I was offered places on professional training schemes with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and Birmingham Royal Ballet. Both experiences exposed me to high-level professional playing, developed my sectional playing skills, and led to my first professional orchestra performances with each ensemble. One of my performance highlights was performing Franz Strauss’s Horn Concerto, Op. 8 with the conservatoire orchestra as my final project in 2025.

Alongside modern horn playing, I discovered a passion for historical instrument performance, gaining a place on the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment’s professional experience scheme. I enjoy the challenge of the delicate control these instruments require, and their different tone. Historical instrument performance has also given me new insight into music interpretation and different approaches to horn playing.

When I’m not buzzing my mouthpiece or thinking about music, I enjoy crochet. Crocheting makes me feel peaceful, and it’s a good way to spend time on endless train journeys! I also enjoy cooking and experimenting with new recipes, especially Taiwanese cuisine.