Highlighting Asian Composers And Their Voices
Mission Statement
Our mission is to foster a community that supports the creation of music by Asian composers. We aim to elevate their voices and create a space where musicians of Asian descent have meaningful representation in the United States.
About
East Zodiac came about as clarinetist Samuel Hsieh was searching for a graduate audition piece for clarinet with an Asian influence. After realizing how little music there was, he had the idea of commissioning pieces by Asian composers based on the Chinese Zodiac Calendar. He sought to bring his idea to life, so he contacted musicians Sean Penzo and Vanna Tsiknias to create East Zodiac in 2022.
Despite the growing number of pieces that feature Asian influences, East Zodiac recognizes that the perspectives of Asian immigrant composers are marginalized in the West. Our nonprofit organization aims to expand this space, allowing musicians who identify as Asian to increase their representation in the United States. Through fundraising and grants, we commission a different Asian composer each year corresponding with the 12-year Chinese Zodiac Calendar. In addition to the commissioning project, we host a premiere concert and create consortium projects where artists and musicians can support our organization and receive exclusive benefits, rights, and recognition.
Samuel Hsieh
Born in New York and raised in Taiwan, Samuel Hsieh has cultivated a rich and diverse musical background. His journey began in Texas, where he completed most of his education. Samuel's talent and dedication quickly became evident when he was a finalist in the Furman University Concerto Competition in 2018 with his performance of Crusell's Clarinet Concerto No. 2. His excellence in music was further recognized in 2020 when he received the prestigious Presser Scholar Award, the highest honor for an undergraduate music student.
Samuel's performance career spans North America, Asia, and Europe, with a notable study abroad experience in Arezzo, Italy. He has performed at International Clarinet Association's ClarinetFest, Louisiana Music Educators Association, South Carolina Music Educators Association Intercollegiate Band, and Carnegie Hall. Additionally, he frequently substitutes for the Baton Rouge Symphony and has participated in esteemed festivals like the Sewanee Summer Music Festival. With a strong passion for teaching, Samuel has been a private studio instructor since 2015, educating students of all ages across various regions, including Baton Rouge, LA, Greenville, SC, and Greater East Texas. Now residing in Michigan, Samuel works with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra as a Civic Youth Ensemble Mentor and Community & Learning Intern, in addition to running a private studio of over 30 students in the greater Ann Arbor area.
Samuel is a founding member of East Zodiac, an organization dedicated to promoting composers from the Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) community. In 2024, East Zodiac was part of the University of Michigan's Performing Arts EXCELerator, receiving mentorship and financial guidance on running an arts organization. This opportunity led Samuel and his co-founders to present at Yale University's Innovation Summit in 2024.
Currently pursuing a Specialist in Music degree in Clarinet Performance at the University of Michigan, Samuel holds a Master's in Clarinet Performance from Louisiana State University and a Bachelor of Music from Furman University, where he graduated Cum Laude. In his free time, Samuel enjoys cooking, traveling, and playing tennis. He has studied under Cecilia Kang, Stacy Christofakis, Dan Gilbert, and Chad Burrow.
Vanna Tsiknias
Born and raised in South Carolina, Vanna Tsiknias is a clarinetist and educator. She received her Master of Music from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in Spring of 2023 where she studied with Dr. Janice Minor. She previously completed her undergraduate degree in music education at Furman University in Greenville, SC under Dr. Cecilia Kang and Dr. Anastasia Christofakis. Having spent her junior year in Arezzo, Italy she also studied with Gianluca Piomboni as well as attended master classes taught by Markus Stockhausen and Sergio Bossi at the Rossini Conservatory in Pesaro, Italy.
Vanna currently teaches 4th and 5th grade band at two elementary schools in the Northern Virginia area. She enjoys teaching young musicians, introducing them to the joys of music making with others while also helping them to find their own place in the music world. She is inspired everyday by their excitement and curiosity to learn which carries over to her own performing and teaching. Vanna has also taught private clarinet lessons for 5 years throughout Greenville, SC and Urbana- Champaign, IL and now in the Northern Virginia area. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, playing tennis and pickleball, and spending time with her cat, Oreo.
Sean Penzo
Born in Genova, Italy, and raised outside of Syracuse, NY, Sean Penzo is a composer, cellist, and writer known for a wide range of collaborations and compositions. He has held board positions in Ethos New Music Society and The Improv. Collective, among others. Penzo has composed for ensembles which have performed and recorded his music internationally including Sonic Apricity, Akropolis Reed Quintet, and Quartetto Zuena. His most recent writing work has involved writing the libretto for Mateo Wojtczack’s, “Hero’s Awakening”, and the blog, Musician Coop. During his undergrad at SUNY Fredonia, he studied composition with Paul Coleman, Andrew Martin Smith, Rob Deemer, and Jamie Leigh Sampson, and cello with Natasha Farny. After Fredonia, he studied with Keith Fitch and Bryan Dumm in Cleveland, and graduated with a master's in music composition.
Penzo values performance just as much as composition. He enjoys working with live bands and playing the role of a studio musician--often recording remotely for clients of all genres. His recent endeavors have involved working with Shane Patterson, Todd Hobin, Isa Bruder, and The Junk Experiment. Currently based in Pittsburgh, PA, he regularly performs, records, and premieres works written by other composers.
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