Yayu's Biography

Dame Yayu Khoe, coloratura soprano, is a voice teacher, conductor and recording artist. Currently, she is the choral director of the Greater Phoenix Chinese Christian Church Young Voice Youth Choir and Adult Choir and the director of the Hope Youth Choir and Hope Junior Choir in Phoenix, Arizona. In addition, Yayu teaches voice and piano from her private music studio in Chandler, Arizona. For twenty-five years Yayu has taught private voice and held master classes in schools in New York City, Fort Worth, Texas, Cedar Rapids, Iowa and in Universities and Music Conservatories in China. In addition to teaching voice, she has sung in major concert halls across the U.S., Europe and China, appearing in major music festivals, concerts, operas, cabarets and musicals. These included European concert tour with the legendary drummer Max Roach and his quintet and the Newport Jazz festival at Carnegie Hall with Dizzy Gillespie. Her repertoire is diversified and she is at ease in singing many styles from classical, jazz, Broadway, musical theater, folk to spirituals and religious music in six languages. Her solo CD albums under the YEA label included Love and Faith in 2000; The Art of Yayu Khoe Volume I featuring a collection of western classics and The Art of Yayu Khoe Volume II featuring a collection of Chinese art songs and folk songs in 2003.

Yayu is currently working on her DMA degree in both conducting and vocal performance at Arizona State University. She received her M.A. in vocal pedagogy from Texas Woman University and was honored by the University as the outstanding master graduate of the year in 2003. She received her B.A. from Queens College in New York and had also studied conducting at the Westminster Choir College in Princeton, NJ and the Manhattan School of Music. She was also a distinguished graduate of the High School of Music & Art and had received many awards and honors. Her many distinguished teachers included: Joan Wall, John L. Motley, Chung Mou Chu, Ellie Mok and Camilla Williams.

Yayu started performing 30 years ago with the Queens Borough-wide Chorus and later the All-City Chorus and the All-City Concert Choir, performing in major civic functions in NYC. These included singing as an ambassador representing New York City, singing for former President Carter and other foreign dignitaries. Yayu was a major soloist with many music groups in NYC actively appearing in concerts in Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall. She was a soloist with the Grace Congregational Church in Harlem. She had also appeared with numerous opera companies including the Brooklyn Lyric Opera, Aquarius Opera, 92^nd St. Y Summer Opera, Regal Opera and appeared in major music festivals across the United States. Yayu also appeared as a soloist with several churches and choir in Cedar Rapids area including the Christ Episcopal Church, Lovely Lane Methodist Church and the First Baptist Church/Church of the Brethren and the Cedar Rapids Concert Chorale. She was the choir director of the First Baptist Church-Church of the Brethren in Cedar Rapids. She had been the choral director of the Good Earth Singers in Arlington Texas, the Chinese Musical Arts-Hai Yun Chorus in New York City, the Little Lark Children��s Chorus in NYC and the Chinese American Music Ensemble in New Jersey.

Yayu was honored with the title Dame of the Order de Notre Dame De Lis de France of the Bourbon Royal House by the International Nobility Association and the Association of University Presidents for highest distinguished accomplished artist. She was also the recipient of the Tarrant County Asian American Chamber Commerce Outstanding Leadership award. Other prizes and honors received include: professorship and medal of honor from the John Dewey University for outstanding contribution to music ministry in the community; outstanding leadership award from the Fort Worth Naval Base for contributions to the Arts, the C. B. Bellamy Music scholarship from Texas Woman��s University, music scholarships from the New York Daily News, Benjamin Chancy Music Award from the NYC Board of Education, New York Singing Teachers Association vocal competition winner resulting in a Carnegie Hall Recital Hall performance, and Texas�� Granstaff Vocal competition first prize winner. She is currently a member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing, the American Choral Directors Association and the Chorister Guild.

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