Qiaoyan Gao is an associate Professor, at the Music College of the Inner Mongolia University for the Nationalities (IMUN) in Tongliao, Inner Mongolia, China. She graduated from the Music College of Henan Normal University in 2005, with a major in Musicology. In the same year she was admitted to Xinjiang Normal University, studying for a master’s degree in vocal music, singing and teaching. Her teacher was Lei Wang, a national level actor from the China National Opera House. In 2005, she studied in the “Dilber Yunus Vocal Music Teaching and Observation Master Class” and obtained that certificate. She studied at the China National Opera House from 2006-2008. Since then, she has taught at the Music College of IMUN, engaged in vocal music teaching and research work. She is a regular participant in various vocal music performances, and her students have won many vocal competitions inside and outside the province. In 2016 she was awarded the Excellent Teacher prize by IMUN. On January 12, 2017, she was funded by the China Scholarship Council as a visiting scholar, spending a full year at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in the College of Visual and Performance Arts. Her research is“A Comparative Study of Vocal Music and Teaching in Colleges and Universities between China and the United States – A Case Study of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and North Carolina Universities.” From January 12, 2017 till now, she has been studying voice with Professor Nancy Walker to further enhance her singing skills and level. Professor Gao wishes to thank to Lei Wang and Xuewei Song from China National Opera House, professor Ge Qu from Shenyang Conservatory of Music, professor Dengying Zhao from the Central Conservatory of Music and Nancy Walker from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, for the guidance to broaden her professional horizons and improve her singing style.

Burigude, a Mongolian vocal music teacher, works in the Music College of the Inner Mongolia University for the Nationalities (IMUN) in Tongliao, Inner Mongolia, China. He was born in Inner Mongolia, well-known for the Horqin prairie. He loved music from an early age and was deeply influenced by Mongolian music culture and Mongolian traditional vocal music culture. He graduated from the University of Inner Mongolia College of Art in 2005, majoring in vocal music performance and studying with professor Min Gao. That same year, he began teaching at IMUN where he cultivated a large number of Mongolian vocal music talents, and he was awarded the prizes of “Excellent Teacher,” ”Teaching Skills Award,” ”Teaching Advanced Individual” among others. In 2010, he wrote and directed the Mongolian musical “The Honggeer,” which was a huge success and was broadcast on the television. In 2015, in the Mongolian opera “Three Mountains,” he performed the leading role of the hero Yundeng and received rave reviews. In addition, he has participated in many domestic and international performances. On January 12, 2017, with the financial support by Inner Mongolia University for the Nationalities, he came to the University of North Carolina at Greensboro College Visual and Performing Arts for one year. He has been studying with Professor Nancy Walker and Professor Robert Wells to further improve his singing level and skills.