Conductor: Li-Ying Shang
Li-Ying Shang, a well-known soprano in the Taiwanese church community, was born in the Tainan prominent Shang family that has a long tradition of celebration of classical music.
Ms. Shang began to study piano and vocal in her early childhood. During her four-year of study at the Tunghai University she received the professional vocal training from the famous soprano Mrs. Teh-Yau Wu – wife of the school’s Principal and the Chorale Conductor Professor Teh-An Cheng. In addition, Ms. Carter, the faculty member at the school helped Li-Ying in improving her piano technique. Under the influences and the encouragement by her mentors, Ms. Shang developed a great passion and involved deeply in the sacred church music.
While studying at the Northeastern Illinois State University, she was also pursuing choral conducting under the guidance of Dr. David Larson. After receiving a Master Degree in Mathematics, she began her career as a Computer Programmer Analyst and later as a Data Base Administrator. For over 30 years Li-Ying was able to constantly conduct her beloved church music and maintain her full-time career working in the computer field.
Ms. Shang is considered as one of the most outstanding Taiwanese chorale conductors in Southern California. Besides conducting choirs in multiple churches, she had conducted numerous oratorio performances. From 1990-1997, Li-Ying had led the Chorale of Taiwanese Presbyterian Churches in Southern California to perform the major sacred music pieces composed by 18-20 century composers. The repertoires included Mozart’s “Requiem” and his Chorale Music, Handel’s “Messiah”, Haydn’s “The Creation”, Mendelssohn’s “Elijah” and Cantata “Hear My Prayer”, Charles Gound’s “St. Cecilia Mass”, Beethoven’s “Choral Fantasy”, etc. The choir also performed the choral music written by Professor Tyzen Hsiao’s, a renowned pianist and composer in Taiwanese community.
In the year of 2000, Li-Ying was invited to participate the “Musical Spirit Healing” program in her homeland Taiwan after the devastated earthquake in the central Taiwan area on September 11, 1999. She applied the same methodology of “Musical Spirit Healing” to rehabilitate drug addicted prisoners in Tainan County Prison. Furthermore, Li-Ying has conducted the Tainan YMCA Chorus to give several impressive performances at Tainan Municipal Culture Center since 2002. In June 2011, she is scheduled to lead the Tainan YMCA Chorus again to perform Haydn’s “The Creation” at Tainan Municipal Culture Center.
指 揮/ 商麗鶯
出身台南音樂世家，名女高音。就讀東海大學期間，得名聖樂女高音吳德耀校長夫人及聖樂團指揮鄭得安教授在聲樂上，發聲、發音、咬字的技巧以及合唱與和聲的嚴格訓練指導，尤其在教會音樂的領域獲得精湛的薰陶，奠定日後指揮聖樂合唱的基礎。曾擔任韓德爾『彌賽亞』、孟德爾頌『以利亞』、海頓『創造』等神劇及多首巴哈清唱劇的女高音獨唱。
獲伊利諾州立大學數學碩士。從事電腦程式與資料壘分析設計師二十餘年。在芝加哥期間深受聖樂權威 Dr. David Larson 的指揮技巧的影響、訓練與鼓勵，對教會音樂與詩班指揮 更有 偏愛與信心。精研合唱指揮技巧，重視合唱和聲的優美及咬字的精確，強調人文藝術與音樂 的融會貫通。
四十多年指揮生涯中，除了擔任多所教會詩班指揮外，無論在台灣或在美國，多次完成讓聽眾深受感動又難以忘懷的演唱會。1991 – 1997年，指揮「南加州台灣人長老教會聖樂團」 演唱莫扎特『安魂曲』與聖樂曲、韓德爾『彌賽亞』、海頓『創造』、孟德爾頌 『以利亞』 三大聖樂神劇、孟德爾頌『聽我祈求』清唱劇、古諾『St. Cecilia』 彌撒曲、 蕭泰然教授 『耶穌基督』神劇（第一次以絃樂團伴奏），聖樂曲及台灣民謠編曲、貝多芬『幻想合唱曲』等，深受洛杉磯主流音樂界肯定。
2000年應邀回故鄉台灣參與921地震災區的心靈重建；成立並指揮埔里大湳合唱團，充份發揮以音樂療傷的效果。而後繼續在台南仁德外役監獄戒毒中心，為受刑人成立合唱團以及詩歌教唱，積極推動音樂療傷的事工。從2002年，擔任台南YMCA合唱團指揮每年於台南文化中心演藝廳，由管弦樂團伴奏，演唱大型聖樂巨作，每場演出皆帶給唱者、聽者無限震撼與感動。2011年6月11日，商麗鶯將繼續指揮台南YMCA合唱團，於台南文化中心演藝廳演唱海頓『創造』神劇。