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Meet Our Organizing Committee
Find out more about the people behind the festival
Executive Board
This section is dedicated to the visionary artists and educators who founded the organization. Through their commitment to cultural exchange, musical excellence, and education, they have built bridges between Eastern and Western traditions, aiming to empower the next generation of musicians and foster a deeper global appreciation for international music.
Zichan Yang
Executive Director
Zichan Yang is a highly acclaimed Chinese-Canadian guzheng and guqin performer, educator, and cultural ambassador. A graduate of the Shenyang Conservatory of Music, she is a Performance Instructor at Carleton University and a leading figure in promoting Chinese traditional music in North America. As founder and director of the Zichan International Arts School, Ms. Yang has pioneered bilingual music education and fostered cross-cultural exchange between China and Canada.
Her artistry, praised for its elegance and expressive depth, bridges Eastern and Western musical traditions. Beyond performance, she has served as a juror for major international competitions and received numerous awards for her excellence in teaching and cultural promotion, including the Canada Medal for Cultural Harmony. Through her leadership and performances worldwide, Ms. Yang continues to advance the global appreciation of Chinese music and foster intercultural understanding through the universal language of art.
Jingyuan Gao
Vice-Executive Director
Jingyuan Gao is a renowned guzheng performer, educator, and cultural ambassador known for blending traditional Chinese music with modern artistry. She has performed internationally, earning acclaim for her ability to communicate across cultures through the guzheng. As a dedicated teacher, she mentors award-winning students and promotes cultural confidence through music education. Guided by her mission to bring traditional arts to the world, Ms. Gao actively fosters cross-cultural exchange and harmony through her artistic and educational work.
Anathèle Zamor
M.Sc.OT, Psychotherapist & Organizational Consultant
Board Member
Anathèle Zamor is a Registered Occupational Therapist, Psychotherapist, and the founder of Cultivate Workplaces, a consulting firm specializing in organizational well-being, leadership development, and equity-centred cultural transformation. With over a decade of clinical and leadership experience, she brings a unique interdisciplinary lens rooted in mental health, systems thinking, and human-centred organizational design.
Anathèle began learning the guzheng two years ago and immediately fell in love with the instrument’s emotional depth and healing qualities. She is passionate about sharing the transformative power of music and the arts, and actively supports multicultural initiatives that foster connection, belonging, and cross-cultural understanding.
In joining the Board of Directors of the International Fusion of Cultural Heritage Association, Anathèle brings strategic insight, a collaborative leadership style, and a deep commitment to arts-based empowerment and culturally grounded learning.
Youth Leadership Team
This section introduces our team of dedicated youth organizers who are passionate about music, culture, and community. While learning from mentors, they take an active role in organizing and coordinating events. Their ultimate goal is to share the beauty of international musical traditions with wider audiences whilst highlighting the interconnected nature between Western and Eastern music.
