the APQ TEAM
David John Yeh MD I president
David Yeh attended the University of New Orleans as a Patrick Taylor Scholar and graduated with Honors in violin performance and premedical studies. He completed medical school and neurosurgery residency at the Medical College of Georgia. Yeh started a private solo practice in New Orleans, LA, and then founded Central Coast Neurological Surgery PC, a group collaboration in San Luis Obispo (SLO) including neurosurgery, orthopedic spine surgery, interventional neurology/pain management, physical medicine and rehabilitation, neurophysiology, and neuropsychology disciplines. He is the Director of Spine Surgical Services at French Hospital Medical Center.
Dr. Yeh is devoted to philanthropy and actively supports classical music and medical education. He founded the APQ in 2012 to support classical chamber music and educational causes.
MIchael Buckles DMA I vice president
Michael Buckles is Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at McNeese State University, and served as Dean of the College of Liberal Arts since July 2017. Buckles received his Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Louisiana State University, his Master of Music degree from the Cleveland Institute of Music and his Bachelor of Arts degree in music from Tulane University. He served as head of the W.A. and Dorothy Hanna Department of Performing Arts at McNeese from 2011-2017.
Before coming to McNeese in 2002 as an assistant professor, Buckles taught at Dillard University, Xavier University and the preparatory school at the University of New Orleans. Professional performance credits include violinist with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra and founding member of the Aloha Piano Quartet, concertmaster of the Lake Charles Symphony and principal second violinist with the Rapides Symphony, as well as violinist with the Lake Charles Civic Ballet, Louisiana Choral Foundation and Lake Area Ballet. He is currently serving on the boards of the UL System’s Service-Learning Council, F.G. Bulber Youth Orchestra and the Our Lady Queen of Heaven Catholic School.
Darlene O’Connor MBA I secretary/treasurer
Skilled in Healthcare Consulting, Professional Services, Healthcare Management, Project Management Office (PMO), and Hospitals, Ms. O’Connor earned a Masters degree of Business Administration - MBA focused in Health/Health Care Administration/Management. She is an innovative business leader with a record of success in developing and executing sales strategies resulting in company and service line growth. She has a proven ability to build, lead and motivate diverse teams by developing trust and inspiring them to deliver results. Her skills in negotiating contracts and managing budgets help her client Companies to consistently meet or exceed established goals and objectives.
Chih-Long Hu DMA I musical director
A native of Taiwan, pianist Chih-Long Hu‘s performance career was launched after receiving a host of honors including the Taipei National Concert Hall Arising Star; the Chi-Mei Artist Award; and prizes from the Mauro Monopoli International Piano Competition in Italy; the Concurs International De Piano D’Escaldes-Engordany in Andorra; the Takamatsu International Piano Competition in Japan; and the International Russian Music Piano Competition in San Jose, California.
An active performer, Hu performs extensively in Asia, Europe, and America appearing as a concerto soloist, recitalist, and chamber musician. His recent performance highlights include concerto performances of Rachamninov’s Paganini Rhapsody, Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 3, Saint-Saëns’ Piano Concerto No. 2, and solo and chamber recitals in China, Taiwan, Korea, Canada, and throughout the US.
Hu’s performances have been televised in Taiwan, China, and Japan and broadcast in “Performance Today” through NPR stations across the country. His albums “Formosa Caprices,” “Complete Rachmaninov Etudes-Tableaux,” and “Trifecta Trio” have received critical acclaim. Named “Teacher of the Year” by the Tennessee Music Teachers Association, Dr. Hu is frequently invited to give lectures and master classes, as well as to judge national and international competitions.
Hu is the Artistic Director of St. Andrews Piano Academy and Festival International (New Brunswick), as well as the New York International Piano Festival. Hu holds a Doctorate of Musical Arts in piano performance from the University of Michigan, a master’s degree from Taipei National University of the Arts, and a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from National Taiwan University. His piano teachers include Arthur Greene, Hung-Kuan Chen, and Tai-Cheng Chen. Dr.
Hu has served on the faculty at East Tennessee State University, and was recently appointed as the Sandra G. Powell Endowed Professor of Piano at the University of Tennessee where he began teaching in fall 2016.
Joy Keown- Bedillion I member at large
Cellist Joy Keown Bedillion began her musical studies at age four. At thirteen she was awarded the Columbus Symphony Youth Orchestra Quartet Scholarship to study cello with the faculty of Columbus State University. A year later Bedillion was invited to be a part of the National Symphony Orchestra, a group of young musicians who performed in Carnegie Hall under the well-known conductor and composer Lucas Foss.
As a seventeen year old she won the Blount-Slawson scholarship to study at the Boston University Tanglewood Institute with Mickey Katz and Tang Quartet. Joy Keown Bedillion completed her Bachelor of Music degree at the North Carolina School of the Arts in their music conservatory under Dr. Brooks Whitehouse. In 2011 Joy was named a Texas Music Festival Orchestra Fellow. Also in 2011 she completed a masters degree from Louisiana State University where she studied with Dennis Parker, author of the Popper Manifesto.
An avid chamber musician, Bedillion has collaborated with such renowned musicians as Christopher O’Riley and Dennis Parker. She also served as a founding member for the Aloha Piano Quartet in 2012. Joy has worked with many Grammy-winning vocalists such as Lauren Daigle, Michael Boltin, Patti Labelle and Gladys Knight.
As a teacher, Joy is passionate about training the next generation of young musicians and joined the Faculty at Grace Notes School of Music in June of 2009. She rose to become a part owner of Grace Notes in 2012 and maintains a full studio of talented cellists. She continues to perform in many local orchestras including the Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra, Opera Louisianne, The Rapides Symphony Orchestra, and Baton Rouge Little Theater. She resides in Baton Rouge with her husband and is the author of The Cello Blog.
Suk Ja Kang I artistic director
From rawness to calmness, Suk Ja Kang plays spontaneously, resists definition, and sustains connection to the natural world and the spirit through contemporary abstract painting. Wandering through the imagined dichotomies of East and West, feminine/masculine, heavenly/earthy, Kang creates art that tunes a busy mind to experience the mystical and mundane present. Her works are found in many corporate, private collections throughout the world. Her work has been reviewed by publications including Art In America, Art Papers, and New American Painting.