SCHOLARLY MUSICIAN

Thalea is a classically trained double bassist, having played professionally in various string and symphonic orchestras for nearly 20 years. She directed several chamber groups and large-scale musical performances. Casually, Thalea also plays piano, Mongolian horse-head fiddle, djembe, and dundun.

Thalea is a doctoral candidate in ethnomusicology at the University of Chicago. Her research expertise lies in music-cultural topics in East and Central Asia, specifically China and Mongolia respectively. Her current research investigates Mongolian hip hop culture in Mongolia and China. 

Thalea has directly applied her diverse skillset towards education, working primarily with youth and young adults. She teaches and has taught music appreciation and performance (bass, piano, voice, and West African drumming), Mandarin Chinese, and martial arts (Tae Kwon Do, Gongfu, and Taiji).