Zora (Nai-Chien) Yo is a cellist and teacher who maintains active performances in solo, chamber music, and symphony orchestra. She appeared as a chamber musician in several music festivals, such has the Kirishima International Music Festival in Japan and the Aurora Chamber Music Festival (ACM) in Sweden. Zora joined the faculty of the Illinois Chamber Music Festival in 2022. As an orchestral musician, Zora has traveled with the Formosa Philharmonic and performed concerts in France upon the invitation of Les rencontres musicales do Chaon. Currently, Zora serves as a section cellist in the Champaign-Urbana Symphony Orchestra. Also devoted to teaching, Zora is adjunct faculty at the University of Illinois Springfield. While an undergraduate in the Teachers Education Program in Taiwan, she designed a successful curriculum combining performance-based and teacher-education courses. Zora also works in string pedagogy and has been certified as a Suzuki cello teacher. She enjoys working with young musicians and running her private studio in Champaign. 

Zora is a graduate of the Artist Diploma program at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where she is currently pursuing her doctorate, studying with Denise Djokic and Daniel McDonough of the Jupiter String Quartet. Recognized as an active and positive force in the school and the community, Zora has been selected to receive the School of Music Cello Award for the 2023-2024 academic year. 

Education
Artist's Diploma Cello Performance, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
M.M. Cello Performance and Literature, Louisiana State University