Department of Resources Engineering (formerly Mining and Petroleum Engineering), National Cheng Kung University.
Mr. Dong's most frequent encouragement to his students is, "Cherish every day you have the opportunity to study music."
Had he not joined the National Tainan Second Senior High School Chinese Music Club, he would never have wandered into the vibrant musical realm of Spring Dawn over Yangmingshan and Pomegranate Flowers in Bloom. Had it not been for his desire to share the joy of ensemble playing, he would not have dared to learn the gehu at short notice, competing on stage alongside traditional music powerhouse schools such as Tainan Tzi-Yu Senior High School, Tainan Commercial High School, and Tainan First Senior High School. Ultimately, it was in the National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) Chinese Music Club that he discovered his lifelong passion—the cello.
Because he started learning later than most, Dong cherishes the happiness and emotion music brings even more deeply than those who began in early childhood. Although the cello holds no royal titles in traditional Chinese music, its rich, mellow, and sweet tone leaves a lasting impression that lingers long after the music stops. Pursuing effortless expression and continuous growth, he studied under Teacher Su Hui-Chuan, Teacher Lin Chao-Cheng, and Professor Chen Chia-Min.
From 1991 to 2000, he served as Bass Section Leader of the Tainan Municipal Cultural Center Chinese Orchestra. In July 1996, he toured the western United States with the orchestra for Songs from Formosa. In September 1998, he participated in their US tour, Charming Tainan Nostalgia. In March 1999, he performed with Kun Shan University of Technology at the Asia Pacific Festival in New Zealand. In September 1999, he traveled to the US with the orchestra for the 7th Asian Festival. In August 2000, he passed the audition to become a full-time professional cellist with the Tainan City Chinese Orchestra, officially transitioning from an enthusiastic amateur into a dedicated music practitioner who scrutinizes every note and phrase. Performing widely with the orchestra, he forged broad musical connections, finding great joy in seeing the musical seeds he planted take root and blossom everywhere.
Though bass instruments tend toward calm stability, he remains eager to strike dynamic chords and sing out a resonant, brilliant season in his life's musical journey.