Irina Chao (趙育伸, Yu-shen Chao) is a graduate student in the Graduate Institute of Ethnomusicology, National Taiwan Normal University. Her research interests include Taiwanese Indigenous music, culture revitalization, and traditional ecological knowledge. Her main research target ethnic group is Pinuyumayan in Taiwan. Her fieldwork also covers the Tsou and Rukai indigenous communities. She is not indigenous but has been working with indigenous communities for years. Currently, she is collaborating with the Kasavakan community on a project of traditional song revival, working with Tamalrakaw singer Vawni on arranging her songs, and making a documentary on gender minorities in Taiwanese indigenous communities. She is also a flute player and now is a member of the Rainbow City Symphonic Band.

Education

Master student in ethnomusicology, National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU), 2024-now.

Master of Arts in Chinese literature, National Chengchi University (NCCU), 2012-2015.

Bachelor of Arts in Chinese literature, National Taiwan University (NTU), 2007-2012.

Conference Papers/Presentations

Chao, Yu-shen and Wen-chi Wu [吳文琪] (2026, Jul. ongoing). The Revitalization and Pedagogical Adaptation of Traditional Pinuyumayan Songs in Contemporary Taiwan. Paper will be presented at the 37th International Society for Music Education (ISME) World Conference, Montréal, Canada.

Chang, Yu-wen [張毓紋] and Irina Chao (2026, Jul. ongoing). School Music Education and Its Influence on Tsou Non-Ritual Songs and Dances: A Case Study of Two Music Teachers. Paper will be presented at the 37th International Society for Music Education (ISME) World Conference, Montréal, Canada.

Chao, Irina (2026, Jul. ongoing). Song Revival and Creation in the Kasavakan Pinuyumayan Community. Paper will be presented at the 9th Symposium of the ICTMD Study Group for Musics of East Asia (MEA), Taipei, Taiwan.

Chao, Irina (2025, Nov. 26). Singing the Memory of the Land: The Modern Interpretation of Pinuyumayan Songs in the Context of Environmental Change. Paper presented at the 15th International Junior Scholars Conference on Humanities and Culture, Taipei, Taiwan.

Chao, Irina (2025c, Jul. 11). A study on pedagogical approaches to singing and text articulation in Taiwan’s Beiguan music. Paper presented at the 2025 Asia-Pacific Symposium for Music Education Research (APSMER), Perth, Australia.

Chao, Irina, Yu-wen Chang [張毓紋], Chia-yu Tsai [蔡佳妤], Cheng-huei Yu [尤承惠] and Pei-chi Chang [張佩琪] (2025, Jul. 11). Reflections on Taiwan indigenous music education from Sakha, Russia: A case study of Tsou People. Paper presented at the 2025 Asia-Pacific Symposium for Music Education Research (APSMER), Perth, Australia.

Chao, Irina (2025b, Jun. 7). Revitalizing Tsou Cultural Heritage: The Role of School Education and Audience Participation in the “mayasvi” Ceremony of Tfuya. Paper presented at Sounding Taiwan: Borderland and Crossroad of Sonic Encounter, Taiwan Balzan Symposium, Taipei, Taiwan.

Chao, Yu-shen (2025a, Jan. 10). Writing Songs for Preserving Indigenous Language and Culture: A Case Study of Puyuma. Paper presented at the 48th World Conference of the International Council for Traditional Music and Dance (ICTMD), Wellington, New Zealand.

Chao, Irina (2024, Aug. 25). Traditional Melody in Popular Songs: A Study on Sangpuy’s Composition in Puyuma, an Indigenous tribe in Taiwan. Paper presented at the 8th Symposium of the ICTMD Study Group for Musics of East Asia (MEA), National Museum of Ethnology, Osaka, Japan.

Chao, Yu-shen (2017, Sep. 28). Contributions to Late-Qing Chinese Records by Russian Sinologists – Taking Palladius and Popov Dictionaries as Examples. Paper presented at The Famous Triad of Russian Sinology Conference, Institute of Oriental Studies, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia.

Chao, Yu-shen (2014, Oct.). The Exploratory Research on Palladius’s “Chinese-Russian Dictionary”. Paper presented at the 32nd Chinese Phonology Conference, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.

Journal Papers

Chao, Yu-shen (2014). The Exploratory Research on Phonology of Chinese-Russian Mixed Language. Bulletin of Association of Chinese Phonology, ROC. 23:74-81.

Chao, Yu-shen (2012). The Philology Research on the Chinese Character KA. Bulletin of Association of Chinese Phonology, ROC. 21:40-44.

Teaching

Adjunct Lecturer

  • 2020 – 2023
  • Chinese Language Center, University of Asia
  • Mandarin Summer program – 32 hours (2020), 13 hours (2021), 21 hours (2022)
  • Oral Mandarin Training program for migrant workers – 177 hours (Sep.2022-Jan.2023)

Work Experience

EMI Teaching Assistant of the course “Music and Modernity of East Asia”

  • 2026 Feb – [ongoing]
  • Graduate Institute of Ethnomusicology, National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU) [ongoing]
  • Lecturer / Principal investigator: Joys H. Y. Cheung (張海欣)

Student editor assistant of the Journal of Music Research

  • 2026 Jan – [ongoing]
  • College of Music, National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU)
  • Principal investigator: Jun-zen Huang (黃均人)

Teaching Assistant of the course “The Principle of Physical Education”

  • 2024 Aug – 2025 Jul
  • College of Sports and Recreation, National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU)
  • Principal investigator: Hsin-Heng Chen (陳信亨)

Administration Assistant of the project “Enhancing Professional Admissions Development in College”

  • 2018 Nov – 2024 Jul
  • Office of Academic Affairs, National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU)
  • Principal investigator: Chen, Chao-chen (陳昭珍) & Liu, Mei-hui (劉美慧)

Research Assistant of the project “Enhancing Professional Management Practices in Higher Education”

  • 2016 Aug – 2018 May
  • Office of Institutional Research, National Taiwan University (NTU)
  • Principal investigator: Lin, Ta-te (林達德) & Kuo, Tei-wei (郭大維)

Assistant of Project “Taiwan Indigenous Peoples Oral History Heritage Survey and Preservation Case Writing Project”

  • 2015 Nov – 2016 apr
  • Department of Ethnology, National Chengchi University (NCCU)
  • Principal investigator: Chi-ping Huang (黃季平)

Project Outcome

Sound Memory of Pinuyumayan. Musical archive (2025), https://pym.irinachao.ru

Skills / Certificates

Languages

  • Pinuyumayan 卑南語-高級 (Indigenous Formosan language, high, 2025)
  • Tsou 鄒語-中級 (Indigenous Formosan language, intermediate, 2021)
  • Amis 阿美語-中級 (Indigenous Formosan language, intermediate, 2022)
  • Paiwan 排灣語-中級 (Indigenous Formosan language, intermediate, 2023)
  • Hakka 客家語-中級 (Chinese topolect; intermediate, 2012)
  • Taiwanese Southern-Min 臺灣閩南語-中級 (Chinese topolect; intermediate, 2013)

Certificate of Qualification to Teach Mandarin Chinese as a Second/Foreign Language (2014)

Certificate of invigilator of TOCFL (Test of Chinese as a Foreign Language) (2023)

Certificate of Extension Education of Taiwan Indigenous Language Teacher Education Program (2021)

Certificate of Extension Education of Taiwan Indigenous Language Teacher Education Program (2019)

Honors & Awards

Barbara Barnard Smith Travel Award, The 48th ICTMD World Conference. (2025)

College Student Research Award on Chinese Phonology. (2012, 2014)

College Student Research Creativity Award, National Science Council. (2011)

Extracurricular Activities

Rainbow City Symphonic Band (Sep.2023-now)

Le Young Flute Ensemble (Feb.2022-Sep.2023)