Phoebe Haines 

Phoebe Haines is a PhD Researcher at Peking University’s School of Arts, with interests in Chinese kūnqǔ (昆曲) and gǔqín (古琴) artistry. She is passionate about education and cross-cultural exchange. Phoebe is the co-presenter for Peking University’s “Classical Kūnqǔ Appreciation Course”, and enjoys translating live events for the Ministry of Education’s “Kūnqǔ Base.”  

Phoebe previously studied at the University of Cambridge, the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Tsinghua University, and the Royal College of Music. As a young opera singer, she made her debut at the Salzburg Festival in 2014 and performed in over 30 countries, appearing at major venues including New York’s Lincoln Center and Beijing’s National Centre for the Performing Arts. Her writings have appeared in People’s Daily, and she has been a featured speaker at TEDx.  

Connect with Phoebe on X/Twitter: @phoebehaines 

Committee of 100: What inspired you to work in your professional field? 

Phoebe: I have always enjoyed music and specifically singing – for me it was a way to communicate. With music we can express ourselves, we can listen to others, and we can collaborate together, learning from each other’s modes of expression. In a world where information is often manipulated or misunderstood (especially across the noise of both traditional and social media) music offers a direct and sincere way to connect. I feel this is particularly true for ancient and classical music, which might resonate more with us than we might initially realize. 

Another form of meaningful communication that has shaped my life is language. Learning Mandarin has been one of the most enriching experiences of my life. It’s not just a tool for communication; it’s also an entry point into a vast cultural history. Today, my professional path lies within academia rather than performance, and working across languages presents me with new challenges and rewards every day. 

I am extremely grateful to C100 member Hao Jiang Tian for being a supportive mentor and to Dr. Hong Lu, my first Chinese language teacher. Both of their encouragement has been so instrumental in my journey. What inspired me to work in my current field is the people that I have had the good fortune to meet along the way, and who had faith in the work that I hoped to do. 

Committee of 100: What are some of the challenges you have encountered to become a leader in your respective field? Are Chinese Americans well-represented in your field, and what do you think are the reasons they are/aren’t well-represented? 

Phoebe: One of the challenges I believe many of us may face, especially in our early careers, is the difficulty in being taken seriously by decision-makers (the issue can be especially challenging for women in traditionally male-dominated industries: see Judy Yi Zhou’s comments to this effect: https://www.committee100.org/qa-series-next-generation-leaders-judy-yi-zhou/). I hope that we’re in a moment now where society is becoming more alert to inequalities, but of course there is a long way to go.  

When listening to the experiences my Chinese American peers, I know that they often confront systemic biases like the “bamboo ceiling.” Research, such as the State of Chinese Americans Survey, underscores how Chinese Americans in academia are struggling against barriers to leadership, despite increasing numbers of qualified professionals in these spaces. I fear that these biases are confounded by current geopolitical policies and rhetoric, so I hope that by shedding light on these inequalities, we can go some way in preventing them being mindlessly perpetuated by decision-makers. 

On a more positive note, I have noticed that Chinese Americans in the fields of opera and classical music are increasingly represented, with composers and librettists like Huang Ruo, David Henry Hwang, and Bright Sheng making huge waves. There are also top scholars like Joseph S.C. Lam, Peng Xu, and Nancy Yunhwa Rao, whose work is inspiring a new generation of musicologists. Composer Liang Lei’s current projects span the fields of academia, musical practice, and environmentalism (“Lei Lab” at the Qualcomm Institute: https://camlab.fas.harvard.edu/event/towards-a-new-shanshui-a-sonic-search-for-home/ ). There is also a growing number of scholars working on topics relating to Chinese Art Song in America (or in both the US and China), including Wen Zhang, Mei Zhong, Jingma Fan, Jaan-Ay Tyan, Bixiao Wang, Yiyan Ji, Xiaoming Tian, and many more. C100’s own Hao Jiang Tian has of course had a profound impact not only on the cross-pollination of Chinese and Western Art Song and opera, but through his intercultural work he has also greatly influenced the lives of many Chinese and American artists. However, increased access to resources and recognition is still a need, rendering C100’s push for more inclusive representation extremely vital. 

Committee of 100: What do you believe needs to be done so that more Chinese Americans feel empowered to follow and achieve their dreams? 

Phoebe: I understand from my Chinese American colleagues that empowerment can come from better representation and visibility. As highlighted in the Asianticity project (an NGL project spearheaded by our 2024 classmates) authentic representation needs to speak to the complexities of Chinese and Chinese American experiences. In the State of Chinese Americans Survey, 68% of respondents report experiencing discrimination regularly, and many feel that the narratives surrounding China-U.S. relations, often fueled by political rhetoric and media, contribute to this prejudice. So by increasing the focus on Chinese American achievements (in academia, the arts, tech, and a variety of industries) I hope these narratives can be turned around. As an ally, I strive to champion the work of my colleagues in both the U.S. and China. 

Committee of 100: How can your NGL community support you and your work? Do you have any recent or upcoming projects you’d like to highlight? 

Phoebe: While much of my work is offline here in China and may not be accessible to my U.S.-based peers, I would love to take this opportunity to highlight the work of my fellow NGL 2025 classmate, Professor Laura Huang. Her new book, “You Already Know,” was released last month and I am enjoying it so much! It’s such a useful guide for tuning into one’s intuition and inner wisdom, and in so doing it urges us to also tune into the needs of those around us, whether at work or in personal settings. I really recommend it.  

Committee of 100: For those who just recently graduated college or are early in their careers, what advice would you give to them? 

Phoebe: The most important advice I can give is to value the relationships you build along the way. I believe that peer and mentor connections can form the bedrock of an edifying career, and will sustain you through the challenges. Your professional trajectory will be shaped not just by your skills, but by the relationships you cultivate. I believe these personal connections to be among the most valuable gifts we will receive over the course of our lives.