Meet the judges

We'd like to introduce you to the judges, who will be chosing the top six finalists in both the student and teacher categories.

Ying-ying Shih

Ying-ying Shih

Singing Sensation and Star Power Specialist

Ying-ying has worked on various language and music-related projects, won championships in several singing competitions, and appeared in numerous musicals and concerts in Taiwan.

Tim Nagaoka

Makoto Takenaka

Jazz Pianist and Music Aficionado

Jazz piano player and composer, Makoto's repertoire includes over 1000 standard jazz tunes, pops, classical tunes, and folk songs.

Tim Nagaoka

Timothy Nagaoka

Japanese Language & Culture Expert

Tim grew up in Kobe, Japan, and is currently a Japanese language teacher in the Boston Public School system.