Tina Nguyen-Lee has been the Music Director at Cantus Novus Music Academy since 2017. Tina grew up in the state of South Carolina in the United States and has loved music ever since she was a child. She began playing the piano at the age of five and sang her first solo at the age of six (an experience so nerve wracking that she still remembers it vividly!). After graduating magna cum laude with her BS degree in Music Education (Voice) in 2013, she went on to pursue a master's degree in Church Music (Voice and Composition) and recently graduated in May 2016. 

Tina has years of experience as a performer, both as a soloist and choir member. She has performed in multiple recitals, masterclasses, and large-scale productions. In 2012 and 2013, she was a voice finalist in Bob Jones University’s Annual Music Contests. She was a chorus member in Verdi's Il Trovatore (2012), Verdi's Requiem (2014), and Handel's Messiah (2014), as well as soprano soloist in Mozart's Missa Brevis with BJU's University Singers (2015). She was a member of the Chorale and Chamber Singers, BJU's two premiere choral organizations. In 2016, she joined the Rivertree Singers and Friends concert in a large-scale performance of Dan Forrest's new work, Jubilate Deo. 

An avid composer, Tina has written over 20 different musical works, ranging from simple instrumental or vocal pieces to more complex works for a large ensemble of performing forces. In 2016, her composition studies culminated in a 60-minute performance of a work for choir, orchestra, and soloists entitled Paradise Lost, Redemption Gained.

Tina also has experience as a music educator, both in the classroom and private studio. During her student teaching experience, she taught music to over 600 students in six different age groups. She has also given private voice lessons and conducted group voice classes for over sixty secondary and university students.

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For Tina, performing is a joy because it enables her to share in and communicate the beauty of music with others. And teaching is a joy because it gives her the opportunity to instill in her students a love for music, so that they, in turn, can continue the process of sharing and inspiring!