Read Our Interview here on Voyage STL
Read ZYI’S Interview here on Bold Journey
READ JENNY’S INTERVIEW HERE ON BOLD JOURNEY
Our entertainment Activities repair our soul. however, there are not enough positive opportunities, support Groups, and network interactions that enable everyone to have a safe place to express and recover. We are here to Influence change and build our community in stl.
WatcH Our Interview with All Things Local STL
Watch This 2021 STL community music video project
The MISSION
The mission of Zyi Li Music and Entertainment LLC (ZME) is to improve music and entertainment in STL. This is an all-inclusive community entertainment organization that provides opportunities for others, networks and connects entertainers, forms new and innovative groups that are also for hire, creates next level events for the community both free and paid (these events mix entertainment activities, cross genres, and utilize new technology), and produces, influences, and encourages greater entertainment for everyone to enjoy in the community.
Overall, we ask for your help and support in making music and entertainment better in our own backyard. You can do this by participating in events, attending shows, donating, joining us, recommending people, services, and venues, sharing events and social media posts, and giving professional and constructive feedback.
Thank you for taking the time to learn about the cause! We hope to meet and see you soon. Feel free to contact us via email at zyilistl@gmail.com.
Jenny Wu’s Story (Co-founder and General manager)
I started my journey with music at age 3 in Kao-Hsiung, Taiwan, and received professional level training in both piano and violin throughout my youth. I started competing with the violin at age 7. During my childhood, I moved to Los Angeles, California and Denver, Colorado.
Between the ages of 13 to 16, I went on 6 rock and jazz concert tours in Taiwan with acclaimed musicians of Asia. I graduated with a Bachelor of Music in violin performance from the University of Colorado, Boulder. I eventually moved to Maryland to obtain a Masters and Doctorate degree in Violin Performance (D.M.A.) at the University of Maryland, College Park. As a classical musician, I won numerous national competitions and performed throughout the United States, Canada, and Asia. I have also made numerous recordings in all genres of music, to include for Grammy award winning artists.
Throughout the years, I studied and played with many prestigious teachers and professional musicians: Dr. William Starr (Founder, Suzuki Association of the Americas), Dr. Gerald Fischbach (Author, Viva Vibrato! & Artistry in Strings), Oswald Lehnert (University of Colorado, Boulder), and members of the Takacs Quartet (Grammy Award Winner), Guarneri Quartet, Cavani Quartet, Borodin Quartet, and Cleveland Quartet. I also received master classes from Yo-Yo Ma, Izhak Perlman, Dorothy Delay, Jonathan Carney, and Hilary Hahn.
In recent years, I became a Director and General Manager for Kushner Entertainment’s PopCulture Strings, Productions Coordinator for Kushner Entertainment company, and Entertainment Designer for Kushner Entertainment company and Washington Talent Agency. I would also direct, manage, orchestrate, and coordinate music for Kindred The Family Soul.
I am passionate about people. My goal in life is to create memories with the people I love, for the people I love, and for all that they love. In motto, "I want to live for other people, so that when I ultimately leave this earth, my stories live on."
Zyi Li’s (郑奕李) Story (Co-founder and organizer)
I go by Zyi Li (pronounced “Z Lee”). This is a mix of my given Chinese (I speak Mandarin Chinese) and family names (Zheng & Li). My given English name is Andrew. I was born and raised in STL. I started playing the saxophone around the age of 5 after telling my parents about a picture of a bear playing a saxophone at a park. My private teacher was the band director at my mother’s school that she taught in St. Louis City Public Schools and he was formerly a saxophonist for Ray Charles (I currently play Mr. Allen Merry’s personal saxophones). I would grow up with music as part of my life. With my private teacher, I would play in various ensembles in my youth around the city of STL. During high school, I created startup groups in various activities as dance (Aerofluct Creed). Upon graduating from Parkway North High School, I enlisted in the United States Marine Corps as a saxophonist musician and was stationed at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. During that time, I would play in various band and small ensemble settings, perform various styles, travel around performing for many events, and create my own bands. I would obtain my Bachelor’s in Business Administration Degree from Campbell University while attending mixed night and online courses on base.
After my about 4-year enlistment and after obtaining the rank of Sergeant, I returned to STL to attend law school at Washington University in St. Louis and started a start-up social venture to expand people’s life experiences (Patch Life Utilities). After graduating law school with a J.D., passing the Missouri bar examination, and obtaining a M.B.A. from Webster University, I eventually moved to Washington D.C. for a new job working for the federal government. While in D.C., I performed in various bands ranging from original music groups playing in bars to high-end agency bands playing for large weddings. I also began writing and producing my own original music. I then decided to move back to my hometown, the great city of St. Louis, to be closer to family and old friends.
Zyi Li’s Thoughts -
The Problem and DRIVE
St. Louis, Missouri (and the surrounding area), is a great city with great people. However, not many people outside of St. Louis say that they would want to come travel to STL. Besides the Arch, our crime rate, and maybe a couple sports teams, the rest of the world does not know much about STL or have interest in visiting, except for maybe family and school.
Our young adults and those making headway in entertainment seem to want to leave (either no opportunities, no money, or no support given with the various “clicks” in groups), I hear people in the city say there is not much to do or there is more of the same (especially if not wealthy), big shows and events come from other cities to perform here (where is STL’s big names of today?), we want to travel to other cities to see performances and get that vacation feel, kids are not as interested in the creative arts and therefore get into trouble or waste time on other things (not enough good examples or opportunities for them that channel growth), and the community network seems to just be a lot of small, try-hard, out for themselves, non-responsive, money only, only “when I have time”, impenetrable circles. With all that said, it’s not like we do not have the manpower, the talent, the resources, the property, or interest to build that go-to city, creating must-see talents, and building an infrastructure to influence positive growth in the creative arts for all ages and funnel them to greater success.
Apart from penetrating the entertainment scene as a new artist with getting in contact with resources, venues, and events to perform and getting noticed by the community, there also does not appear to be a general overall “umbrella” organization that provides affordable, or even free, advice to point artists in the right direction, set them up for success, and guides/mentors them in avenues not often considered by upcoming artists (to include legal, business, etiquette/mannerisms, networking/communication, marketing, and financial aspects of running what is essentially a business). They may be out there, but they seem to only tailor to specific genres/classes of people, granted that they even respond. Matters as photography/videography for promotion, uploading music and general music theory, social media and hashtag usage, website design and SEO optimization, opening a company to reduce liability with a goal oriented step-by-step business plan, contracts/copyrights and trademarks, correspondence and talking in a B2B and B2C world, and obtaining the most value for their project and self-worth are examples of things that cause roadblocks or hinder progress unless they are setup in the right environment, with the right counseling, and the right resources.
There is also a feeling of frustration from all sides. Apart from the above, this may also stem from lack of respect and basic courtesies in the industry (treating others how you want to be treated, punctuality, and keeping your word). This may also stem from lack of unified diversity in the industry and socio-economic differences. All in all, we just need to do it more as a community and see the potential of supporting better music and entertainment (creating jobs by attracting people here, giving children and those lost more and better outlets in being active and creative, and create better community unity because these activities of music and entertainment do not discriminate and bring people together).
Zyi li’s Reflection - The Inspiration
As I get older and experience difficult events in my life, I realize how these hobbies of ours help repair our soul. Whether it is family issues, a loss, or some emotional event, that one song, that show, that positive thing we enjoy doing is something we turn to in our recovery. But at times, what is currently available in the world is not what we need to fill what it is we are trying to seek. People troll others, people are denied opportunities, people get made fun of, events are not available, things are produced only to make money and loses genuine emotion, and opportunities are only available to the elites, certain clicks, and disconnected across regions. This hurts people and overall creativity. The sense of community is lost. Furthermore, in a world growing more socially isolated and segregated with technology and social media, you never know what positive interaction can do for someone. We are who we are by our experiences and influences. However, not everyone has all the certain opportunities and exposures that allows for their growth and full potential. Especially for upcoming generations, certain interests are phasing out and certain opportunities or areas are not available anymore or emphasized. For myself, many people and experiences have shaped me into who I am today. But that is only because I had the opportunities afforded to me which were then readily available at the time. Not everyone has this and life has a way of putting dreams on hold. With all that said, I find there needs new positive energy creating something better for a city that has given me a foundation to do so.
Overall, given my entrepreneurial spirit, education, and unique background, I want to take what I learned in my past and do something positive for the community. Therefore, I picked an area I am passionate and skilled at. I like playing and making music. However, I also had phases of dancing, gaming, video production, art, magic, and other entertainment hobbies in my youth. I have come across shows that incorporated such various hobbies together and thought I could make something like that; something that was more elaborate and entertaining. However, I have experienced how difficult it is for normal people, “weekend warriors” so they may be called, to have opportunities to perform, connect, and have unique experiences. So since I have the basic knowledge, experience, skill, support, and time, I decided to create Zyi Li Music and Entertainment LLC to help others and the community in their artistic journey.
The End Goal
The immediate goal is to create new community events, build various unique groups, and create positive networks. In doing so, we hope to influence a higher caliber and quality in entertainment, both professionally on and off the stage, while ensuring artists and entertainers are properly valued and treated with respect. Over time, we hope to create larger shows (performances, musicals, concerts, benefit concerts, and talent shows) while mixing groups and genres and showcasing local talent. In the end, we would like to create a large commercial property venture that puts STL on the map for music and entertainment. This is a place where we can constantly host one of a kind events (conventions, world record attempts, flash mobs, etc.), have shows and performances, allow and highlight street performing and busking like a large night market, have unique activities to do (arts, crafts, carnival games, ax-throwing, etc.) across diverse cultures, opportunities to learn and educate, have local eateries and drinks, have competitions, and have good local and family friendly fun for all people and walks of life. We all want to go to other cities to see things, experience things, and get famous. Let’s make that here in STL!
THE LOGO
The logo, called the Zyi Li Star (which is why our members are called Stars), is a compiled symbol for Zyi’s Chinese and family names. The symbolism to the design is that there are many crossroads in life that pull us away, and other roads with dreams that get stopped. As such, your life can become split with who you are and who you would like to be. However, at the center intersection is your heart and soul. Listen to them, and they will guide you in the right direction. Therefore, by having this symbol on you, it means you follow and support your heart and soul. Furthermore, you also support our core mission of making music and entertainment better for all in STL.
