A native Houstonian, graduate of HSPVA, and former Miss Chinatown Houston, Francine Di (狄子楓) double-majored in music and English at Rice University and earned her Master of Music from the University of Florida. Trained in classical piano from the age of 12, she has since explored jazz, pop, and the folk music of Asia and Brazil, performing with the Rice Jazz Band, Jacaré Brazil, and the Houston Chinese Orchestra (休士顿民乐团). As a vocalist, Francine placed as a finalist in various competitions.

In 2013, she received a Houston Arts Alliance grant to present a concert by Eastern Echo (东方回声), a contemporary Asian folk music ensemble of which she is a founding member. Francine’s community involvement includes the Houston Asian American Pacific Islander Film Festival, OCA, the Rice University Community of Asian Alumni (past president), Voices Breaking Boundaries, and the Brazilian Arts Foundation. She also authored an essay in Asian American X, published by the University of Michigan Press in 2004. www.francinedi.com