Born and raised in China and educated in the United States, Stephen Chun-Tao Cheng received his Master of Arts degree and graduate Professional Diploma from Columbia University, and honors recognition from the graduate school of the Juilliard School of Music. He is an acclaimed singer, actor, composer, and teacher of voice. He has taught at New York University, the New School for Social Research, the Stella Adler Conservatory, the New York Open Center, the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, and Sarah Lawrence College. A frequent guest singer at the United Nations, Professor Cheng has appeared in concerts worldwide, bringing diverse cultures together through the arts.