Another Beautiful Fall ... (updates 2020!)

My favorite season is approaching! 

I’m always invigorated with energy when autumn comes - the senses of change: in the temperature, in the smells, the movement and progress, the crunch of leaves, of time, purpose. A nerdy happiness to go back to school, an eager tummy for all pumpkin-related goodies, celebrations and feasts, lights and holiday decorations, and then snow … and cozy fireplaces …

So…! Before I go off to dreamy tangents land, here are some exciting updates and news for the coming year -

• I’m so looking forward to beginning a humbling and vastly inspiring adventure as a Global Leaders Program Cohort of 2021! The program has only started for a week, but already opening up so many provocative ideas and perspectives on what I, (messy dreamer), can possibly contribute tangibly and sustainably to impact the community in a way that is meaningful and unique to my personal artistic voice.

  • I’m aiming to put these aspirations into action during my fieldwork, which looks like it will be in collaboration with international partners in Chile! More details soon as I formulate my plan and take some Spanish lessons!

• I am starting my Doctorate at McGill!

  • continuing to research cute bouncy stuff, continuing to eat pastries across Montreal

• Oct 6 - 21: performing in a series of concerts back at the Lunenburg Academy of Music Performance for the Beethoven Festival!

  • 4 piano trios, 1 piano-duet, 2 violin sonatas, 1 “Tempest”

• Oct 17 - 18: TAG Duo

  • bringing to Montreal, finally as promised, our baby project “Song of Praise”, with special guests (poets and artists) and lanterns lighting up the outdoor gardens of Château St-Ambroise and Château Ramezay.

  • we are currently raising funds for this self-produced project, please help us bring this initiative to life!

• Together with Orpheus Classical Label and the talented Mie Hirschfield, I will be releasing my debut solo piano album, “Once Upon a Dream”, in May 2021!

  • This project features some of my favourite magical works (Beethoven, Prokofiev, Rachmaninoff, Wild, Copland) and brings alive the curious world of children’s fairytales using new systems of surround-sound recording.

• Solo recital "Once Upon a Dream" postponed to hopefully January 2021

• China Concert Tours is projected to happen later in 2021! (fingers-crossed)

And on non-music related notes (!) ~

• My photo-narrative, “E-mote”, will be published by the literary project “carte blanche” in Issue 39, “Anxiety”

• My sound-novel project, “The [blank] Journal”, is well under way!

  • one of the many blessings-in-disguise of the quarantine has been the time and space for me to explore other interests, particularly that of writing - I hope I will feel confident enough to share some of this very personal work soon~

Alright, that’s all (?) for now, I think! Looking forward to all the overwhelming joys, challenges, stress, passions, surprises to come!

Sincerely yours,

Tong