"Someday" is now. "Once Upon a Pumpkin" Debut!

I did another thing.

I gave a lot of my heart and magic. So - love, imagination, passion, courage, dreams, … an invitation - to explore, connect, and discover life and art together.

Putting together this experience was such a challenge and privilege. To really think though the message I wanted to share and find the best way to express and facilitate that message, it took a lot of work - digging, crafting, fine tuning, I rewrote my script countless times and scraped so many ideas. But I had absolute belief, that it would be worth it. No matter how effective the result, how flat my intentions fall or how well they deliver, I believed in the journey. Just get to wherever I would end up, that’s plenty, that’s more than enough … because it’s never enough, the art and music is larger than us, it’s not something to control or perfect or own, so we accept and embrace what we are able to achieve, today, as we are now.

It was truly fun, the kind of pressure, the kind of excellence I strived to achieve and dare to aim for. I thrive with danger. I love the thrill of the unknown once I step on stage. I love working madly and then taking a leap of faith to enjoy the moment I finally get to live this journey afresh with fellow human beings. That’s the magic I want to bring each and every time to every individual I cross paths with.

So, once again, thank you.

My “someday” has finally come.

Thank you all for being part of this magic making. It’s a relationship. The energy goes both ways. I was touched by how warmly you all responded, with your attention, your curiosity, your engagement. Thank you for bringing art and music alive, to help me keep creating and telling stories. I hope to bring this kind of experience to more audiences, communities, to share and learn and grow together in whatever way I possibly can.

Next up, I’m planning to release the recordings digitally as a live concert album! So stay tuned :’)

Let’s magic again soon, all my beloved pumpkins <3

Azntinkerbell

The most simple and magical details are all around us all the time. Sometimes I’m also afraid of sounding too cheesy or sentimental, but I want to believe in magic.

I believe it’s important for us all to keep that inner child alive. To look at our fantastical world wide-eyed and curious. To remember that playful, silly, hopeful, brave, imaginative way of interacting with the world.
— Azntinkerbell
Tong Wang

Tong Wang is a Canadian artist leading innovative initiatives across areas of performance, research, and community engagement. Her projects explore the role of art in relation to identity, culture, and current social-political issues. As a soloist and chamber musician, Tong has performed with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, Red Deer Symphony Orchestra, and ensembles across North America and Europe. As a multidisciplinary artist, she has written the libretto of a new opera, “Labyrinth of Tears”, funded by the Canada Council, FRQSC, and SSHRC, participated in the Napoule Arts Foundation Residency in France, and published an award-winning photo-essay in the literary magazine Carte Blanche. Her other projects include the creative performances “Song of Praise”, “Ghiblilane”, “Once Upon a Pumpkin”, and research on the aesthetic of “cuteness” in popular and classical music. Tong recently toured a recital on multiculturalism, “我们Us” in Lunenburg, Montreal, Basel, and presented the interactive concerts “We’re Not Really Strangers” and “My Neighbours Totoro and Claude!” at the Verbier Festival. In 2022, Tong launched the Windwood Music Festival in Airdrie, Alberta to engage with and support rural farming communities through classical chamber music. In 2023, Tong will be touring with Duo Perdendosi across eastern US & Canada, as well as with Duo Incarnadine in Turkey and China to premiere a new commission by Alice Ho, Four Impressions of China. Using diverse mediums, Tong aims to share the power of art to reach across time, languages, borders, and cultures to connect people and kindle a shared understanding.

https://tong-wang.com
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Once Upon a Pumpkin: Live in Concert (broadcast/album release!)

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Update and thoughts on Pumpkin Magic (+Program Notes)