Asian Heritage Month Concert 2025
“Promoting Inclusion and Unity: Being an Ally – Love makes us one” |
Date: May 8, 2025, 7pm
Venue: Innis Town Hall, University of Toronto, 2 Sussex Avenue, Toronto. Map
FREE ADMISSION | Please register here.
Artistic Directors: Professor Chan Ka Nin, Ms Alice Ping Yee Ho, Dr. Vania Chan
MC: Dr. Vania Chan
Photos by the Chinese Canadian Photographic Society of Toronto
Land Acknowledgement
Photo by Chinese Canadian Photographic Society of Toronto
Welcome speech
Mr. Justin Poy, Honourary Patron, Asian Heritage Month-CFACI
PROGRAMME
I. Excerpts from The Monkiest King
Scene 1 Birth Song and The Race
Composer: Alice Ping Yee Ho
Librettist: Marjorie Chan
The Canadian Children’s Opera Company
Conductor: Teri Dunn
Patty Chan, Erhu Wendy Zhao, pipa
Photo by Peter Lau / Mabel Au, Chinese Canadian Photographic Society of Toronto)
Photo by Peter Lau / Mabel Au, Chinese Canadian Photographic Society of Toronto)
The whole Asian Heritage Month Concert will be framed by Professor Chan Ka Nin’s piece “Once …”, written for Daegeum (Korean flute performed by Ji Yun Song), newly composed with the message Love Makes Us One. It provides the narrative structure for other performances to fit into.
WORLD PREMIERE | Once …
ONCE … is a three-movement work for solo Korean flute: I. “Little Bird..”. II. Go My Own Way. III. Curiosity. Having six grandchildren, composer Chan Ka Nin is reliving his own childhood by observing how they view the world through their eyes. “Little Bird…” is an imagined conversation between a child and a bird. “Go My Own Way” describes the amazing determination of a young mind. It is fascinating to see children full of curiosity, a quality an adult once had.
II. WORLD PREMIERE | Once…first movement “Little Bird” by CHAN Ka Nin
Jiyun Song, daegeum
This work is supported by grants from the Ontario Art Council, Toronto Arts Council, Art Council Korea, and Liquidsound
Photo by Chinese Canadian Photographic Society of Toronto
III. Guzheng and other instruments performance by Alice Gao and company
1) Lake one Cultural Association & Lyra Music
Blossom on a Moonlit River in Spring 春江花月夜
A timeless and poetic masterpiece of traditional Chinese music, this piece evokes the tranquil beauty of a moonlit river in spring. Flowing melodies and gentle harmonies reflect the elegance of blooming flowers, the shimmering water, and the quiet night sky. Deeply atmospheric, it invites listeners into a serene world of reflection and natural harmony.
Performers: Esther Zhu, Austin Zhu, Mikayla wen Chen, Brianna Wong, and Calliope Chu.
2) Bayin Ensemble
Performers：Amely Zhou (Erhu), Di Zhang (Yangqin), Annora Anqing Sui (Percussion) + two Guzheng
Galloping Horses
This energetic erhu piece vividly portrays the thrilling speed and strength of horses racing across the plains. With rapid bowing techniques and rhythmic precision, the music mimics the gallop and spirit of a cavalry charge, showcasing the erhu’s expressive power and virtuosity.
General’s Command
– Erhu, Yangqin, Percussion, 2 Guzheng
A bold and dramatic yangqin composition that captures the intensity of a battlefield and the authority of a commanding general. The piece paints a scene of military precision, courage, and strategic command through powerful strikes and dynamic passages.
IV. WORLD PREMIERE | “Love Makes Us One”
Text: Jodelyn Huang
Music: CHAN Ka Nin
Vania Chan, soprano, Adelyn Griffin, Baydon Griffin, Ryland Griffin, Charlie Karantjas, Naomi Karantjas, Theo Karantjas, actors, Alice Ho, piano
Text by Ms. Jodelyn Huang, Toronto Catholic District School Board using key phrases that were proven to work for youths and students to combat anti-Asian Racism:
- I am different, I am me and I have so much to share.
- Love has no limit. Love me for who I am.
- You are special, you are unique. You are enough. Aim for the stars.
- Children are precious gifts from God; in all shapes, sizes, color and form.
- Love brings color: black or white, yellow, or brown. Color red, our blood, makes us one.
V. WORLD PREMIERE | Once…, second movement “Go my own way”
Jiyun Song, daegeum
Photo by Chinese Canadian Photographic Society of Toronto
VI. Vocal Pieces
“听雨” (Listening to the Rain) by Zhao Yuan Ren
“教我如何不想他” (How can I not think of her?) by Zhao Yuan Ren
Duet “La ci darem la mano” from Mozart’s “Don Giovanni”
鴛鴦(Tea-coffee) by Hong Kong poet 也斯 Leung Ping Kwan (1949 – 2013) World Premiere
Music: Hippocrates Cheng; Chris Song, Poem Translator
Vania Chan, soprano Matthew Li, bass Alice Ho, piano
Photo by Peter Lau, CCPST
VII. Once…, third movement “Curiosity”
Jiyun Song, daegeum
VIII. Excerpts from The Art of Vanishing by Lynne Kutsukake
Lynne Kutsukake, author and reader
Music: Jiyun Song, Daegeum player & improviser
Photos: Tam Kam Chiu and Stephen Siu
IX. Ayame Kai Japanese Dance group
3 Japanese Dances under the direction of Susan Nikaido
- Aka Tonbo – Isla Miller, Emma Tingle and Kiyomi Yep
- Kojo – Mizuki Shimozato and Amaya Nakashima
- Kokoro Zake – Yiko Zhang and Olivia Yoshimoto
The National Anthem | O Canada
Music: Toronto Symphony Orchestra; Soprano: Dr. Vania Chan
O Canada sung in the Official languages, as well as in Mandarin Chinese, Japanese and Korean.
O Canada Official Poster with Lyrics
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Artistic Director | Chan Ka Nin
Twice winner of Juno Awards for Best Classical Composition, University of Toronto Professor CHAN Ka Nin’s works have been performed by ensembles and artists nationally and internationally. Among his recent works, his “Welcoming Spring” was premiered by the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra in January 2023. His second full-length opera, “Dragon’s Tale,” premiered during the Luminato Festival in June 2023.. In the same month, Chan’s trio, “Among Friends,” was presented by the Chamber Music Society at Lincoln Center in New York. His Harp Concerto was premiered by the Chamber Orchestra Hong Kong with harpist Teresa Suen-Campbell in April 2025. This work was recorded by Sinfonia Toronto and is set to be released in 2025.
Artistic Director | Alice Ping Yee Ho
Alice Ping Yee Ho is a distinguished Chinese Canadian composer renowned for her versatile and expansive body of work, she seamlessly blends genres including opera, orchestral, chamber music, dance, and theatre. Ho’s compositions are marked by their innovative approach, emotional depth, and striking originality, earning her numerous prestigious awards and accolades.
Among her many honors, Ho is the recipient of the 2024 Jules Léger Prize for New Chamber Music, the 2022 Symphony Nova Scotia Maria Anna Mozart Award, the 2022 Barlow Endowment Commissioning Award, the 2019 Johanna Metcalf Performing Arts Prize, and the 2013 Mavor Dora Moore Award for her opera The Lesson of Da Ji.
A two-time JUNO Award nominee, Ho has released 10 solo albums under her name. Her works have been performed by renowned ensembles and orchestras worldwide, including the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, the Finnish Lapland Chamber Orchestra, the Polish Radio Choir, the Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra, the National Taiwan Symphony, and the Luxembourg Sinfonietta.
Her cross-cultural operas, The Lesson of Da Ji, The Monkiest King, and Chinatown, transcend cultural boundaries and highlight her unique voice. Ho’s artistry continues to inspire and engage listeners, reflecting both her deep cultural roots and her universal appeal.
Website: www.alicepyho.com
Artistic Director | Vania Chan
Photo by Helen Tansey
Vania Lizbeth Chan is a versatile artist, active in the fields of vocal performance, academia and education. She enjoys collaborating with fellow artists to create new and exciting projects that inspire and educate a wide ranging audience.
A lyric coloratura soprano, Vania sings in a variety of styles, her voice described as “gently shimmering” by Opera News, NY. She made her Carnegie Hall debut, claiming first prize in the Barry Alexander International Competition, NY.
Vania received her PhD from York University, and her Master of Music from the Manhattan School of Music, New York.
Her doctoral dissertation explored the topics of Mindfulness and Self-Regulation. She continues to expand her research through her interview series “When Music Meets Mindfulness”, released on her YouTube channel – Vania Chan Music, and published in The WholeNote Magazine. She will present a lecture at the International Congress of Voice Teachers, coming up this summer.
Vania is grateful to continue working as co-artistic director with composers Ka Nin Chan and Alice Ho, organizing, hosting and performing in the annual Asian Heritage Month Concert in Toronto.
Her 2025/2026 performance season includes projects with Little Pear Garden Theatre, Soundstreams, and the Rezonance Baroque Ensemble.
Click here for Vania Chan’s complete bio.
Artists
Anna Gao
1. Lake one Cultural Association & Lyra Music
Lake one culture association promotes Chinese culture through a variety of cultural events, festivals, educational programs, and community activities. We strive to help overseas Chinese strengthen their connection to their heritage, while also encouraging dialogue and understanding across diverse communities.
Lyra Music is dedicated to promoting traditional Chinese music culture. With a strong focus on youth engagement, we actively introduce the beauty of Guoyue (traditional Chinese music), share the art of guzheng performance, and have nurtured a new generation of talented guzheng players in overseas communities
2. Bayin Ensemble
Dr. Di Zhang
Dr. Di Zhang is an improvisor, ethnomusicologist, composer, and a yangqin virtuoso active in Toronto’s music scene. She is especially interested in improvisation pedagogy, contemporary musicianship and composition, and ethnomusicology. Tours have led her to performances in Vancouver, Montreal, Regina, Prince Edward Island, Saskatoon, Macau, Mainland China, and Portugal. Her research thus far has revolved around the cultural study of the instruments, Chinese music notation, improvisation pedagogy, improvisation in both Chinese and Western music
B. A. Mus (Beijing Minzu University), MA, PhD (York University).
Amely Zhou
Amely Zhou is an erhu performer, a guzheng performer, a Chinese music specialist, an adjudicator and a conductor. Amely’s music has been featured on TVO, Fairchild TV and CNTV. Amely is currently the artistic director of the Canadian Chinese Orchestra. Under the baton of Amely Zhou, the orchestra has toured in China and performed at the Markham Theatre, the Sony Centre, and the Mississauga Living Art Centre. Amely Zhou’s diverse talents and dedication to promoting Chinese music and cultural exchange have made her a prominent figure in the Canadian music scene, leaving a lasting impact through her performances, leadership, and collaborations.
B.A. Mus, MA (York University).
Ayame Kai Japanese Dance group
Ayame, means “Iris”. Ayame Kai’s mandate is to promote awareness and respect of Japanese culture and to preserve a part of Japanese heritage through dance.
The group was founded by the late Barbara Nikaido and celebrated their 25th Anniversary in 2009. Today, they have a vibrant group of dancers ages 4 and up, with lessons held on Friday evenings at the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre in North York. The family-oriented environment fosters a love of odori dancing and life-long friendships.
Ayame-Kai performs at many annual events held at the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre, including Spring Festival in March and the Summer Festival held in July. The Club performs within the community and holds their annual recital for residents and guests at Momiji Health Care Society on Kingston Road in Scarborough. Ayame-Kai have also performed for such dignitaries as the Crown Prince and Princesses of Japan and the Counsel General of Japan. They are a family-oriented group that welcomes all to share in its activities.
Canadian Children’s Opera Company
Executive Director, Katherine Semcesen
Music Director, Teri Dunn
Head of Drama, Chelsea Woolley
Pianist – Principal Chorus, Claire Elise Harris
Since its founding nearly 57 years ago, the CCOC has grown from a single chorus to a company that comprises six ensembles, reaching hundreds of young people and their families annually through its year-long accessible training in music and drama, professional self-produced operas and performances, commissioning new operas for young voices, concerts and collaborations with other renowned artists and leading arts organizations in Canada, and outreach initiatives. The CCOC has performed with Art of Time Ensemble, Soundstreams, Tapestry Opera, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, and members of the CCOC appear regularly in the Canadian Opera Company’s productions, most recently in La Bohème and The Cunning Little Vixen.
While we are honoured to work with such esteemed professional institutions and artists, it is our own annual children’s opera productions that set us apart from all other children’s choirs and vocal ensembles in Canada. As the only permanent children’s opera company in Canada, the CCOC has commissioned over a dozen major operatic works for children by Canadian and international composers and librettists including Alice Ping Yee Ho, Marjorie Chan, Serouj Kradjian, Robertson Davies, Harry Somers, and Giancarlo Menotti. This spring, the CCOC presents its DORA-nominated opera, The Monkiest King composed by Alice Ping Yee Ho and libretto by Marjorie Chan at Harbourfront Centre Theatre, May 30 to June 1, 2025.
Learn more at canadianchildrensopera.com
Hippocrates Cheng
Dr. Hippocrates Cheng 鄭靖楠 is a composer, theorist, ethnomusicologist and multi-instrumentalist from Hong Kong. He is currently an assistant professor of music theory and an affiliated faculty of Asian and Asian American Studies at Binghamton University.
As a composer, he writes contemporary classical music, new music for Asian instruments, and Jazz. As a researcher, he researches the music of Hong Kong composer Doming Lam, East Asian and Southeast Asian music, piano rolls and player piano in early Jazz history and Braille music notation. He has given guest lectures, masterclasses and performances in the United States, Canada, Austria, Germany, China, Japan, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam.
In 2024 June, his Anti-Asian Hate chamber opera: “All of US” was premiered as the winning work commissioned by the Center for the Performing Arts in Carmel, Indiana. This summer, he will be in Vienna for a one-month research residency in the Arnold Schönberg Center, working on Schönberg’s notational style.
Chris Song, Poem Translator
Matthew Li | Bass
Possessing a “vibrant stage presence and a rich, commanding voice” (La Scena Musicale), bass Matthew Li recently completed his residency at the Atelier yrique de l’Opéra de Montréal. His operatic roles include Leporello, Masetto and Il Commendatore in Don Giovanni, Don Basilio in Il barbiere di Siviglia, Dulcamara in Elisir d’amore, Seneca in L’incoronazione di Poppea, Polyphemus in Acis and Galatea, Sarastro in Die Zauberflöte, and Colline in La Bohème. Concert highlights include the bass solos in Haydn’s Die Schöpfung, Handel’s Messiah, Dvořák’s Stabat Mater, and Mozart’s Requiem. An ardent collaborator with contemporaries, Li created the leading bass-baritone role of Xon Pon in Alice Ping Yee Ho and Madeleine Thien’s opera Chinatown (2022) with City Opera Vancouver in its world premiere, to critical acclaim.
The 2025-2026 season sees Li making a return to Opéra de Montréal to sing Masetto in Don Giovanni. He will also make his debut with Pacific Opera Victoria as Sciarrone in Tosca, with the Choeur Philharmonique et Choeur des Mélomanes as A Mandarin in Turandot, and with the Ottawa Choral Society, singing both the roles of Raphael and Adam in Haydn’s Die Schöpfung.
Jiyun Song
Jiyun Song is a daegeum Performer, improviser, and composer who explores new musical territories through continuous experimentation. Her work is driven by curiosity and a desire to question and expand traditional boundaries, leading to the development of her own distinctive sound and musical language. Since 2021, she has been based in Seoul while collaborating with contemporary artists across Paris, Berlin, and other cities around the world. Actively engaging in diverse scenes—from free improvisation and experimental music to performance art and international festivals—she seeks to create new dialogues between sound, space, and audience. Jiyun studied daegeum and Korean traditional music at the National High School of Korean Traditional Music and Seoul National University, earning both bachelor’s and master’s degrees. She was awarded First Prize in the Dong-A Korean Traditional Music Competition (2002) and the Grand Prize at the 21st Century Korean Music Project (2008). Continuing her studies in France, she became the first Korean artist to receive a Diplôme d’Études Musicales (D.E.M.) in Improvisation from CRR d’Aubervilliers (2018), and later completed a Master’s degree in Musical Creation and Improvisation at PSPBB (Pôle Supérieur Paris Boulogne-Billancourt) in 2021. Her recent works and projects include the ongoing concert series La trace, and Liquid Sound, where she is a featured artist in both Supercritical Fluid and the Improvised Music Series. She is also the founder and leader of MoIM-Meeting of Improvising Musicians, a platform fostering collaboration and creative exchange among improvising artists.
Photographers
Tam Kam Chiu
Photo by Tam Kam Chiu
Tam Kam Chiu (譚錦超) is a Chinese Canadian, born in Hong Kong. He has been the President of the Photographic Society of Hong Kong (PSHK), Salon Chairman of the Photographic Society of Hong Kong (PSHK), Liaison Officer of The International Federation of Photographic Art (FIAP) in Hong Kong as well a member of judged panels of the Hong Kong International Salons and of various photographic contests in Toronto.
He is currently the Honourary Advisor and the Chairman of Proficiency and Honourary Awards of the Canadian Chinese Photographic Society in Toronto.
Tam is a Fellow and Honourary Fellow of The Photographic Society of Hong Kong and an Honourary Fellow of the Chinese Canadian Photographic Society of Toronto. He is an Associate of the Royal Photographic Society of Great Britain (RPS) and has been awarded the International Federation of Photographic Art’s Excellency Service Award, along with many other awards.
In 2014, he was rated the top seventh photographer in the world, and the number one photographer in the North America by the Photographic Society of America.
A well-known photographer in artistic photojournalism photographs, his photographic works have been exhibited in Canada, China, Hong Kong, Macao and overseas. In 2003, he was invited to exhibit his flowers photos at the Toronto Botanical Garden. In 2007, the Canadian Foundation for Asian Culture (Central Ontario) invited Tam to exhibit his work at Metro Hall in Toronto.
Tam’s publications include: Tam, Tam, Tam Photographic Exhibition Album (1992), and Tam, Tam, Tam Photographic Exhibition Album (1994).
Stephen Siu
Photo by Stephen Siu
Mr. Siu, former Executive Director of the Chinese Cultural Centre of Greater Toronto, is currently the President of Yee Hong Community Wellness Foundation, one of the largest Chinese Canadian charities in Canada. He has served as advisor to several non-profit organizations including the Chinese Canadian Photographic Society, Ontario Cross-Cultural Music Society and the Canada-Hong Kong Library. He was presented with the Chinese Canadian Legend Award in 2009, the Arbor Award in 2010, the Canadian Senate 150 medal and the King Charles III Coronation Medal in recent years.
Writers
Jodelyn Huang
Jody Huang is a Community Relations Officer at the Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB) for more than 20 years. She is a passionate advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion and works closely with community partners, school administrators and officials to bring the voices, ideas, and culture of racialized communities in education such as in curriculum and policy development, and community engagement. Her board portfolio among others, includes Newcomer and Settlement Services, Asian Communities and Heritage, Visiting Educational Delegation and Filipino Advisory Committee.
Lynne Kutsukake
Lynne Kutsukake is a Japanese Canadian writer. Her debut novel, The Translation of Love (2016), won the Canada-Japan Literary Award and the Kobo Emerging Writer Prize for Literary Fiction. She studied modern Japanese literature and has translated a short story collection, Single Sickness and Other Stories, by Mizuko Masuda. For many years she worked as a Japanese Studies librarian at the University of Toronto. Her most recent novel, The Art of Vanishing, was published by Knopf Canada in 2024.
Event co-organizers: Asian Heritage Month—Canadian Foundation for Asian Culture (Central Ontario) Inc.; Toronto Public Library; Asian Institute at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, University of Toronto; Richard Charles Lee Canada Hong Kong Library, University of Toronto; Chinese Canadian Photography Society of Toronto; Social Services Network; Cambridge Food and Wine Society
Asian Heritage Month Festival is partially funded by the Government of Canada through the Department of Canadian Heritage and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. Asian Canadian Artists in Digital Age is funded by Canada Council for the Arts Digital Strategy Fund