In 2004, Ms. Yang and her partner made the challenging but humbling decision to build a new life in Canada. It was during this transition when Ms. Yang formally introduced her then five-year-old son Tony to piano. Though undistinguished at first, Tony quickly began to exhibit sparks of talent in his early studies that would soon change the course of their lives.

For the first four years of Tony's musical upbringing, Ms. Yang was his sole guidance. He quickly progressed through the standard repertoire books, finishing Grade 10 shortly after his ninth birthday. From then on, the story of Tony and his family has been one of perseverance and grit.

Weeks before Tony's thirteenth birthday, his father David made the difficult decision to step down from work to accompany Tony full-time in his academic and musical studies. Soon after, Tony applied to compete in his first-ever international piano competition, the Gina Bachauer in Salt Lake City, eventually winning the silver medal.

David would drive Tony to and from school every day — on weekdays to academic school, and on weekends to the Royal Conservatory of Music in downtown Toronto, where Tony was a full-scholarship student at the prestigious Phil and Eli Taylor Performance Academy. In the remaining hours, David would make sure that Tony was getting in the hours and the focus necessary for piano practice (all while being well-fed too, of course!).

As the years went by, Tony and David began to travel more and more for lessons, master classes, and competitions. Meanwhile, Ms. Yang continued her march as the sole breadwinner of the family, steadily growing her private studio in Toronto. In Tony's junior year of high school the family found themselves at a crossroads when Tony was accepted to the Juilliard Pre-College Division on a full scholarship. While the offer was irresistibly tempting, the reality was that the family did not have the resources to move to New York City at the time.

With their eyes on the prize, Tony and David made the 10-hour journey to New York City and back every weekend of that year. Some weeks, the pair would find themselves on a crowded overnight Greyhound bus; other weeks, David would drive overnight while Tony was doing homework or sleeping. Back in Toronto, Ms. Yang was working harder than ever to help sustain her son’s educational endeavours.

Eight years later, education remains at the centre of the family's hearts. With such a rich array of experiences to share, Tony, Ms. Yang, and David are determined to inspire a new generation of talent.

In 2020, the Yike Academy of Music was launched with precisely this mission in mind.

Since his success as the youngest-ever laureate of the Chopin Competition in 2015, Tony has had the honour of performing and teaching in nearly 30 countries — all while simultaneously pursuing a Harvard degree in economics.

He has been of service to universities and higher institutions across China, most recently as Music Consultant to the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen.

He has been of service to young musicians, making an effort to connect with them wherever he performs. Following his July 2021 recital at the Academy of Music, he spent two weeks teaching a master class for Steinway Vancouver to over 80 aspiring pianists.

He has been of service to charities and non-profit organizations, recently engaging with active prisoners in Lithuania through musical performance and dialogue through the Looking at the Stars Foundation (https://www.lookingatthestars.org).

And this is only the beginning! Through their years of experience and expertise, Ms. Yang, Tony, and the other faculty at the Yike Academy of Music aim to provide the most fulfilling, well-rounded, and transformative classical music education to anyone eager to learn, whether they are children just starting out, hopefuls trying to pursue music for life, or hobbyists passionate about classical music.

So please consider joining us in our mission to make learning classical music fun, relatable, and worthwhile. Let us master the keys to success together!