About Gloria
My lifelong love affair with music began at the tender age of six, when I started learning to play the piano in my birthplace of Hong Kong. Since then, music has become an inseparable part of my personal, emotional, and professional life. I was first exposed to musical performances as a member of the Yip’s Children Choir in Hong Kong, and I had the privilege of performing with the choir in Japan, Taiwan, and Korea.
Upon immigrating to Canada, I pursued my passion for music by continuing my education in Vancouver and at the University of Lethbridge in Alberta, where I earned my Bachelor of Music degree with a specialization in piano performance. These formative years were marked by a notable achievement: I won first place in the classical piano open competition at the Kiwanis Festival in 2003.
In 2004, my music career began when I started working as a full-time music teacher at the Mozart School of Music. During this time, I also pursued further education in music therapy at Capilano College in Vancouver. Four years later, I accepted an expat position in Macau as a music specialist at Macau Anglican College, where I was able to reconnect with my childhood cultural heritage (since Macau is located just a short ferry ride from Hong Kong). This role expanded my exposure to various aspects of music, including forming and developing the school band and choir for both elementary and secondary schools, creating a music curriculum for kindergarten through grade 10, and leading performances at local music festivals, senior homes, community centers, and top-tier hotels. While in Macau, I completed my Master of Education at the University of Macau and obtained a Certificate of Teaching from the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music.
After returning to Canada, I worked as a teacher of early childhood music programs in preschools and local community centers. During this time, I also completed a Clinical Musician Diploma and Montessori and ECE diplomas in Vancouver.
Just as life is never always sunny, mine took an difficult turn. As if dealing with a failed marriage as a single mom was not challenging enough, I was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia in 2006. The pain and suffering of hospitalization and chemotherapy sessions were only overcome by my will to live and determination to see my son grow up. Thanks to a miraculous match and subsequent bone marrow donation from my beloved brother, I survived the ordeal and am well on my way to recovery.
Coming back from the edge has given me a new perspective on life. My time in the hospital also gave me first-hand experience of how music can alleviate pain and provide emotional support to those who are seriously or terminally ill.
After regaining my health and strength, I resumed my music career. In addition to offering private music lessons and performing at private events, I also conduct group lessons for people of all ages. This includes ukulele and choir group sessions tailored for seniors, as well as group piano and ukulele classes designed for children between the ages of three and five.
As a strong believer in giving back to the community, I have volunteered in various capacities for over ten years, including performing music at different venues and providing pet therapy. I also attend seminars to share my experience with cancer and inspire others.
Having been exposed to both Western and Oriental cultures, I had the opportunity to begin my music training with Western instruments such as the piano, harp, guitar, and ukulele. As time passed, my Oriental roots led me to explore other Oriental instruments such as the guqin, guzheng, liuqin, pipa, yueqin, zhongruan and Cantonese opera.
I am profoundly grateful to masters Guilian Liu (pipa), Ling Yang (guzheng), Min Lin (guqin), Geling Jiang (liuqin, yueqin and zhongruan) and Liza Kung (Cantonese opera) for opening the doors Oriental music. Through the patient guidance and encouragement of these masters, they not only honed my technical skills but also ignited a passion within me for these beautiful instruments. Their dedication has been instrumental in shaping my musical journey, and I am forever thankful for their mentorship.
Currently, I am introducing these Chinese instruments to young children and using them in music therapy for the sick. I am also a recent addition to the Azalea Chinese Music Ensemble under the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra School of Music, where I play the dizi (笛子), a Chinese bamboo flute.