Lilly Tong

Lilly was born in Beijing, China, and began playing the piano at six.

She has always loved classical music and the piano, yet as a child, she, like many children, wrestled with the rigorous practice and exceptional discipline piano demanded. 

At 11, she immigrated to Toronto, Canada with her mother. This was decidedly the turning point in her life that plunged her into uncharted territory, as she had to navigate a new culture and grapple with a foreign language. Whenever she felt held back by her inability to speak English, or nostalgic of her childhood, she sought refuge and comfort in music, a universal language with no bounds to expression.

Soon after, she won first place Piano Sonata at the Kiwanis Music Festival. At 13, she gave her first public performance on stage – a captivating yet youthful interpretation of Beethoven’s Sonate Pathetique. At 16, at the culmination of ten years of piano studies, she received her ARCT performer’s diploma from the Royal Conservatory of Music of Canada.

Then came a long hiatus of thirteen years. Thanks to the piano at her grad school’s student lounge during her Master’s, she picked up the piano seriously again. This time, she returned to the piano with a renewed passion, and vowed to never let it go again. 

Today, Lilly is a classical piano performer with a purpose. She is eager share her passion for music with those who need it most, bringing classical music from grand concert halls to community spaces where music can connect, heal, and inspire. In Toronto, Lilly gave private concerts at the Belmont House and Delmanor and received critical acclaim.

Lilly currently lives in Lausanne, Switzerland.