🎶 2025 Vancouver International Music Festival Gala Concert: An Afternoon of Music, Culture, and Community

🎶 2025 Vancouver International Music Festival Gala Concert: An Afternoon of Music, Culture, and Community

Vancouver, August 23, 2025 – The 2025 Vancouver International Music Festival (VIMF) concluded with a spectacular Gala Concert at the Vancouver Playhouse, bringing together world-class artists, young rising stars, community leaders, and dedicated supporters for an unforgettable evening of music and celebration.

The gala opened with warm remarks from CIAMS President Lynn Liu, who expressed heartfelt gratitude to the performers, teachers, parents, volunteers, and sponsors who made the festival possible. Deputy Mayor of City of Vancouver, Lenny Zhou followed, highlighting the importance of cultural exchange in Vancouver’s vibrant arts scene. Sean Bickerton, Director of the Canadian Music Centre BC, also addressed the audience, praising the festival’s role in showcasing Canadian talent alongside international artists.

🌟 Dazzling Performances

The Gala Concert showcased a rich and diverse program of solo performances across piano, strings, harp, flute, and traditional Chinese instruments, featuring both guest artists and outstanding young performers.

Program Highlights:

• Dr. Henri-Paul Sicsic, Piano – Arabesque (Robert Schumann)
• Emma Wong, Harp – Sonatina I from A Collection of Six Sonatinas (Jan Ladislav Dussek)
• Sophie Florence Deng, Violin – Praeludium and Allegro (Fritz Kreisler), accompanied by Charlotte Florence Deng
• Simone Chai, Piano – Rêverie du Soir (Sergei Lyapunov)
• Cherry Chen, Guzheng – Walker (行者) (Jun Wei), accompanied by Bruce Henczel
• Taeyeong Lym, Cello – Cello Concerto in D minor, 3rd Movement (Édouard Lalo), accompanied by Aida Lee
• Rachel Wang, Piano – Jeux d’eau (Maurice Ravel)

• Guest Artist Guilian Liu, Pipa – Dance of the Yi People (彝族舞曲) (Wang Huiran)

• Charlotte Florence Deng, Piano – Scherzo No. 2 in B-flat Minor, Op. 31 (Frédéric Chopin)
• Pingan Yang, Cello – Cello Concerto No. 1 in A minor, Op. 33 (Camille Saint-Saëns), accompanied by Sue Sim
• Dominic Yang, Piano – Allegro de Concierto, Op. 46 (Enrique Granados)
• Kaitlynn Leung, Harp – Nataliana (Deborah Henson-Conant)
• Tazzio Zhang, Flute – Airs Valaques (Franz Doppler), accompanied by William Ji
• Brian Sun, Piano – Ballade in G minor, Op. 23 (Frédéric Chopin)

🏅 Best Performers Awards Ceremony

A highlight of the evening was the Best Performers Awards Ceremony, where the festival’s top young musicians were recognized for their outstanding artistry and dedication. Trophies and certificates were presented by the festival’s Artists in Residence and Sponsors in the following order:

Best Performance of Piano Category: Simone Chai, Rachel Wang, Dominic Yang, Brian Sun

Best Performance of Cello Category: Pingan Yang, Taeyeong Lym

Best Performance of Violin Category: Sophie Florence Deng

Best Performance of Guzheng Category: Cherry Chen

Best Performance of Woodwind Category: Tazzio Zhang

Best Performance of Harp Category: Emma Wang, Kaitlynn Leung

Best Performance of a Canadian Composition: Brayden Chen, Renee Zhao, Hermione So

🏆 Honouring Sponsors

The festival also recognized the generous support of sponsors whose contributions made the 2025 VIMF possible. Awards were presented to:

Diamond Sponsor-Frobisher International Enterprise Ltd. Mr. Alan Wong, Marketing Director of Frobisher 

Gold Sponsor-Tom Lee Music, Ms. Iris Fan, General Manager of Tom Lee Music

Gold Sponsor-Phantom Creek Estates, Ms. Elsa Yu, Executive Director of Phantom Creek Estates 

Bronze Sponsor-Thunderbolt Sign, Mr. Terence Lam, CEO of Thunderbolt Sign

Special thanks were also extended to Top 1 Big Screen and Infinity Health & Cosmetics for their outstanding contributions.

Omni TV, CityTV, and Phoenix TV were also onsite to report on the event, bringing the celebration to an even wider audience.

🎵 A Festival of Connection

Over the course of the week-long festival (August 18–23, 2025), audiences experienced artist recitals, masterclasses, and student performances, highlighting both local talent and international artistry. The Gala Concert served as a grand finale, uniting the community in a shared celebration of music and cultural exchange.

With heartfelt performances, meaningful speeches, and the presentation of awards, the 2025 Vancouver International Music Festival Gala Concert reaffirmed the festival’s mission: bringing people together through the universal language of music.