Classical pianist hits new notes online and onstage

Tony Ann's music journey began at 11 years old when his schoolteacher showed his class a documentary about German composer Beethoven and his life. That inspired the boy who was born in Beijing and had moved to Toronto, Canada, with his family when he was 6 years old.

Watching Beethoven grapple with gradual hearing loss and how he communicated his struggles and suffering through his music resonated with Ann and made him want to write music.

Ann asked his parents for piano lessons not because he was particularly interested in the instrument but because he wanted to use it as a tool to write songs.

Classically trained, the pianist studied at two music schools in the United States — Berklee College of Music for composition and production and the Cleveland Institute of Music, where he studied classical piano. However, he is part of a rising number of global young musicians with classical training who also possess modern sensibilities that appeal to the masses and see social media as a tool to get their talent noticed.

The pianist was 14 when he started his YouTube channel and uploaded short clips of his live performances and piano covers of popular pop songs.

His most popular content series"#PlayThatWord" was launched in 2023. In the series, he writes the 26 letters of the alphabet on his keyboard, with one letter on each key. Then he asks his followers to suggest a word for him to play and composes a piece based on that word.

This year, Ann completed his first European tour and is touring worldwide until early 2025. On Sept 4, he made his debut at Beijing's Blue Note as part of his ongoing world tour, where the pianist also played the game with the audience. Ann also performed in Shanghai on Sept 5.

Ann notes that the show in Beijing was special to him because it's the city where he was born.

"I really enjoyed the concert and talking with the fans. Speaking Mandarin onstage was a first for me and definitely a highlight," he says.

During an interview that day, the pianist says that the idea for "#Play-ThatWord" came from his father, who suggested he do a video for International Pi Day on March 14, dedicated to the famous mathematical constant.

"I had the idea to write out the numbers on the piano keys and create a melody using the digits of Pi (3.14…). After that, I moved on to the alphabet and the series took off from there," says Ann, who has more than 6 million followers on social media.

"Classical music has made a huge impact on me. It shaped a lot of my techniques and my musical thinking. I try to be as authentic and original as possible online — whether it's in the way I caption, message or interact during livestreams," he says. "Being genuine is really important to me. My fans inspire me with their messages and stories, especially during concerts.

"I think the key to grabbing attention online is presenting content that's both familiar and unique, something that resonates but also sparks curiosity," he adds.

During the shows in Beijing and Shanghai, he performed his original pieces in the trilogy of EPs released last year under Decca Records: Emotionally Blue, Emotionally Red and Emotionally Orange, which were created in a similar way to Lost, Time, Anxiety, and Love — exploring diverse human emotions.

Ann often takes his keyboard to landmarks and natural scenes around the world. During his trip to China last month, he played it on the Great Wall in Beijing, filmed himself playing at the historic landmark and shared the videos online.

Besides landmarks, the pianist often performs in public spaces, such as airports. Whether it be the setting or the people watching, he becomes inspired by the locations.

Now, he is working on a project titled 360° where he creates a song for each star sign. The 12-song album focuses on the 12 horoscope signs with themes relating the emotions and personalities of each star sign set to music.

"I've tried to make each piece unique, reflecting the distinct qualities of each sign. All 12 pieces are finished and will be released during the corresponding zodiac months. The full project will be out by February next year," he says.

chennan@chinadaily.com.cn