Our History
Since 2016, Jiayuan Charity has hosted piano charity concerts, raising funds for the community. Combining a passion for the arts with a commitment to social welfare, Jiayuan Charity has built a legacy of harmony and generosity.
With renowned pianists captivating audiences year after year, these concerts serve as platforms for philanthropy. Proceeds are strategically allocated to support education, healthcare, poverty alleviation, and disaster relief efforts, uniting the power of music and compassion.
Jiayuan Charity’s history is marked by tremendous growth and support. Audiences flock to experience the captivating performances while local businesses and individuals rally behind the cause. Through their music and philanthropy, Jiayuan Charity continues to inspire and create positive change in the community.
Some Words From Previous Leaders
Alison Zi-Wei Yang, MD BMedSc AMusA
It is without doubt, that every child has been asked the all-too-familiar question: “What do you aspire to be in the future?”. As my mother frequently reminded me, the career pathways I wanted to pursue since childhood were ever-changing: at five, I announced I was to be a ballet teacher; when I was eight, my dream shifted to teaching and performing music; and as a teenager, an increasing interest in sciences led my heart to medicine. Perhaps ballet teacher was one step too far for me; however, as a currently practising doctor and piano teacher of eight years, I am humbled by the opportunity to pursue two of the three dreams from my childhood.
My journey with piano started later than others: at the age of nine I remember walking into my first piano lesson with Jiajia Yi, after my grandmother gifted me a second-hand piano for my birthday. Piano was my second instrument, having already played the violin for years, yet I fell in love with piano immediately. With Jiajia, piano was not simply just about technique and skill; she offered me the opportunity to explore and refine my musicality, allowing me to breathe life into the music I played. In her classroom, the foundation of my love for music was laid, and countless learning points she provided me still stand clear in my memory to this day.
Now, as a piano teacher, I find myself repeating the very words Jiajia spoke to me to my students. Watching my students develop an appreciation in music, become increasingly expressive and more musically literate are just a few of the reasons why I enjoy teaching so much. As a private student of Jiajia to now one of the many teachers at JiaYuan studios, I am proud to see JiaYuan studios blossom into what it is today, creating a centre for children of all ages to incorporate the beauty of classical music into their lives; the fruits of their labour made especially evident at the talent showcased in the 2022 JiaYuan Charity Concerts.
It is especially touching that, with the establishment of JiaYuan Charity, the children of JiaYuan not only can share their beautiful music and achievements with us, but also, their love of music can create a meaningful impact and share that love with others in need.
Jacqui Jiang, Doctor
I am writing to congratulate these students on their incredible efforts in organising this charity benefit concert. It’s inspiring to see young people taking initiative and working hard to support a worthy cause.
Year ago I was part of the first generation of students that was involved in this project. It takes hard work, dedication and creativity to bring a project like this to life. The skills the students learn through organising this concert – teamwork, communication, planning – will undoubtedly serve them well in their future careers, no matter what path they choose to take. I’m now working as a doctor – the skills I learned years ago when organising this concert are still relevant in my workplace!
The students should be incredibly proud for what they have accomplished so far. I hope they continue to pursue their passions, learn new skills and challenge themselves. Congratulations and best of luck!
Hausen Tan, Project manager
I was involved in Jiayuan Charity Group when it was just starting up. Back then, we were just a group of students with the only thing in common being that we all had the same piano teacher, Jiajia Yi. Little did we know how ambitious and generous Jiajia’s vision for her students were. She brought together a group of her students and called us the “Leaders”, and entrusted us to organize a music concert, where all the proceeds would be donated to charity. With this one idea, Jiajia both provided her students the opportunity to develop skills other than music, and to support a worthy cause. We were trusted with pretty much everything: from the logistics, design, marketing and communications, to even handling the ticket sales, budget, and accounting! It was also totally up to us who we wanted to donate to – I still remember how proud I felt when we made our first cheque to World Wide Hearing in 2016 to support better access to affordable hearing aids and services to disadvantaged children and youth. Then again in 2017 to Vision Australia Vision Australia, Australia’s largest provider of services for people with blindness and low vision. Now, I’m a Project Manager in the education space, but still fondly share about my background in music, and am always happy to hear about the latest initiative Jiayuan Charity Group is supporting as they continue to hold more and more charity concerts with new “Leaders” joining onboard to learn the ropes just like I once had. I’m so happy to see that Jiayuan Charity Group has officially been recognized as a charity itself, enabling it to make an even greater positive impact. Jiajia Yi chose to invest in the potential of her students and in a brighter future, and I’m certain that she will always continue to do so.
Lina Minjia Li, Piano Teacher
As a student who came to Jiayuan Studio in 2015, I never thought that I would eventually graduate from performance stream and undertake piano teaching as my professional career. Whilst studying with Jiajia, solid finger techniques and attention to tonal colour changes were only the basics, more importantly, Jiajia sparked my sense of musical curiosity and imagination.
Thus, exams never terminated my journey in the exploration of music. On one hand, Jiayuan studio provided many performing and competing opportunities for students to enjoy music and the spotlight. On the other hand, the studio is also teaching the children how to love, empathise and be grateful through charity works. Now, Jiayuan Charity Foundation, belonging to the children has officially established. Whilst giving back to the society, all the efforts and hard works our ‘leaders’ devote behind-scene will turn into valuable life experiences. Nevertheless, Jiayuan studio will continue to spread love through music.
