Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Yee-Sik Wong. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Yee-Sik with us today – welcome and maybe we can jump right into it with a question about one of your qualities that we most admire. How did you develop your work ethic? Where do you think you get it from?
I always have in mind of working towards my goals gives me work ethic. Also, I’m from Hong Kong, China—very competitive society. We all had to work very hard to get to what we want since we were little.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I am a ballet pianist. I accompany ballet classes (from little kids to professional dancers) on a daily basis. I began accompanying ballet classes in 2007 while attending the University of Iowa. After graduation, I joined Tulsa Ballet as a Company and Center for Dance Education pianist for 5 seasons. I moved to Kansas City in 2016 and joined Kansas City Ballet as a pianist. In 2015, in collaborations with different colleagues, I started recording and releasing CDs for ballet classes—currently selling/streaming internationally. I started releasing CDs because I saw the need for good quality ballet class music for many ballet schools (not many ballet schools have the budget to hire pianists to play live music), so I wanted to do something to contribute to the field. I have a total of 15 CDs now, entitled “Inside Ballet Studio.”
My goal is to keep contributing to the field of ballet accompanying and sharing my music with the ballet world. I am hoping to have at least an album or two released every year.
For me, the most exciting thing about being a ballet pianist is seeing how my music matches the movement of the dancers, and knowing there are dance teachers out there using my albums on a regular basis. I have a new album coming up next week—“Inside Ballet Studio Dance with Us Vol. 5.”
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Patience. Hard working. Very-organized. Always try your best, and don’t give up easily. There is always a solution to everything. Always go after your dream/ what you want, try not to let obstacles discourage you. Sometimes taking a little risk is necessary to success. If you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life!
What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?
Take a deep breath. Spend some time doing what you like/ your hobbies. Call or hang out with friends.
It is good to leave the things that are stressing you out for a little bit when you feel overwhelmed.
Having friends you trust is very important in life. Having friends that you can hang out outside of work is especially helpful.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://yeesikpiano.yolasite.com/
- Instagram: pianoyeesik
- Facebook: Yee-Sik Wong
