Ongoing Projects
Discover Tian's current endeavors in music, arts, writings, concert programs and piano workshops.
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01
Tian's Musical Voyages
Multi-media concert series
2020 - current
Tian's Musical Voyages is an ongoing multi-media concert series that invites audiences on thoughtfully curated musical journeys—each program built around a central theme, narrative story, or visual world. Through the integration of music, painting, poetry, photography, narration, and other artistic mediums, the series creates immersive experiences that transcend traditional concert formats.
I began this project in 2020 during the stillness of the pandemic. When physical journeys were not possible, I thought to open doorways into distant places, cultures, and imaginative lands with my audience. At the heart of this project is a belief that music transcends borders, that people across distance and difference can connect through shared sonic landscapes, thus each concert is a moment of collective journeying.
Past programs have included themes such as "Meandering in Nature," "Four Seasons of Music," "The Gardens of Van Gogh and Monet," "From Classical Era to Impressionism," "Songs from Foreign Lands," and more.
02
Interactive Piano Workshop
Reimagined, improvisatory space of learning
2019 - current
Interactive Piano Workshop is a pedagogical project I have initiated since 2019, rooted in the belief that learning flourishes through active engagement. Unlike traditional lecture-based or presentation-like formats, Interactive Piano Workshop invites participants to become co-creators of the experience: responding, questioning, practicing, and shaping the session in real time.
Each workshop is uniquely improvisational, evolving with the energy, curiosity, and perspectives of those present. Rather than offering fixed content, I guide discussions and activities that respond directly to the audience's contributions, encouraging critical thinking, reflective dialogue, and practical experimentation at the keyboard.
Whether exploring interpretive choices, technical challenges, or expressive possibilities, the central idea of the Interactive Piano Workshop is to empower learners not simply as recipients of knowledge, but as active navigators in shaping their learning journey. It creates an inclusive and shared space for participants to explore their own rhythms while drawing inspiration and encouragement from one another's insights.
03
ARIARTS Salon Series:
Conversations of Music and Beyond
2023 - current
ARIARTS (portmanteau of aria and arts) is an ongoing salon series that brings together multidisciplinary voices from across music and beyond. Each gathering centers on a unique topic, offering a space for open dialogue, creative exchange, and thoughtful reflection.
I lauched ARIARTS with the vision of cultivating a supportive and intellectually curious community for artists, thinkers, and makers to come together and share ideas. I've always believed that true inspiration often emerges when different disciplines meet, when people from diverse fields bring distinct perspectives that challenge, complement, and enrich one another: we share and we gain.
Since its inception, I have successfully hosted and curated over 20 salon gatherings. We have welcomed musicians, writers, photographers, scientists, sociologists, journalists, fashion designers, and more, each bringing a distinct lens to the conversation. Our community continues to grow.
*Gratefully received early-stage funding support from Luminarts.
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04
A Cliffside Tree
Poems in Musical Refraction
Includes the prose chapter “Remnants and Dandelions”
2025 - current
A Cliffside Tree upon the Sea is a personal collection of poetry and prose, written over the course of neearly a decade, gathering fleeting moments, passing thoughts, and their subtle significance in life. A dedicated prose chapter serves as a remembrance of the COVID years.
Each piece in this collection is intimately connected to music—either born from specific musical phrases, or from a lived moment that found its echo in sound. This work reflects the two intertwined paths that shape me: pianist and writer. For me, music captures the immediacy of a moment; words, once written, hold its trace. They are my anchors in this world, preserving what might otherwise fade.
The first seed was planted years ago during an evening piano practice. I was searching for the right acounstic for Schumann Fantasy's third movement, when I happened to glance up and saw a sunset through the window—a wash of pink-orange hue, endless and borderless. That's it, I thought. That's the sound of sunset. Years later, I still remember that moment, of which I'd had forgotten if not because of music. Of the countless sunsets that have ever graced this earth, that one sunset, it was mine.
I've come to believe that it is those fleeting moments that made us human. And the ability to recognize them, is a gift music has given me. It keeps me true to myself. This collection began as something private, like pages of a journal. But over time, gratitude gathered its own momentum. Music has deepened my world in ways I can never repay, so I offer this work in return, in the hope that others might glimpse a similar light through their windows.
*The manuscript in Chinese is completed and I am currently working on its English counterpart.
05
Music and Film
Explore the sonic language of cinema
2024 - 2025
Dive into the world of music through the lens of cinema, with twenty lectures featuring a curated list of films from various genres, directors, and composers.
As a musician and movie enthusiast, I am captivated by the interplay between visuals and sound - their ability to both complement and contrast one another. It's also a treasure hunt for hidden classical music gems within films!