Composer and pianist, Wendy Yau Sum Cheung.mayowill/Supplied
The organizer: Wendy Yau Sum Cheung
The pitch: Raising around $200,000
The cause: Programs that support men’s mental health
As a child growing up in Vancouver, Wendy Yau Sum Cheung watched her father struggle with insomnia, depression and anxiety.
She was born in Hong Kong but moved to Canada with her family at the age of three, fleeing the aftermath of the Vietnam war.
“He wasn’t really there for me, although physically he was, but mentally he wasn’t,” Ms. Cheung recalled from Vancouver. “I grew up feeling a lot of loss; loss of love and connection with my dad.”
With support from her mother, Ms. Cheung found an outlet in music which became her passion. She started piano lessons at the age of five and wrote songs as a teenager. She graduated from the University of British Columbia with a degree in music composition and headed to Asia where she wrote several hit songs for various artists. After returning to Vancouver, she continued writing songs and collaborated on film, theatre and commercial projects. She’s also written a book about her life experiences and launched a real estate business.
Given the challenges in her upbringing, Ms. Cheung has been an active supporter of charities involved with mental health.
“I am a lifelong learner of how to become a better person, to be aware of my mindset, and motivate others and myself,” she said.
Ms. Cheung has organized a unique concert on Nov. 29 in Vancouver’s Orpheum Theatre called SENSES. Accompanied by the Vancouver Metropolitan Orchestra, the program will blend world-class film music, with breath work, visuals and food. Audience members will also be given a notebook where they can write their thoughts and express themselves while they listen to the music.
Proceeds from the event will go to HeadsUpGuys, a B.C.-based non-profit that offers a range of men’s mental health resources, and Ms. Cheung is hoping to raise up to $200,000.
“It feels like I’m really helping move the needle a little bit,” Ms. Cheung said of the concert. “It’s a really positive feeling, and I hope that more people will do the same in their own life.”