In the world of contemporary classical music, it takes confidence to launch your seasonal programme with an 18-year-old performer, and no hint of the repertoire. But Ryan Wang’s opening concert for the 2026 Bold Tendencies (BT) season filled every one of the 300 or so plastic bucket seats clustered around a gleaming Steinway grand.
I watched a video online recently of a three-year-old girl being quizzed with questions about her mom (adorable). It was a Mother’s Day video set up by her father who was speaking just out of frame. Some of the questions were answered with precision. "What's your mom's name?" was met with her mother's actual name. When the stakes rose and it came time for her middle and last name, the answers provided were "mommy" and "mom", respectively.
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