Shows
This is the Legend Of...SHE ALMOST GAVE UP PIANO FOR MED SCHOOL! | Ep. 30: This is the Legend Of Anastasia VorotnayaShe almost gave up a piano performing career for med school. Instead, she persisted and won 3rd prize at the Canadian Grand Slam of piano, the 2025 Honens International Piano Competition. This is the Legend of Anastasia Vorotnaya. From studying at the Moscow State Conservatory at age 8, to winning her first international piano competition at age 15, to moving to Madrid at age 17 with no initial fluency of Spanish, Anastasia honed in on her pianistic performance in a life and career of triumphs and trials. Join Amos Vang and Anastasia Vorotnaya as Anastasia “Hones In on Honens”, describes musicality, and the most...
2026-01-311h 40
This is the Legend Of...VICTORIA WONG Returns from the 2025 CHOPIN COMPETITION | Ep. 29 This is the Legend Of Victoria WongShe just competed at the 2025 International Chopin Competition.She is also one of Canada’s Top 30 Under 30 Classical Musicians.Meet Victoria Wong, a Canadian classical pianist that is also a prize winner of the Canadian Chopin Competition, Mozarteum Festival Competition, Lancaster International Piano Competition, and Canadian Music Competition.Amos Vang and Victoria Wong discuss Victoria’s Road to Warsaw, both in 2021 and in 2025, as well as her preparation for the Olympics of Piano and the evolution of her musicality. Victoria also describes her life story, including her early experiences learning piano with Dan Zhaoyi in China and with the Tayl...
2026-01-021h 44
This is the Legend Of...THE DEEPEST VOICE IN THE WORLD?! | Ep. 28 This is the Legend of Eric HollawayHe first sang in his church’s children choir. Then, he sang in the U.S. Army. Then he was discovered for having the deepesthuman vocal range, the basso profondo. He did not even have his first singing lesson until he was 25 years old! Oktavists are vocalists who sing in the basso profondo range. Oktavists are EXTREMELY rare: at one point, there were only 12 in the entire world! He is one of them. Meet Eric Hollaway, aka thatbassvoice, an oktavist, YouTuber with over 726,000 subscribers, and voice actor whose has been featured in nume...
2025-12-051h 42
This is the Legend Of...ATHENA DENG RETURNS from the CHOPIN Competition! Ep. 27She just competed at the Olympics of Piano, the 2025 International Chopin Competition. Athena Deng returns to the show to share her experiences!Join Amos Vang and Athena Deng as they revisit Athena’s Road to Warsaw, from her performance at the preliminaries to her 1st round performance, as well as her preparation and mindset going into and after the Competition. Athena also shares the most important lessons that she learned from this experience, and the unique emotions she experienced from performing on the greatest stage of piano.See Athena's first appearance on the show: https://ww...
2025-11-211h 25
This is the Legend Of...He's a JUNO AWARD NOMINEE! | Ep. 26: This is the Legend Of Iman HabibiHe almost got kicked out of school in Iran for playing piano. Then, he and his family fled Iran because of war. After years of tribulation and difficulties, he would become a world-renowned, award-winning composer, with a JUNO Award nomination in 2024.This is the legend of Iman Habibi, an Iranian-Canadian composer who served as the commissioned composer for the recently concluded 2025 Honens International Piano Competition. Even though Honens has concluded, it’s still a great time to hone in on Iman’s career and newest composition, “Fracture”. Join Amos Vang and Iman Habibi as they discuss the unique experiences and chal...
2025-11-071h 36
This is the Legend Of...Meet the CEO and President of Honens | Ep. 25: This is the Legend Of Amanda SmithThe semi-finals of the 2025 Honens International Piano Competition begins tomorrow, and as we hone in on the competition, it's time to get the organizational and professional perspectives on the success of Honens!Meet Amanda Smith, CEO and President of Honens! Join Amos Vang as he features Amanda's career and pathway to Honens, along with behind-the-scenes organizational elements of the competition and festival, Honens's unique perspective on musicality and artistry, and the ways in which you can enjoy Honens this year!Honens's competition website: https://www.honens.com/competition/ Tomorrow by Scott Buckley – released un...
2025-10-151h 07
This is the Legend Of...HE SHOWED HIS BRAIN ON MUSIC | Ep. 24 - This is the Legend Of Nicolas NamoradzeThe finest instrument is the mind. He showed exactly why, by recording his own brain on music! Meet Nicolas Namoradze (known as “Nico” to friends and colleagues), a pianist, award-winning neuroscientist, and 1st prize winner of the 2018 Honens International Piano Competition. In this episode of This is the Legend Of…, Amos features Nicolas’s unique career, pathway to Honens, and fascinating research after Honens. His most recent research, the “Neurorecital”, records the neural activity of a musician’s brain while the musician is performing music. Nicolas just debuted the “Neurorecital” at the world-renowned Verbier Festival in Switzerland, and by using the Univ...
2025-09-261h 51
This is the Legend Of...At age 21, he won HONENS | Ep. 23: This is the Legend of Illia OvcharenkoIn 2022, at age 21, he became the first Ukrainian pianist and the youngest person to win Honens, aka Canada’s Grand Slam of international piano competitions, in the most cathartic year of recent history.But it almost did not happen.This is the Legend of Illia Ovcharenko.Join Amos Vang as he features the legendary path of Illia Ovcharenko’s piano career, Ukraine’s rich music traditions, Ukraine’s strong educational foundations in music and culture, Illia’s path to winning the Busoni International Piano Competition and the Honens International Piano Competition, and the impact that all of Illia’s cultural inf...
2025-08-291h 24
This is the Legend Of...He won the Leeds International Piano Competition - Ep. 22: This is the Legend Of Jon Kimura ParkerIn 1984, he was the first Canadian to win the LeedsInternational Piano Competition. That same year, he performed for Queen Elizabeth II.8 years later, he judged the inaugural edition of the Honens International Piano Competition, Canada’s Grand Slam of international piano competitions.Meet Jon Kimura Parker (known as “Jackie” to friends new and old), an award-winning pianist who also serves as the Artistic Director of Honens.In this episode, Jackie and Amos discuss Jackie’s trailblazing career throughout Juilliard, throughout the 1984 Leeds Competition, Britain’s Grand Slam of international piano competitions, and beyond.2025 i...
2025-08-022h 01
This is the Legend Of...At age 5, he debuted at CARNEGIE HALL - Ep 21 - This is the Legend Of Ryan WangAt age 5,he made his professional piano performing debut at Carnegie Hall. Yes, 5 YEARS OLD. At age 11, he performed for a Canadian prime minister. At age 14, he won his first international piano competition. By the age of 16, he won at least 5 internationalpiano competitions, and was the youngest winner of Le Prix Cortot in world history. How old is he right now? 17 YEARS OLD! Not only that, but he will represent Canada on his Road to Warsaw, at the Olympics of piano, the International ChopinCompetition in Warsaw, Poland on October 2025. Simultaneously, he will begin his academic pursuits...
2025-06-271h 16
This is the Legend Of...Arthur Rubinstein called Janina Fialkowska a "BORN CHOPIN INTERPRETER" | Ep. 20 - This is the Legend Of JANINA FIALKOWSKAIf you are a longtime classical music fan, then you know who she is.The late great Arthur Rubinstein described her as a “born Chopin interpreter”. In fact, Rubinstein was her mentor. She is described as “one of the Grandes Dames of piano playing”. She is also a Juno Award winner.She is an alumna of The Juilliard School.She won third prize at the 1974 Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Competition.She is an Officer of the Order of Canada.She was the Chair of the jury for the 2023 Junior Van Cliburn International Piano Competition (aka the U.S. Open...
2025-06-011h 30
This is the Legend Of...She judged the Canadian Chopin Competition -- Ep. 19 - This is the Legend of Magdalena Baczewska"Columbia University professor by day, musical sorceress by night"! - ConcertoNet Meet Magdalena Baczewska, a Polish virtuoso pianist, Director of the joint Columbia-Juilliard Music Performance Program, and judge of the 2025 Canadian Chopin Competition! Born in Katowice, Poland, Magdalena grew up with a deep passion for piano performance from a young age. Join Amos Vang as he and Magdalena discuss a plethora oftopics, such Magdalena's career, the importance of musicality, the profound effect of Fryderyk Chopin's music on the world, and the importance of the Canadian Chopin Competition and the International Chopin Competition....
2025-05-041h 33
This is the Legend Of...At 19 years old, she won the CBC National Radio Competition: Ep. 18 - This is the Legend of Jane CoopAt 19 years old, she won the CBC National Radio Competition.She has performed at the world’s most renowned concert halls, such as Carnegie Hall, Wigmore Hall, and the Bolshoi. She is a member of the Order of Canada and the Order of British Columbia. She is a 3-time Juno Award nominee. She is a jury member of the Canadian Chopin Competition and the Junior Van Cliburn International Competition (for context, if the International Chopin Competition in Warsaw is Wimbledon/the Olympics, then the Van Cliburn is the U.S. Open). She is a crucial c...
2025-03-291h 28
This is the Legend Of...At 11 years old, she made her major piano performing debut - Ep 17: This is the Legend Of Athena DengAt 11 years old, she performed her first major performancewith an orchestra.At 12 years old, she won her first international competition.At 22 years old, she won 2nd prize at the Canadian Chopin Competition.And later this year in 2025, Athena Deng will be competing for the greatest piano prize of all at the International Chopin Competition.Join Amos Vang on the first miniseries episode of “The Road to Warsaw” as he features the legend of Athena Deng. Amos and Athena discuss in great detail Athena’s career, achievements and experiences (including those at the 202...
2025-03-011h 55
This is the Legend Of...An Award-Winning Composer Describes His Career: Ep. 16 - Aaron Tsang (Part 2)An excellent composer must have exceptional understanding of the audience’s preferences.
In part 2 of the Legend of Aaron Tsang, Amos Vang and Aaron Tsang discuss Aaron’s decision to go to the University of Toronto for music composition, the evolution of Aaron’s musical style, the similarities between composers and lawyers, and the importance of mentorship in the music profession and the legal
profession.
You may also be surprised at the number of similarities between composers and lawyers.
Aaron also discusses the importance of predicting and understanding an audience’s musical tastes, and Amos and Aaron discuss con...
2025-02-011h 03
This is the Legend Of...At 14, his music was featured at international film festivals - Ep 15: This is the Legend Of a Composer - Aaron Tsang (Part 1)At 14 years old, his music and films were featured at international film festivals.
He’s composed for world-renowned video game and entertainment publishers such as Capcom, DreamWorks Pictures, and Konami.
In fact, the intro and outro music that you will hear on this episode was written by Aaron Tsang, specifically for all
graduation ceremonies at the University of Toronto.
This is the Legend Of… Aaron Tsang, award-winning
composer and music professor at the University of Toronto!
Join Amos Vang and Aaron Tsang in their discussion on Aaron’s career, musical style, musical influences, and musical
analysis.
T...
2024-12-271h 02
This is the Legend Of...The Future of Work has Changed... Ep. 14 - This is the Legend Of Post-Professionalism, with Dr. Ka Tat TsangGone are the days when people had one job.
Gone are the days when professions such as lawyers and doctors enjoyed a high level of respect and recognition.
Gone are the days when it was believed that a person could only be an expert in one area.
Today, it is becoming increasingly important to have expertise in not just one profession, but MANY professions. Ironically, this is a return to the Renaissance’s idea of multifaceted expertise.
All of this is thanks to post-professionalism, which is the largestsocial shift since industrialization and arguably since the Western world...
2024-11-301h 06
This is the Legend Of...Episode 13: This is the Legend Of a Legal Polymath - Dr. Rebecca Jaremko BromwichLawyer. Professor. Contestant on CBC’s “Canada’s Smartest Person”. Former election candidate for Ottawa City Council and for the Law Society of Ontario. Legal polymath. This is the Legend Of… Rebecca Jaremko Bromwich.
Join Amos Vang as he features the trailblazing career of Dr. Bromwich. The two lawyers discuss the inspiration for Dr. Bromwich’s versatile, diverse career across the law and non-law worlds, as well as the most important lessons that Dr. Bromwich learned over the years.
Professor Bromwich will also be a regular guest on "This is the Legend Of..."!
2024-10-251h 32
This is the Legend Of...Episode 12: Introversion, The Limits of Therapy, and Cultural ConcernsIt's difficult enough to get to therapy. It's even more
heartbreaking when you realize that no matter how hard you tried, it didn't
work. And it's NOT your fault.
Unfortunately, this is the reality facing many Asians and
Asian-Americans. On this sobering episode, Amos Vang and Godwin Chan discuss
the difficult reality of the cultural limits of therapy and the clashing of the
WEIRD mindset (Western, Educated, Industrial, Rich, and Democratic) with
non-WEIRD mindsets. Amos and Godwin also explain in more detail the introvert
experience, as well as how extroverts can relate to introverts in a culturally
...
2024-09-281h 53
This is the Legend Of...Episode 11: This is the Legend of Godwin ChanAn episode 20+ years in the making. Scientist, venture capitalist,
angel investor, podcaster. This is the Legend Of Godwin Chan. Godwin
will also be a regular feature on the podcast and will co-host some
episodes.
Amos Vang and Godwin Chan have been friends for over 20 years: since
kindergarten/Grade 1! Over these decades, the two friends have had
thousands of fascinating conversations about metaphysical philosophy,
epistemological philosophy, cultural philosophy, classical musical
philosophy, quantum physics, string theory, T-symmetry and the
theoretical reversal of time and entropy, evolutionary biology, peak
oil, civilizational collapse, causality, T-symmetry, and many other
topics.
#philosophy
#startup
#culture
#conversation
...
2024-08-312h 01
This is the Legend Of...Episode 10: This is the Legend of a Ring Announcer - Carlos VerdeStep aside, Michael Buffer. A new announcer has stepped into the ring of history.
Join Amos Vang as he features Carlos Verde, international fight night ring announcer for United Boxing Promotions!
For over 10 years, Carlos’s adventures in journalism has brought him everywhere from international level women’s hockey to university basketball, and now to boxing and MMA. Carlos’s exceptional skills in public presentation, writing, and communication have paved such a
legendary pathway over these years, and he’s even announced fights on DAZN and ESPN!
The two long time friends reminisce on their adventures in university and professi...
2024-07-282h 03
This is the Legend Of...Episode 9: This is the Legend of a History Mythbuster - Sebastian MajorThere’s mythbusting, and then there’s history mythbusting.
Join Amos Vang as he interviews Sebastian Major, a history teacher and
host of the award-winning podcast Our Fake History!
In a similar vein to This is the Legend Of…, Sebastian focuses on
telling the unknown stories of history itself: everywhere from ancient
history to classical history to even the history of professional
wrestling! In this episode, Amos and Sebastian also emphasize the
importance of cultural humility and cultural understanding, particularly
in the sense of removing a Eurocentric/Western bias when understanding
non-Western cultures and non-Western histories. Amos and Sebastian also
...
2024-06-291h 59
This is the Legend Of...Episode 8: This is the Legend Of a Concertmaster - Jonathan CrowAt 25 years old, he became the youngest concertmaster in a North American orchestra. This is the Legend Of Jonathan Crow, a
legendary Canadian violinist, concertmaster of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, and former teacher of another legendary violinist, Kerson Leong.
In this episode, Amos Vang and Jonathan Crow discuss about Jonathan’s marvelous career and experiences in the world of violin. From performing for the great Sir Yehudi Menuhin, to leading other professional musicians in the interpretation of great compositions, and to directing the Toronto Summer Music Festival, Jonathan has established himself as one of the most respected viol...
2024-02-041h 21
This is the Legend Of...Episode 7: This is the Legend Of an NHL Social Media Manager - Cameron PenneyThis is the Legend of Cameron Penney.
From working as a co-op student for the Fort Frances Times to managing social
media in the NHL for the Winnipeg Jets, Cameron has enjoyed a meteoric rise in his career!
Join Amos Vang as he features Cameron’s career and path to the NHL. Cameron and Amos also reminisce on their
times in Ottawa and the Carleton/uOttawa rivalry, and they discuss the difficulties in which the sports and entertainment industry faces in the 21st century. Cameron also shares the most
important lessons that Cameron has learned in his career t...
2023-12-151h 10
This is the Legend Of...Episode 6: This is the Legend of James DuthieIf you are a Canadian sports fan, then you know who he
is.
James Duthie has spent over 25 years with TSN and has won 4 Canadian Screen Awards for his work. From the Stanley Cup to the Grey Cup to the Vancouver Olympics to the NBA and everything in between, James tells his numerous stories and the many life lessons that he learned since then, including how sportscasting has changed from the 1980s to the present day. James also tells the story of how he ALMOST missed
Sidney Crosby’s Golden Goal, and he and Amos reminisce on their times at...
2023-12-011h 17
This is the Legend Of...Episode 5: This is the Legend of a Psychotherapist - Dr. Ka Tat TsangPsychotherapy. Social Work. Social Science Inventor. Faculty Professor. This is the Legend of Dr. Ka Tat Tsang.
In this episode, Amos features Dr. Ka Tat Tsang, a Hong Kong-born Canadian psychotherapist, about his career
and his creation of the internationally acclaimed SSLD system. More importantly, starting at 50:00 in the
episode, Amos and Dr. Tsang talk about their shared Chinese cultural heritage, the unique identity problems facing the Chinese diaspora, and Chinese culture itself. They also discuss how Chinese people living in Canada (and by extension, in other Western countries) can find balance between their Chinese cultural identity and their Canadia...
2023-11-172h 48
This is the Legend Of...Episode 4: This is the Legend of an Olympic Swim Coach - Byron MacDonaldJoin Amos Vang as he interviews Byron MacDonald, a
former Olympic swimmer, longtime swimming head coach of the University of Toronto Varsity Blues, an award-winning Olympic sportscaster, and former coach of world champion swimmer Kylie Masse!
In this episode, Byron and Amos talk about Byron’s journey competing against the best swimmers in the world (including the great Mark Spitz), his decades-long career as a coach, the lessons he learned from coaching hundreds of swimmers over the years, and the most important lessons he learned from his longtime
career.
Byron also tells unique stories of his experiences announcin...
2023-11-052h 15
This is the Legend Of...Episode 3: This is the Legend Of a World-Renowned Virtuoso Violinist - Kerson LeongAt 8 years old, Kerson Leong (梁喬信) won his first national music competition, and then won the next 4 consecutive national music competitions at 9, 10, 11, and 12 years old.
At 13 years old, he won 1st prize at the International Yehudi Menuhin Competition (the Olympics/Paralympics of violin). To
this day, NO OTHER CANADIAN has achieved this feat (the closest was Scott St. John’s 3rd place finish in 1985).
At 13 years old, King Harald V of Norway personally congratulated him on his 1st prize win.
Before the age of 22, he has performed for 2 Canadian prime ministers, 2 Canadian governor generals, King Harald V of Norway, and one Italian p...
2023-10-083h 12
This is the Legend Of...Episode 2: This is the Legend of an Award-Winning Olympic Sportscaster - Scott RussellJoin Amos Vang as he interviews Scott Russell, a
longtime award-winning sportscaster and primetime host on CBC Olympics!
Scott has been a veteran of the entire sportscasting world, having presented almost 40 years of incredible sports stories from around the world. From the Olympics to NHL hockey on Hockey Night in Canada to horseback racing and everything in between, Scott has experienced some amazing stories of his own over the decades. Scott looks back at his nearly-40-year career
in sportscasting and tells his story of how he began his career in
sportscasting, his favourite memories, and the most importan...
2023-09-231h 03
This is the Legend Of...Episode 1 - This is the Legend of an Investment Banker - Ben WongJoin Amos Vang as he interviews his paternal cousin, Ben Wong, managing director of Moelis Australia!
In just his late teens and early 20s, Ben went from being a Bachelor of Commerce student to becoming a Vice President at JP Morgan, the world's largest investment bank. Soon after, Ben would work with legendary Wall Street investment banker Ken Moelis in co-founding Moelis Australia. Since then, Ben has been a managing director at Moelis for almost 15 years, and Ben and his team have advised on over $100 billion worth of transactions, including the American media company CBS's purchase of Te...
2023-09-161h 08This is the Legend Of...Episode 0: Trailer - This is the Legend of a Brand-New PodcastNew horizons, new adventures, new stories.
Amos Vang, the creator, producer, director, and host of "This is the
Legend Of..." introduces himself and the show's objectives, as well as
the exciting content that listeners and viewers can expect on their
favourite podcasting platforms and on the podcast's YouTube channel.
Music by: Scott Buckley – released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au
and by: Amos Vang
Website: www.thisisthelegendof.com
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCa3-wtrg8qwYr03Y6yfrFRw
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thisisthelegendof/
2023-09-1202 min
Digital IntrovertsEpisode 3: On Mindset and Performance With Amos VangEpisode 3 of the Digital Introverts podcast features Amos Vang. He is a sports announcer, classical pianist, podcast host, emcee, and voice actor that is currently pursuing a Juris Doctor at the University of Ottawa Law School. Before law school, Amos completed a Bachelor of Arts Honours in Law at Carleton University. At ages 18 and 19, Amos wrote his first two law publications in the Carleton University Journal of Legal Studies. Amos graduated with High Distinction in the top 3% of his class and was awarded a Senate Medal for Outstanding Academic Achievement.As a sports announcer, Amos has announced...
2020-03-231h 11