well into the night, the sound of her violin
splintering the void and creating a focus on
something other than her endless grief. She
even painted her entire living room wall with
chalkboard paint, allowing her to write out
charts and jazz theory exercises, their looming
presence staring at her every day, forcing the
motivation to pick up her violin and play. The
deeper her pain wrenched inside her, the more
her playing improved. The memory of beloved
husband, who had supported her for so long,
refused to cease in her darkest hours, pushing
her past herself, however painfully, in the
direction of her own magnificence.
“ I lea ned on music a nd spi r it ua l
contemplation. Music helped me by giving me
something to create, and it also kept me in touch
with the world because, often, the only reason I
would leave the house, or even eat, was to meet
up with musician friends or to go to a gig,” Yeh
admits, “You can imagine how devastated I was
when my violin burned in March 2016 and I
fractured my elbow in June 2016. I am ever-
grateful to a handful of very close friends who
were there for me at all hours - bringing me
to doctor’s appointments, looking out for me,
listening to me and just being understanding.
They gave me the safe and non-judgemental
space I needed to put myself back together.”
“It has taken me nearly two years to piece
my life back together and to redefine myself,
but since closing this last chapter of my life,
many wonderful things have also happened,”
shares Yeh, “For one, I have never looked back
at corporate life - in fact, being laid off was
a blessing as I could no longer manage two
careers at once. I have also since been invited
to perform with amazing artists such as Rob
Tardik, Pavlo, Tom Barlow, Tyler Yarema,
Stevie Gee, David Hines, Art Griffin’s Sound
Chaser and many more.”
Even more unanticipated surprises were on
the horizon for Yeh, because sometimes and
often especially, when you least suspect it, love
will make its way through the tender cracks to
find you.
“Of course, the one very big and very
unexpected thing that happened to me was
finding love again with my new partner. All I
can say is, it is a rare and special person who
can help you scatter your spouse’s ashes and
let you cry, grieve and cherish the memories of
your past marriage, all the while knowing and
feeling secure in the strength of your present
relationship together. Our relationship is one
that is kind, supportive, loving, fun, passionate
and respectful - and this has definitely helped
me enter this new chapter of my life.”
Yeh also has found new purpose in her
community work, and now aids efforts to bring
the joy of music to at-risk youth in Brazil. Brazil
Strings, a foundational outreach that brings music
education to underprivileged children, helps to
bring volunteer string educators from outside the
country to come teach at schools in need.
“The kids we’re talking about can be in truly
dire circumstances and music is sometimes the
only thing that keeps them on a positive track
in life,” asserts Yeh, “We take for granted how
things are here for us in Canada. There are
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