The longest-serving mayor in Richmond history also happens to be a very good musician. Malcolm Brodie will put this talent to good use when he performs two piano pieces at the Vancouver Sunshine Lions Club Concert. Gentai Capital is the title sponsor of the 10th annual event, which will take place on December 7 at Fraserview Church (11295 Mellis Drive) in Richmond.
McGill University–educated violinist and retired Richmond businessman Kan Chen will join Brodie on-stage. In his younger days, Chen was invited to play for various orchestras, including the Quebec Youth Symphony Orchestra. In addition, Ray Zhuo will conduct the Vancouver Philharmonic Youth Orchestra at the fundraiser for the Richmond Community Foundation. More than 300 people are expected to attend.
“All proceeds will go to the RCF to support high school graduates in Richmond pursuing post-secondary education,” said the co-chairs for the event, Jeff Guo and Julie Zhu.
The foundation administers more than a dozen scholarships for high school graduates. That includes one funded by the Vancouver Sunshine Lions Club. Another is funded by Chen and his wife, Wendy Yuan, the charter president of the Vancouver Sunshine Lions Club. The current representative and president is Ethan Kang.
Founded in 1990, the Richmond Community Foundation also supports initiatives in sports and fitness, arts and culture, health care, the environment, and other areas.
“As a foundation, we manage forever funds, which can be created by individuals, families, businesses, community groups, or anyone else,” said Sunny Chiu, chair of the RCF and a founding member of the Vancouver Sunshine Lions Club. “They’re called forever funds because the money is invested, and so the funds keep growing—forever. Every year, we distribute a portion of the investment income as grants to local non-profit organizations, and scholarships to Richmond students.“
Brodie was once a member of The Spectres
Brodie was first elected mayor of Richmond in a by-election on October 29, 2001. Since then, he has been elected seven more times. Prior to serving as mayor, Brodie was a lawyer and Richmond city councillor.
In the late 1960s, Brodie played trombone in a band called The Spectres, which was founded by renowned record producer Bruce Fairbairn. The Canadian Music Hall of Fame member died in 1999. Moreover, B.C. Entertainment Hall of Fame member Bruce Allen managed the band. Another member, organist Joe Gold, went on to write a moving family memoir called Two Pieces of Cloth: One Family’s Story of the Holocaust, which was published in 2021.
Since being elected mayor, Brodie has occasionally played piano in public, such as at a Winter Wonderland Christmas event and at Wisteria Place Retirement Residence.
There’s also a video below of Brodie performing “The Moon Represents My Heart”—a Chinese pop song made famous by the late Taiwanese-born superstar Teresa Teng.
The Lions’ past district governor, May Ho, will sing this popular song and another song at the December 7 charity concert, accompanied by Brodie on piano and Chen on violin.
The Vancouver Sunshine Lions Club will present A Decade of Light 2015 – 2025: 10th Anniversary – Gentai Charity Concert. It will feature Malcolm Brodie on piano, Kan Chen on violin, May Ho’s singing, and the Vancouver Philharmonic Youth Orchestra. For more information and tickets to this fundraiser, visit the Vancouver Sunshine Lions Club Facebook page.
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