Maestro Lai Tak- Ng Lai commenced his music education at the Canton Conservatory of Music in China. He furthered his studies in Hong Kong, and completed them at the Vienna Conservatory of Music with a joint major in violin and conducting before coming to Canada in 1977 as a participant in the Conductor’s Workshop at the University of Toronto. He held a teaching position at Brock University; and currently teaches violin, viola, and conducting in the Toronto area.

Lai is a past director of both the Niagara Youth Orchestra and the Mississauga Youth Orchestra. He was the first conductor of the Canadian Chamber Academy and during his early years in Canada he served as the assistant conductor of the Niagara Symphony Orchestra. For several years he served as the Principal Guest Conductor of the Canton Philharmonic and Choral Society. Maestro Lai has guest conducted in Europe, North America, and Asia with, among others, the Moscow Symphony, the Ural State Philharmonic, the Vancouver Symphony, the Windsor Symphony, the Niagara Symphony, the Shanghai Philharmonic, the Taiwan Symphony, the Beijing Symphony, and the Xiamen Philharmonic Orchestras.

Over the years, Lai has contributed a great deal to the musical life in Toronto. In 1977 he founded the Toronto Chinese Philharmonic Orchestra and in 1983, he established the Chinese Canadian Choir of Toronto. He has been Music Director and Conductor of both organizations since their founding. Currently, aside from being Music Director and Conductor of the Canadian Sinfonietta, he is also the Music Director and Conductor of the Toronto Chinese Philharmonic Orchestra, the Toronto Chinese Youth Orchestra and the Toronto Cantata Chorus. Maestro Lai has also worked with the Etobicoke Philharmonic Orchestra, and only just retired last year after serving as their Music Director and Conductor for 20 years.

Lai has collaborated with many prominent musicians, among them Ofra Harnoy, Jacques Israelievitch, Naida Cole, Isabel Bayrakdarian, James Campbell, Robert Aitken and Paul Brodie. He has also recorded with the Russian Philharmonic Orchestra, a set of CD’s, which features the works of Canadian composer An-Lun Huang.

As a result of his many achievements, Maestro Lai received the prestigious Order of the Knights of Rizal in 2000 and in 2002, was given a Lifetime Achievement Award by Chinese Canadian Legend.