Someone You Should Know: Lillian Ng

Just like my auntie Edith Ho, I was born in China, into a Seventh-day Adventist family. My parents moved to Hong Kong when I was 5 years old, they were teachers at the Adventist church school systems. I began taking piano lessons from my mother when I was 9 years old, she was a student of the Latvian pianist and composer Harry Ore. Few years later I was also fortunate enough to have professor Ore as my piano teacher until high school graduation.  I chose to study nursing in Toronto Canada after high school and became a RN, I had worked in Toronto, Detroit and Columbus but retired from nursing when I was expecting my younger son. 

All these years I wish I knew how to play the organ, so in the late 90’s as soon as I learned that my son’s new piano teacher James Hildreth was an organist, I immediately asked him to give me private organ lessons and I was so happy when he agreed to teach me. Jim is the organist at the Broad St Presbyterian Church in Columbus Ohio and current CD reviewer for the American Organists. He prepared me to take the SPC and CAGO examinations, to play at a master class by Christopher Herrick, and actually stayed with me when I was auditioning to be a substitute organist for couple of Sundays in the summer of year 2000 for the University Baptist Church by then music director and composer John Carter. In October, out of the blue, Mr. Carter asked me to be the organist for UBC, of course I gladly accepted the offer and got my first job. For all that I am so grateful for Jim.  

In November 2007, when my granddaughter was about to be born, I left my husband and my organ position in Columbus, came to Chicago  to help take care of the new family, because my daughter in law was very sick with a brain tumor. Sadly she passed away 5 years later. From then on, I became grandma and mother to my granddaughter all in one until my son remarried 3 years later. Before my daughter in law passed away, I was the organist at St. Augustine’s Episcopal Church in Wilmette for a little over 3 years, learning the Episcopal format while on the job. 

Currently, I am full time taking care of my 4 year old grandson, part time playing the organ at the Evanshire Presbyterian Church in Skokie. For this Christmas, I would love to play again the delightful “Triptych on an English Noel” which was composed by Franklin D. Ashdown MD for James Hildreth my amazing friend and teacher. 

Finally, an incredible experience: While living in Tokyo from 1987 to 1990, I was privileged to be an Extra as a Hebrew woman in Verdi’s opera Nabucco performance of La Scala conducted by Riccardo Muti in the summer of 1988. Still have goose bumps when I listen to it now.