You may have attended a concert she has lead or seen some of her paintings hanging up around the schoolhouse. You may have seen her recently published, illustrated book, samples of which are posted around the college office. At Groton, it seems that no matter which way you turn, the remarkable talent of Candace Tong-Li ‘16 is in sight.

Primarily, Candace is an undeniably strong member within Groton’s musical community. During her past four years on campus, Candace has been a leader and an active participant in the chamber orchestra and her county orchestra. She also helped to found the A-Minor Sextet, which she described as “a community service-oriented strings group.”

As a music prefect this year as well as concert-master, Candace has successfully steered the orchestra through several grand concerts, including her most recent and final concert this April. Candace leads the orchestra on her violin, an instrument that she enjoys and has played passionately for quite some time. It is evident that Candace is delighted by her instrument when she plays.

However, although Candace is now something of a star on the violin, it wasn’t always that way.

When asked how she found her love of the violin, Candace explained that as a child, she was raised learning how to play the piano, but never something never truly “clicked.” Then one evening, she stayed after a piano lesson at her music school and sat in on a concert they were holding. What happened next is what changed her career in music. Candace explained, “They were all 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders just learning to play their instruments, so it was nothing impressive; but something about the orchestra drew me in. The passionate interaction of all the musicians was exhilarating. That night, I went home, strung an empty tissue box with rubber bands, and pretended it was a violin. Within a few weeks, I made the switch for real.”

From this moment on, Candace has been successful in her ventures with the violin. First, she played in her primary school orchestra, then the district orchestra, and then the county orchestra. In middle school, Candace appeared on stage at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center, “two impressively grand venues that I felt honored to play in,” she states. Today she continues to pursue her passion with massive success, and continues to play frequently.

In addition to her significant presence within the musical community at Groton, Candace is also a force when it comes to visual arts. Starting at just seven years old, Candace has published several successful children’s books that she has both written and illustrated.

This term, Candace conducted a faculty sponsored activity in which she wrote and illustrated a short story. As mentioned before, a sample of her work is on display near the college offices. Her inspiration for her work stems from her vast imagination. Candace revealed, “I’ve been drawing and storytelling for as long as I remember. I was seven years old when my first children’s book was published, and I haven’t stopped since.”

Not only are her stories an accomplishment for herself, but many of them are put online and sold as lesson books to help children learn to read Chinese. Her books are “focused on encouraging imagination, nurturing creativity, and inspiring a sense of contribution to the well-being of the world.”

Finally, Candace has been successful in other categories of visual art at Groton. After taking several visual arts classes over her four years, Candace has flourished as a painter specifically during her time on the Circle. Candace’s work has been displayed in the art center and in front of the college office as well as other locations in the schoolhouse. She has a vibrant, creative, fresh approach to her work in its color and motion. She is praised as a “master painter” and an inspiration to younger students of visual arts. Most recently, a painting of a bouquet of flowers has been featured as the artwork for flyers for the spring music recitals.

Overall, Candace shines her light on Groton with her talent, which she tries her best to share with the whole school. Her creativity and passion blend to create incredible work that inspires those who will one day follow in her footsteps. She has set an extraordinary example for upcoming artists and musicians, encouraging them to follow their passion no matter what, and to always share your art with whomever you can. We will miss her presence on campus greatly next year, but look forward to hearing of her artistic accomplishments beyond the Circle.