It’s not often that the MMIAM program has a student who comes to this world in their 50s, having already had a successful career. Ian OI is a current student in the MMIAM program, and when we spoke in mid-January, he was just getting settled into life in Montréal and into his studies at HEC Montréal. Our conversation reflects on what inspires someone to return to school “later in life” and, in particular, why he chose to do so at MMIAM. I hope you enjoy our conversation. — Brittany Johnson, MMIAM editor.
Let’s dive in. Why don’t you tell me a little bit about yourself, your background, and who you are?
That is a very broad question! Well, I am of Chinese descent on both sides, but my parents were both born in Malaysia. I was also born in Malaysia. It is a multiracial country; the majority is Malay and Muslim, and the Chinese are the next significant minority.
Growing up, my culture was Chinese-Malaysian. When I was ten, my parents moved our family to Australia. Both of my parents were doctors, educated in Singapore. Because Malaysia, Singapore, and Australia were all part of the British Commonwealth, we grew up with an English background and spoke English at home, as well as Chinese dialects and Malay.
My parents wanted better educational opportunities for their four children, so we settled in Perth, Western Australia. It was relatively close to Malaysia, which made it easier and cheaper to visit family. I spent most of my life in Australia, though I lived in Washington DC for a year in 2000 to study for a Master’s in Intellectual Property Law, and now I am traveling for the MMIAM program.
Geographically, that’s my trajectory in a nutshell. I did all my schooling and got my first job in Perth. After graduating from university, I moved from the West Coast to the East Coast and settled in Sydney, where I’ve lived for most of my adult life.
Do you consider yourself Australian at this point?
I very much describe myself as Australian with a Southeast Asian background and Chinese ethnicity. There are all these differences between being ethnic, cultural, and national—your heritage culture versus your current culture.
Are you an artist? Do you have a background in the arts?
I think I’ve always considered myself an artist. At times, I’ve aspired to be a professional, and at other times it waxes and wanes. I started as a pianist at age ten when we moved to Australia. All the kids had to have music lessons, so I did it because I had to, but I was a very indifferent player until I was thirteen.
That year, I went to an Anglican private boys’ school with a beautiful neo-Gothic chapel. Because I could read music, I was conscripted into the choir. I met my choirmaster, who was also the director of music and the organist. He was enormously influential and sparked my interest in music.
I watched him play the organ and was mesmerized by the instrument’s power and soft expression. I asked for lessons, and at thirteen, I discovered the pipe organ.
That became my identity. I studied pipe organ for five years in high school, got a music scholarship, and eventually topped the state in my final music exams. I got into the Bachelor of Music degree at the University of Western Australia, specializing in pipe organ performance.
My marks were good enough to do whatever I wanted, and I think I chose music partly to be independent. My older sister was studying medicine like my parents, and I wanted to be a bit of a rebel.
Ian practicing organ playing. Photo: personal archive.
Ha! I bet they loved that.
I suppose. But before the end of my first year, I realized I didn’t want to be a professional pipe organist. I was practicing for six hours a day, on top of singing and accompanying others, and I realized that passion alone wasn’t enough to sustain that “hard slog.”
I decided to look for something else. My marks were good enough to transfer into the Law faculty. I knew nothing about law or being a lawyer, but they accepted me based on my marks from my music degree. In Australia at the time, you could become a lawyer after four years of study. It took me at least six or seven years because I was a “bad” student for the first few years. I absolutely hated the transition from being a full-time musician to a full-time law student.
It took about three years for the “switch” to come on and for me to understand how to write the papers and ask the right questions. During that time, I went part-time with law and enrolled in an arts degree majoring in music studies. It wasn’t a performance major, but it let me hang out with my friends and make music for my own sanity. I eventually finished my law degree and launched into the legal job market.
What does coming back to do this program mean for you after a career in law?
I specialized in Intellectual Property and Tech law for 30 years. I achieved everything I wanted; I hit my goal of making partner at a major firm by age 38. After that, I realized I didn’t want to be chained to a desk for another 30 years. After being satisfied that I had achieved financial security, it felt great to have the freedom to choose what I wanted to do next.
A key part of this was finding stability in my personal life. I met my life partner, Jon, in Sydney over 30 years ago. But it took COVID and the lockdowns in Australia for us to realize that if we could spend months staring at each other within four walls without going crazy, we should get married. So we got married between lockdowns. I would never have embarked on the MMIAM journey without his wholehearted support, and he is with me every step of the way in spirit, even though he’s still working back home in Sydney.
The final push for this program started with a health scare in 2007. I was in a very stressful leadership position and started experiencing heart palpitations. It turned out to be out-of-control Type 2 diabetes. That diagnosis forced me to confront my mortality and realize that we don’t have infinite time to do all the things that make life worth living. Waiting indefinitely for the “right time” to make the next move in life might mean never making that move.
Ian playing the piano with his MMIAM classmates during a welcome afternoon at the program co-director’s home. Credit: personal archive.
So, what did you decide you wanted to do?
I realized I missed the pipe organ. I bought a digital organ to practice at home and found music teachers who were able to be more than just educators, but also mentors, coaches, and friends. I didn’t want to be a professional musician, but I wanted to do something aligned with my passions. I started researching arts management.
Most courses were highly job-oriented, focused on specific niches and tied to particular places, but the MMIAM program was different. Seeing the diversity of where graduates came from and where they ended up was inspiring. I decided to give it a go.
You’ve got one semester in Dallas under your belt, and you’re three weeks into Montréal. What are you enjoying most?
I enjoy the contrast. Dallas was completely different from Montréal in terms of the city and the teaching styles. Since I don’t need a job—I want a job—I have the luxury of pursuing things that interest me deeply rather than just job-seeking. Another MMIAM cohort member is a violinist, and we’ve started practicing violin and organ repertoire together with the goal of integrating recitals into some of our MMIAM activities as we travel the world with the programme.
My cohort has been the unifying feature. I am at least 20 years older than the next oldest member—I’m 58, so I’m Gen X, and they are Millennials or Gen Z. Out of twelve of us, I’m the only guy. I’m learning so much about intergenerational and gender relations. They are my friends and my peers, and we are mutually learning how to navigate our differences. It’s a great experience.
Ian and his classmates at a concert of Colombian band Puerto Candelaria at the Auditorio Mario Laserna, Universidad de los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia.
*Ian Oi’s headshot credit: personal archive.