Rick Wakeman has played a concert for 150 rescued moon bears in Vietnam. The former Yes keyboardist performed on a Yamaha grand piano at Animals Asia’s bear sanctuary in Tam Dao national park, with new pieces written specially for the event.
Wakeman has backed bear rescue efforts since 2016, and the performance was built to bring attention to bile farms where bears are held in cages far too narrow to stand up or turn around.
Wakeman’s Words on the Concert
The Guardian asked Wakeman whether the bears would enjoy the show, and he responded with “They’ve not got much choice, really. It’s a well-known fact that all animals react to music, especially gentle melodic music. So what I am going to do is piano music that is melodic, and I can only hope that they will come up to the perimeter of the sanctuary and have a listen.”.
He also spoke about a bear he recently adopted. “He’s only 20 months old, a big fella, I went to see him today. He came out right to the edge and stood on his back legs and just stared at me, it was brilliant,” Wakeman said.
The Sanctuary Setting
The concert took place in the open air at the sanctuary, set in the stunning Tam Dao national park. Animals Asia founder and CEO Dr. Jill Robinson said of the performance, “We are beyond blessed to have Rick’s support for Animals Asia and the bears. His love for them is immeasurable and can be heard in the beautifully haunting music he has written for them. We’re all so excited to hear his performance in the open air at our sanctuary in the stunning setting of Tam Dao national park. I can’t wait to see how the bears respond.”
The Bile Trade Problem
The extraction of bile from bears occurs on farms supplying traditional medicine. It ranks as the fourth largest illegal animal trade market across east Asia, and the practice is forbidden in Vietnam. Over a period of about 30 years, the number of Asiatic black bears has fallen by around one third.
Before their rescue, Wakeman detailed the conditions the bears were subjected to, saying “To see the bears be rehabilitated, having a life they never had before, some have never put their feet on grass before. They are so wonderful, that we can do such horrendous things to animals is beyond belief. Before this, they were chained in cages sometimes for 10 or 20 years in conditions where they couldn’t even turn around,”.
The Music
The concert presented gentle, melodic piano music designed to draw the bears toward the sanctuary’s perimeter. Among these works were new pieces composed expressly for the occasion.
Wakeman’s Recent Album
Rick Wakeman released his most recent studio album Melancholia in October of 2025. The album consists of 12 solo piano pieces as the completion of a trilogy of piano suites.
Key Facts
- 150 rescued moon bears attended the concert
- Performance on a Yamaha grand piano at the sanctuary in Tam Dao national park
- New pieces written by Wakeman specifically for the event
- Concert designed to raise awareness for animals in bile farms
- Population of Asiatic black bears dropped by roughly a third in 30 years
- Bile trade is the fourth biggest illegal animal trade market in east Asia
What This Means
For well over ten years, Wakeman has supported a cause he continues to champion through his work. The concert serves as a significant show of backing for that cause, one that reflects his long-standing commitment. His sponsorship began as far back as 2016.
There is no promise that the bears will react, yet the arrangement itself carries a clear sign of hope.
See the video the story is built around at Consequence.
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