Awards/Competitions
2nd Place, 2014 66th Hong Kong School Music Festival; 2nd Place, 2014 Hong Kong Condensate Music Symphony Concerto Competition; 1st Place, 2022 HKMTPA Competition, Violin undergraduate
Appearances
Hong Kong Philharmonic Share the Stage with Maestro Christoph Eschenbach, 2015; Chamber Music Dolomiti, 2023; YMCG Symphony Orchestra with Daniel Harding, 2024
What is your earliest memory of classical music?
I started to play violin at age 4, and I remember the first classical music that I really liked was Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto after I played in the tutti.
Was there a teacher who was particularly impactful/helpful? What made this instructor stand out?
My undergraduate professor Mr. Yi-wen Jiang was my life-changing teacher who enhanced my musical aesthetics and changed my mind-set on the arts. He inspired and impacted me with his significant personality and showed real reliability to me, which helped me to envision my career and prompted me to pursue my dream as an artist.
Gil Shaham showed me his extraordinary skill and method of music preparation. His pedagogy also greatly influenced and spurred my ability to play my instrument. He is also very humble. I am stunned by his humbleness, given his status. This shocked me because he showed me how to be a good human before being a good musician.
What made you decide to become a musician? Was there a particular performance or person that influenced your decision?
There was no particular person who inspired me to become a musician, it was just like the flow of the current that brought me to this point ever since I first picked up the violin.
How did you hear about TŌN? What inspired you to apply?
I studied at the Bard Conservatory. I have heard about TŌN since day one. I applied because I really want to keep learning to be a musician. And I feel that TŌN can help me to develop as experienced musician.
How would you like to see orchestra concerts evolve in the future?
I believe the utility of music will be the same, but audiences’ satisfaction and enjoyment towards music will be advancing, and finally wearing out to the same type of things. So, if orchestras want to attract audiences, fusion concerts need to be done. Such as sharing orchestral music and drama playing on the stage, or rap music mixing with classical repertoire. Some orchestras have done concerts featuring Drake’s “Hotline Bling” with Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No.6.
What is the most memorable performance you ever had?
First of all, I am a violin player. I stated this explicitly because in the most memorable performance I have ever had, I was playing solo as a violist. I was the concertmaster for the Bard Community Orchestra for four years, and we had been spending countless hours molding together. At the end of my undergraduate studies, I decided to give myself an epilogue to this “relationship”. Every spring semester, our orchestra holds a concerto-competition-winner concert. But, for the participants who are from the conservatory, they have to choose instruments which are not their major study. I chose viola because it seems easier for a fiddler than starting from square one. Also, my favorite piece is Shostakovich’s Viola Sonata. I am so fortunate that I won the competition and was able to lead the orchestra playing the Sonata with special transcription. It was such a dreamy moment for me to play my favorite music, and it made me happy to produce music with every colleague wholeheartedly. I established and deemed myself as a true musician, I was able to tell my story and interpret the composer’s will to the audience. This concert will be in my brain forever.
What is your proudest achievement as a musician?
I believe that the most common answer would be sharing the stage with renowned musicians and maestros, or winning the most prestigious competition in their young life. But for me, my proudest achievement is that I successfully moved an audience during my recital. I was playing Arvo Pärt’s Spiegel im Spiegel, which I dedicated to my grandparents, who passed away during my college years. This piece is extremely minimalistic. Basically it is just an F-major scale with long notes. But, the audience really shed tears for the music, and I am proud of myself as I truly delivered the essence of the music and its true value. I delivered my feelings and story with no words. I delivered my remembrance without fancy melodies and still moved the audience. This feeling is really complex. Successfully tuning and sharing intimate feelings with other human beings is an extraordinary experience, and I am proud that I can make this happen.
Is there a person or people you most respect in your field and why?
I respect Jaap Van Zewden so much. Before I came to Bard, the school that I studied at arranged a few rehearsals with Jaap. In the sections, I could feel his passion towards music, I could sense his shimmering aura. I admire the way he manages an orchestra.
Can you share any memorable onstage mishaps?
Once we were giving a concert playing Mahler’s 9the Symphony, and the conductor wanted to mimic Abbado’s 2010 Lucerne Festival performance. Ideally, the light would be slowly turning dark to pitch black at the end. However, it seems the people in the control room did not realize we were still playing at the last 30 bars. They switched off the lights too soon and we were playing in the dark with absolutely no light. And even after we finished the symphony, they still did not turn on the lights. So, the audience waited almost five minutes to clap, and the lights still did not turn back on during the applause. Everyone in the hall felt absolutely frustrated and confused. The conductor smirked and cringed backstage.
Do you have a favorite non-classical musician or band?
I love Stephane Grappelli so bad.
If you weren’t a musician, what would you be doing?
I would be a photographer, or working at a hedge fund.
What is a surprising part of playing your instrument that you think most people don’t know?
Instruments have personality, which is something that is sophisticated and spiritual. That is something which cannot be verbally explained to people who are not musicians.
What is the biggest challenge and/or surprise about playing in an orchestra?
The biggest challenge about playing in an orchestra is to treat it like a chamber ensemble. My ideal professional orchestral playing would be treating other sections like a small ensemble, to keep my soloistic character, and listen and blend in with other section players. At the same time, to unify the sound with my own section and treat myself as the conductors’ instrument. In this case, we can truly produce the sound that the conductor wants, and be absolutely tuned and synchronized with each other. The hardest part is everyone has to submit to the group wholeheartedly.
What advice would you give your younger self or anyone starting out?
Practice scales since 3 if you want to play instruments, I mean all kinds of scales.
What do you wish you knew starting out that you know now?
Practice scales slowly everyday, period.