My Story
I began my musical education when I was 3 years old, probably as a result of my insistence in 'twinkling' on our piano, and probably because my parents couldn't take my 'twinkling' any longer. It wasn't long before I took up the violin as well. After a year, my teacher suggested that I switched to the viola. I can only assume that it was because I was taller than most for my age.
That proved to be a savvy move though, since viola players are, apparently, worth their weight in gold. At first, it turned out that The King's School, Parramatta in Australia was in need of one, and so they offered me a music scholarship to study there. A couple of years later, Harrow School in the UK also wanted a viola player, and so I moved there instead, where I also started to learn the organ.
Now, it was the ‘done thing’ for budding school organists to go for an organ scholarship at one of the two great academic institutions in the UK, being the University of Oxford and, of course, the University of Durham. Fearing the bitter cold of the North, I decided to apply to Oxford, and somehow managed to pinch one of the posts at Trinity College.
Truth be told, up until this point in my life, music was just something that I did. But at University, I met three people in who would change all this, and ignite a passion that burns to this day.
The first was Steven Grahl. Steven was the kindest, nicest and most lovable cynic in the world. And was he cynical about my playing! For years he patiently showed the difference between playing notes and playing music. Needless to say, he was a great influence to my playing.
The second was Ralph Allwood. When I first directed our college's chapel choir, I hadn't a clue what to do, until I met Ralph and he took me on as a conducting student.
It was Ralph who truly ignited my passion for choral music, and showed me what singers needed from their conductor – motivation, leadership, and the occasional sprinkling of good humour.
The third was James Burton. Jamie was my mentor during my time as the conducting scholar at Schola Cantorum of Oxford. He showed me not only what a conductor can do to bring the best out of his ensemble, but also how this may be achieved, and how this might be communicated to the ensemble. He showed me the difference between dictating and delegating.
Upon graduation, I returned to HK to work in business and am delighted to have the opportunity to continue my conducting with Die Konzertisten, Tallis Vocalis, as well as stints with the Formosa Singers in Taiwan. I hope to be able to pass on all that I have learnt, and to be to them at least a fraction of what Steven, Ralph or Jamie was to my life.
That proved to be a savvy move though, since viola players are, apparently, worth their weight in gold. At first, it turned out that The King's School, Parramatta in Australia was in need of one, and so they offered me a music scholarship to study there. A couple of years later, Harrow School in the UK also wanted a viola player, and so I moved there instead, where I also started to learn the organ.
Now, it was the ‘done thing’ for budding school organists to go for an organ scholarship at one of the two great academic institutions in the UK, being the University of Oxford and, of course, the University of Durham. Fearing the bitter cold of the North, I decided to apply to Oxford, and somehow managed to pinch one of the posts at Trinity College.
Truth be told, up until this point in my life, music was just something that I did. But at University, I met three people in who would change all this, and ignite a passion that burns to this day.
The first was Steven Grahl. Steven was the kindest, nicest and most lovable cynic in the world. And was he cynical about my playing! For years he patiently showed the difference between playing notes and playing music. Needless to say, he was a great influence to my playing.
The second was Ralph Allwood. When I first directed our college's chapel choir, I hadn't a clue what to do, until I met Ralph and he took me on as a conducting student.
It was Ralph who truly ignited my passion for choral music, and showed me what singers needed from their conductor – motivation, leadership, and the occasional sprinkling of good humour.
The third was James Burton. Jamie was my mentor during my time as the conducting scholar at Schola Cantorum of Oxford. He showed me not only what a conductor can do to bring the best out of his ensemble, but also how this may be achieved, and how this might be communicated to the ensemble. He showed me the difference between dictating and delegating.
Upon graduation, I returned to HK to work in business and am delighted to have the opportunity to continue my conducting with Die Konzertisten, Tallis Vocalis, as well as stints with the Formosa Singers in Taiwan. I hope to be able to pass on all that I have learnt, and to be to them at least a fraction of what Steven, Ralph or Jamie was to my life.
- Solomon Lau, July 2016