Written by Maurice Lee
The world trend of ‘fusion’ can be fascinating. Taking different philosophies, rationales, cultures and styles and putting them together, yet mixing without absorption, create uniqueness and surprise. Many music fusion projects sadly fail simply because artists do not really understand the music of the other side and just conscript deviating musicians or compose awkward pieces to play discordant backdrops to their acts.
There is nothing new under the sun but can we try to turn the sun upside down? The popular and young orchestra conductor Stephen Lam(林屴汧), always treating people with great deference, laughed, “Okay, music can be a fusion. Let us walk into the sun, fly to the moon and carry ourselves to the stars on a music journey!”
I laughed too, “Can we?” Stephen replied, “Not only eyes can reflect the truth. Our music souls can also reflect the truth of mixed feelings. Music, of human and cultural differences, is a wonderful vehicle. I call it a ‘space shift’. Music conveys our imagination from one place to another. Different people have different emotional destinations and associations.” I said, “When I listened to Autumn Song of Tchaikovsky, I felt like being on Lamma Island with my old classmates. How about you?” Stephen smiled, “My ‘space shift’ for that piece of music is that I suddenly walked on a path in Beethovengang in Vienna. Beethoven once lived there when he discovered that he, a great musician, was about to become deaf.”
Born in Hong Kong, Stephen Lam was recently selected by the renowned conductor Riccardo Muti to participate in the opera production of his Italian Opera Academy. Stephen is currently the Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of Ponte Orchestra & Singers, as well as the Associate Conductor of the Macao Youth Symphony Orchestra. He has worked with orchestras around the world, including the Vienna Radio Orchestra and St. Petersburg Chamber Philharmonic etc. Stephen is placid but responsive reply is his forte.
Stephen said, “Music creates forest out of rocks. I want to inspire toddlers and youngsters with music.” He is a dedicated music educator and ardent advocate of community outreach. His collaborations with young musicians have been widely praised. He is currently the lecturer and conductor of United International College between Beijing Normal University-Hong Kong Baptist University, as well as regular guest conductor in Sichuan Music Conservatory.
Stephen continued, “When I was a boy, I studied in St. Paul’s College. I was active in music. I took part in music events in and out of Hong Kong. Idealism often lost to pragmatism when it came to selecting subjects in university. In the 2000s, I obtained a bachelor’s degree of Environmental Science from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and a Master of Arts from the University of Hong Kong. After that, I seriously challenged myself: there would be no dream in my life without action to make it become reality. So, I packed my things and left Hong Kong for Vienna. I studied conducting at the prestigious University for Music and Performing Arts Vienna, where I was one of the last students of Uros Lajovic, Ordner Edwin, and Konrad Leitner. I also worked in music events there. I loved Hong Kong and wanted to do something for it. In 2017, I returned to my city and pursued a music career!”
I asked, “How do you find the music education in Hong Kong?” He gave it a thought, “The approach at the moment is not bad but not good enough. We give a lot of information about music to kids and ask them to sing, practise music and go to concerts. Do we really teach them how to appreciate music and I mean, how to go beyond knowledge and experience; and connect the ‘heart’ of a kid with the ‘heart’ of a music piece? In other words, we should teach a kid how to emotionally respond to and interact with the music with his own feelings and stories. The other problem is that parents do not really want their kids to enjoy music or make music a soulful refuge from the life. For them, music is just a means to get a certificate so that the kid can go to a good school.” I lamented, “Teachers may think such an approach for students is a burdensome duty and parents may think a good future is more discernible than the spiritual wellness of a kid.”
I switched to a new topic, “Any advice for those who wish to choose music as a career?” Stephen threw his hands in the air, “Ha! Receive formal music training in your university days or as early as possible! There are many people who practise music in other industries like pop music in the entertainment world. Trust me! Western classical music or traditional Chinese music tutoring will give them the solid and rich foundation on which their music career can be built. The complicated but necessary music education will let them be able to combine sounds to produce beauty of form, harmony and emotion well for the long term. Inspirations will not easily dry up!” I nodded, “I am glad to see more pop singers like Gin Lee(李幸倪) & Gareth T(湯令山) who had serious music training become popular and hot. They bring new thoughts and strength to the music industry.”
To succeed in any creative career, one must possess the importance of a solid foundation in the intricate basics of constructing and expressing skills.
I asked Stephen, “Make a wish!” He winked, “Hong Kong will be a music centre for 'East meets West’ and I am part of it. There have been a lot of oriental music embodying the ingredients of western music. I want to contribute more the other way round especially when I can master German and Italian language.”
‘Flower by flower a garden grows’. Some do music for self-esteem. Stephen Lam is determined to be rather a river that feeds thousands of flowers. He pursues multiple music careers including education in lieu of simply holding a traditional full-time job of an orchestra conductor. He said, “Every day is different. Music for every life is different too.”
