Songbird! IN THE NAME OF LOVE

Opening Hong Kong Arts Festival’s No Limits 2023, soprano Michelle

Siu is set to captivate audiences with Sound of My Heart, a diverse and emotive vocal recital

Michelle Siu began learning music at a very young age and despite being blind since birth, adversity is a ‘no word’ to her. Music has become more than just a passion. It is a way for Michelle to communicate with the world and express her emotions.

“I started music at four years old and early on I participated in an open piano competition. That’s when I won my first prize and my parents were so happy!” opens the young artist, who later went on to major in Music and specialise in Voice at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

Convincing teachers that she could excel musically wasn’t plain sailing, but with perseverance, Michelle proved them wrong. “I remember my teachers saying that it’s impossible for blind people to learn music because we can’t see music scores. Luckily, my parents believed in me a lot and they let me try,” she recalls. Even today, very few music scores have been adapted to the needs of visually impaired musicians but instead of giving up, Michelle braved the impossible and, in so doing, developed perfect pitch.

In chasing her dreams, Michelle has earned over 70 music awards; she won the Hong Kong preliminary round of China’s Got Talent in 2011 and came first in the inter-school music competition Supernova in 2013. To kick off the new year, she’s already been selected to open Hong Kong Arts Festival’s (HKAF) No Limits 2023, with a solo recital, Sound of My Heart, which you can catch on February 18 at Hong Kong City Hall.

Launched in 2019 and co-presented by HKAF and The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust, No Limits aims to create a barrier-free environment and promote inclusion in the arts world. Running from February through May, No Limits 2023 encompasses a series of fascinating programmes which cover music, dance, theatre and film. The programmes are provided by local and international artists of different abilities, all of whom defy constraints and boundaries.

Sound Of My Heart

Although classically trained, Michelle’s repertoire has diversified over the years and this month’s concert is testament to both her varied musical interests and impressive vocal range. In Sound of My Heart, she will sing classical compositions, musical numbers and pop songs, drawing on everyone from Schubert to Parton and Morricone.

The first part of the recital comprises classical music, beginning with Bach’s Into My Heart followed by My Love! Come Here from Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro . We can also expect some Schubert, Wolf and Debussy. Michelle will then diversify into pop, throwing in Parton’s I will Always Love You , before exploring her love for musicals through Lloyd Webber’s Think of Me from The Phantom of the Opera and Memory from Cats . Popular film scores are also on the programme, including Morricone’s Dreams from The Church and Shore’s Hope from The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

No doubt, Sound of My Heart draws on a wide range of musical styles but Michelle’s chosen songs have one thing in common – they are all about love.

“All these artists convey strong emotions of different kinds,” says Grace Yu, Associate Professor and Postgraduate Programme Leader at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (HKAPA), where Michelle is currently taking her Masters in Music. An award-winning pianist, Grace will accompany Michelle during the recital, alongside guest singer Maggie Lai, who taught Michelle when she was admitted to the HKAPA’s Junior Music Programme at the age of 12.

Grace is full of praise for Michelle’s pure and versatile voice and clearly has a lot of trust in her protégée. “City Hall is traditionally known for hosting classical music events,” she says, with a smile. “I have never played pop songs or songs from musicals in this venue so it will be quite interesting to see. There is going to be lots of improvisation!”

Happy to have the opportunity to share her diverse repertoire and perhaps shake City Hall audiences up a little, Michelle is looking forward to singing one song in particular – O Daddy and Mummy , her own composition.

“It is my own story and first-ever composition. When I joined a radio programme in 2014, they wanted me to compose a song for the show which was about parent-child relationships. I had never composed before and eventually I chose this story. The song is about how I was born; I couldn’t see and my parents loved me a lot… supported me. I am really lucky to be singing it during this concert.

“Embrace your talent, embrace your children’s talent. This will give you confidence and hope, even if you are physically unlike most people, you can be as good as anybody else if not better,” concludes Michelle, calling on all young people to embrace their differences and believe in themselves.

Category 1 - Primary School Students

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Category 2 - Secondary School Students

The three finalists in each category have won book vouchers:

Winner: HK$1,500

1st runner-up: HK$1,000

2nd runner-up: HK$800

We would like to thank all the students and voters who took part in this year’s rabbit-themed CNY drawing competition.

Love.Together@DB is a community-caring platform initiated by Hong Kong Resort Company dedicated to serving the Discovery Bay community. The platform has been supporting and coorganising diversified corporate social responsibility initiatives with NGO’s, community leaders and volunteers to promote the loving and caring culture in the sustainable and multicultural DB community.