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August 22 – September 4, 2014
NEWS & PERSPECTIVES
Epoch Times
All photos courtesy of loh jun hong
More than Music with Violinist Loh Jun Hong Singaporean Violinist, Loh Jun Hong
Violinist continued from Page 1 Studying at Yong Siew Toh Conservatory enabled him to experience the beautiful emotions and stories within music, and he soon recognised it was his goal to bring all these wonderful experiences to his audiences. Since then, the easy-going 24-year-old has numerous awards under his belt, which include 1st Prize and Audience award at the Atlantic Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition in Boston, 1st Prize at the Singapore National Piano and Violin Competition (Senior), 3rd Prize at the 13th Andrea Postacchini International Competition held in Fermo, Italy, and 5th prize at the Canetti International Violin Competition held in Turkey. Labelled a rising star in the annual “Asia Rising Stars” series with the City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong, and featured as one of Singapore’s notable musical talents in a Channel NewsAsia documentary series entitled “Asia’s Wonder Kids”, Jun Hong is dedicated to sharing magical moments with his audiences and leaving them with memorable evenings through music. “My goal will be to allow audiences to hear what musicians hear,” Jun Hong shared. He added, “The way to do it, I believe, is to change the presentation of classical music.” That is the reason he co-founded “More than Music” with local pianist Abigail Sin. He desires to change the perception that classical music
is boring by presenting classical music in a more engaging and casual manner through intimate sharing of personal stories with the audiences. “It allows us to share something as intimate as emotions with a complete stranger and that is something special indeed,” he said. Having obtained his Bachelor of Music (1st class honours) from Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music in 2009, and a Master of Music from the Juilliard School in New York City, Jun Hong visualises a culturally vibrant Singapore in the future, and is excited to be part of the change in Singapore’s cultural and arts scene. “As part of the younger generation, I want to be part of that change, to be one of the catalysts for Singapore’s movement towards a vibrant arts scene,” he enthused. When did your love for music start? When did you realise that you want to be a violinist? I actually started just like any regular kid in Singapore. I showed interest in music since my sister used to play a little bit of piano at home, so my parents thought it’d be nice to have me play the violin so that we can play together some time. Just like every other Singaporean child, my focus was always on academics. But, I was a very competitive child and so I was quite driven to improve and get better in music. It is hard to say that a child can love classical
music as one is simply too young. For me at first, it was something that I wanted to be good at. It was only till much later on, when I was 16-17, that I truly started to love music. Being surrounded by music while I was in the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory surfaced all of the wonderful intricacies and beauty in music. I came to hear all of the nuances, the emotions and stories within music. It was then that I knew my goal was to share this experience that I experienced with more audiences. What is the importance of music in your life? What does music mean to you? It is hard to describe what music is but I do have an analogy that I always use. Imagine being in a world where food has no tastes, or where everything we see is in grayscale without colours. That is the world without music. Music brings colours and life to our world and reminds us to cherish and appreciate the beauty of the present. It allows us to share something as intimate as emotions with a complete stranger and that is something special indeed. Tell us a memory, or an experience where a simple tune touched you and showed you something about life. I remember listening to Quator Ebene’s live performance of Schubert’s Cello Quintet in C in Verbier, Switzerland, and thinking to myself that if people heard this live performance, they’ll come to find inner peace just like I did.
The hour-long work takes us through all of the struggles, beauty, longing and passions in life. It felt as though I experienced another person’s soul. You pursued music studies at Juilliard School in New York. Tell us more about your school life in Juilliard School. How have the teachings of Prof Glenn Dicterow, Joseph Lin and Sylvia Rosenberg influenced you? I think perhaps the best thing about Juilliard is being in the centre of New York. Never before have I been so exposed to all of the wonderful vibrant culture that is New York. One comes to realise that all arts are inter-connected. I had the chance to be inspired by the very best of jazz, broadway, dance and art. Of course, my teachers at Juilliard made a huge difference in my journey. Prof Glenn Dicterow was not just a great teacher but also a wonderful role model as a person. He helped to solidify my musical personality by giving me the confidence of an artist. Joseph Lin opened my ears to the possibility of different soundscapes. He was always talking about different colours and atmospheres. Sylvia Rosenberg had a very big focus on the composer’s intent. She also helped to ground my technique which allowed me to play more freely. All of these different styles of teaching gave me an abundance of ideas for my music. How
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your approach to playing and rendering music? Feel with your heart and love the music. Audiences will hear the emotions you put into the music, and from there they will be touched and share in your music. Are there any musicians, and especially violinists, whom you admire and why? If you could collaborate with any artists – living or dead – whom would you choose and why? Maxim Venergov is definitely my role model. He has the freshest ideas and the [violin playing with the most conviction] in the world. While hearing him play, one will feel as though his interpretation is so interesting; at the same time, one is completely convinced by his ideas. After hearing him, it feels as though his interpretation is the only interpretation worth playing. In what ways would you like to contribute to the local music scene in Singapore? After experiencing the cultural vibrancy of New York and Europe, I decided to bring all of the fantastic experiences I lived with there, back to Singapore. I saw what Singapore can be like in the future, a city also known for its culture and arts, where people will travel from the region to Singapore to watch performances and be surrounded by art and culture. As part of the younger generation, I want to be part of that change, to be one of the catalysts for Singapore’s