Leung Kin-fung

Over the past 40 years, Music Office has nurtured generations of musicians and music lovers. To commemorate this moment, Music Office has invited some outstanding alumni and former Music Administrators to share their precious moments at Music Office.

Leung Kin-fung (Former trainee of the Music Office, former member of the Hong Kong Youth Symphony Orchestra )

Leung Kin-fung joined the Hong Kong Youth Symphony Orchestra of the Music Office in 1978. He had been a member of the orchestra throughout his entire secondary school life. He was like treading on ice when he first joined the orchestra. He said, “There were so many experienced big brothers and sisters in the orchestra, and I was just a green lad.” However, what he enjoyed most was playing in the orchestra. “When I studied at university in the United States, I resolved to be an orchestra musician, but not a soloist like Yo-Yo Ma. One more thing was that I wished I could hold one of the two seats in the front row of the orchestra.” He believed that the guidance of conductors and instructors given to him during his long period of training in the youth orchestra had in some way determined the direction and objectives of his career. Mr Leung recalled that he was a bit lucky to get admitted into the Music Office orchestra. “I lived in the mainland when I was small, and I moved to Hong Kong later. I had been learning music from my father. In my early days in Hong Kong, my father thought that I should broaden my horizon by learning from others. At that time, we lived in Tung Ping Building, and it happened that one of the music centres of the Music Office was located in the same building.” Owing to the close proximity, coupled with limited choices for learning music in Hong Kong in the late 1970s, Mr Leung applied to join the Music Office orchestra. “Apart from the Music Office, there were actually no other alternatives. I still remember the moment when my father walked me from home to the music centre which was located in a commercial/ residential flat on the other side of the building.” Though the auditions of the orchestra were stringent, Mr Leung was brilliant enough to be recruited into the string orchestra. Soon after he got used to making music with others, he was recommended to join the Hong Kong Youth Symphony Orchestra (B). Mr Leung said that it was an orchestra at elementary level for trainees to familiarise with playing in an orchestra. “One day, I received a letter notifying me that I would become a member of Orchestra (A) of the Hong Kong Youth Symphony Orchestra. It was the most encouraging moment in my life. I had been happy for a whole month. At that time, I did not know how to react, but later I came to know that it was very important to me. My dream to perform in an orchestra came true. The letter was framed and is still in good shape.” In retrospect, Mr Leung considered the satisfaction and confidence he gained in music was originated from the training in the orchestra. In Mr Leung’s view, apart from outstanding performing technique, a principal violinist is also required to communicate with others. “I can tell you that the time I spend on communication with conductors and musicians is much more than that on performance and practice. I’m sure that these communication skills were somehow acquired from my training in the Music Office.” He believed that the growing up environment is crucial to the mastery of communication skills. “I often tell my children and students not to confine themselves to room practice. Instead, they should go out to engage in chamber music or small orchestral performance. Through human interaction, music conveys ideas. It is no longer a series of notes.” Mr Leung is currently the First Associate Concertmaster of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra and the Performing Arts Director of the Diocesan Girls’ School. In leading a school orchestra, he keeps encouraging his students to interact with others. “School orchestral training is more than an extra-curricular activity. The exchange of ideas and reaching out, be they beyond school campus or outside Hong Kong, are all vital to music. In all circumstances, we have to seize the opportunities to exchange with others through which music learning becomes much easier.” To date, Mr Leung has realised his dream with wide recognition. In 2015, he received the Hong Kong Arts Development Award - Artist of the Year (Music) from the Hong Kong Arts Development Council. To him, music is closely related to thinking. He said, “One has to pay attention to both the pitch and rhythm of music at the same time, and to strike a balance between the quality of timbres and preservation of the style of the composer. This requires a lot of thinking as well as physical coordination. Music certainly gives our brains a good workout.”

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