Dr Philbert Li’s inspirational journey in music continues on

Dr Philbert Li King-yue, a pianist who joined the Department of Cultural and Creative Arts (CCA) in 2020, graduated with first class honours in the Bachelor of Education (Honours) (Music) programme at EdUHK in 2014, and received a scholarship to further his journey in music in the US. Throughout his musical pursuit, the motivational teachings of his professors and lecturers at EdUHK have helped him to overcome hurdles along the way.

“Learn to be an honest and decent person before becoming an artist” is the motto that Dr Philbert Li King-yue, an alumnus of EdUHK and a lecturer in the Department of Cultural and Creative Arts (CCA), holds dear to his heart. His professors at EdUHK were the ones who opened his eyes to the wisdom in understanding that to become an outstanding musician, one needs to practise repeatedly with an unwavering attitude. There are no alternatives or no shortcuts to success. To this day, these teachings – reinforced by his own experiences – still guide him in everything he does.

Philbert’s musical journey started when he first heard his cousin play the piano. Even though he was only a kindergartener, the experience lit a flame of interest in him regarding the piano. Little Philbert promptly asked his mother if he could learn how to play as well. Running his fingers over the black and white keys for hours every day, Philbert’s piano skills improved at a steady pace. “After years of consistent practice, I reached a level at which I could comfortably perform on stage by the time I was a secondary school student,” he said.

Enrolling in a programme at EdUHK was the natural next step for him. His intuition that this was the right choice proved correct. His impressive performance at the University won him the EdUHK Scholarship for Academic Excellence (Doctoral Programme), supporting his choice to continue his doctoral studies in musical arts (piano performance) at the Arizona State University. While studying in the US, Philbert stayed true to what he had learnt from his teachers at EdUHK. Their teachings gave him the strength and courage he needed to overcome difficulties in the years ahead.

While Philbert was in the US, he received an invitation to perform at the American Liszt Society Festival. “I was under a lot of pressure. Even though I had practised day and night, I still felt that there were imperfections in my performance,” he recalled. There came a day Philbert practised all night until dawn to prepare for the upcoming festival. Exhausted as he made his way back home, he couldn’t help thinking: “Maybe I should stop rehearsing and just play it the way it is right now on stage. Every performance has flaws. It’s not like everyone can hear the flaws anyway."

Just as he was beginning to convince himself that he should give up practising, the words of Dr Annie Mok suddenly sprung to mind. Dr Mok had once shared with Philbert, “There were times I felt depressed while I was studying for my doctorate in the UK. I would then hum a song or two all the way back to my dormitory to cheer myself up.”

The young musician imitated what Dr Mok did and hummed The Music’s Always There With You, a song that he had sung many times in the EdUHK choir. As he did, the lyrics came back to him with more clarity than ever before. “This song reminded me that music has always been with me,” Philbert said. “I remembered the most important thing was to be responsible, and do my best to prepare. I shouldn’t give up so quickly.” After a long rest, he felt refreshed and continued to practise even harder. When the festival came, he completed his performance without a hitch. The positive reception he received at the festival encouraged him to try his very best to shine in the world of music.

What he learnt, however, is that success does not come easily. It usually comes with setbacks along the way. Today, Philbert is a skillful pianist. He performs with full confidence onstage. But to get to this point, he experienced multiple challenges throughout his musical pursuit. “One spring, I had the chance to play in my first concert for my doctoral degree. I played well in the first half of the concert, but I made a huge mistake at the beginning of the second half,” he recalled. Philbert was very frustrated by his blunder, which he thought should not have happened at all. “I played the remaining part of the piece in despair. I just wanted to finish it as soon as possible.”

His poor performance in the concert weighed on him heavily for a while. In the midst of his depression, a professor visited one day and invited him to play in a concert outside the school. “I realised it was a good opportunity for me to replay the song that I messed up last time. I wanted to see if I could learn from the experience, and give a better performance,” Philbert recollected.

Determined, he doubled his efforts during practice to make sure he had it right. On the day of the concert, his performance this time was flawless, winning him warm praise from his professor. In fact, his professor, Dr Baruch Meir, said it was the best performance he had ever witnessed from Philbert. “The professor treated me to an Indian meal to celebrate. That was my first time having Indian food. Even today, every time I see or smell Indian food, the memory of my first Indian meal comes back,” Philbert said fondly. Through the experience, Philbert understood that to be human is to make mistakes. “The most important thing is to not let it beat you, but to be tenacious and rise up again to the challenge,” he said.

Philbert believes a good musician is not just a person who plays an instrument; a good musician is a storyteller who narrates a story with each musical note. Today, one of the biggest drivers behind his continuous efforts to perfect his music is the desire to use music to move people. Among all the concerts he has performed in, in places like Russia, Belgium and the US, one concert in particular has left an indelible mark on his mind. It was a small performance held at a gallery in Arizona. A family stepped into the gallery while Philbert was playing a Beethoven piece. “Usually, on such occasions, people listen at the door for a while and then leave. But this family came in, sat down and listened attentively,” Philbert recounted. He was inwardly startled to hear the sounds of someone weeping coming from the crowd. A lady in the family had broken into tears, deeply moved by the last movement of the Beethoven piece.

After he had finished playing, the lady came forward to thank him. “Your music reminded me of something that happened to me when I was younger,” she said. “After crying, I feel like I’ve regained my spirits. Thank you.” The short encounter was profoundly encouraging to Philbert, marking his discovery of how his music can touch and impact the lives of others. The experience also re-affirmed his commitment to be a musician. “I want to sharpen my musical skills and sense, to play better music and bring music to a bigger audience,” Philbert said, smiling.

After returning from his studies in the US, Philbert chose to serve his alma mater to teach music. Once a student and now a lecturer at CCA, Philbert is thrilled to work with his former professors. Enthusiastic about passing on his knowledge and experiences, Philbert advises his fellow EduHK juniors to actively participate in musical activities and performances both inside and outside the University. “You may be a musician with many creative ideas, but what an individual can do on their own is limited,” he said.

Philbert believes in the magic of interactions. He encourages EdUHK students to interact more with their professors and fellow seniors. “Interactions inspire us,” he said. “It is better to enjoy music with other people than enjoying music alone.” If you ever bump into Philbert on campus, maybe you should invite him to a casual jamming session. Who knows? You may be unexpectedly surprised.

Click here to learn more about Dr Philbert Li King-yue..