A big step on the long road to becoming a conductor
Dr Leung Chi-hin, Assistant Professor of CCA and Director of EdUHK Orchestra, says to be a student conductor is never an easy role to play. They need to convince other student musicians that they have the calibre to teach and lead them. He encourages them to move forward regardless of the difficulties and provides them with as much space as possible to grow and develop through first-hand experience.
Nancy has tried a number of musical endeavours during her four years of studying music at CCA. She says, “Among them, conducting has become a major part of my university life.”
Adrianna says her small body builds puts her at a disadvantageous position. To compensate, Adrianna needs to imitate the gestures, facial expressions of successful conductors. She also needs to understand the performing pieces thoroughly so she can give feedback to instrumentalists from different sections of the ensemble.
The EdUHK Orchestra’s annual show on 31 May, 2023 happened like other orchestral performance held at the Shatin Town Hall Auditorium. However, this show held extraordinary meaning for Nancy Kong Hau-yuet and Adrianna Chui Hei-wing, as it marked their debut in publicly conducting a full orchestra.
Nancy Kong Hau-yuet, nicknamed Moon, is a fifth-year student of the co-terminal double degree programme of Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Creative Arts and Culture and Bachelor of Education (Honours) (Music) [DD-BA(CAC) & BEd(MU)] from the Department of Cultural and Creative Arts (CCA). Adrianna Chui Hei-wing, one year below Nancy, attends the same programme. It took 15 minutes for Nancy to conduct Johannes Strauss II’ Kaiser-Waltz, Op. 437, and the same for Adrianna to conduct each of Johannes Brahms’ Hungarian Dance No. 1 and Antonin Dvorak’s Slavonic Dance, Op. 48, No. 8 that night. But it took years for them to master the skills and build up the confidence to lead an orchestra in public.
Their forays into conducting took place at CCA a few years ago. It was Nancy who ignited the first spark in Adrianna’s heart to become a conductor. “Back to 2020, when I was a first-year student, I sang in a school choir performance conducted by Moon. I think it is such a cool thing to be a female conductor. Her conducting motivated me to accept the invitation of taking up the student conductor post for the school’s wind ensemble when I was a second-year student,” said Adrianna. When she moved on to her third year of study, she became one of the student conductors of the school orchestra, taking one more step further in her venture into conductorship.
Adrianna plays at the EdUHK Western Chamber Music Ensemble Annual Performance on 20 July, 2023. At EdUHK, there is always a chance for young, talented musicians to expand their horizons and gain experience among the wide range of ensembles available at the University.
Adrianna has been playing the clarinet since secondary school. It was therefore natural for Adrianna to start her conducting endeavour in a wind ensemble. A short course on conducting at CCA and an array of online and on-campus master classes helped her to acquire basic knowledge and techniques about conducting, such as beat patterns and conducting gestures. Acquiring skills aside, Adrianna has gone a long way in overcoming the challenges posed by her own personality before taking up the task. “I am a born introvert. I am used to practise clarinet on my own. But as a conductor, I need to listen to how the ensemble members play and give feedback. I need to convey my expectation of the performance for them,” she said.
The clarinetist-turned-conductor has gradually changed parts her personality since taking up the baton. Once a quiet person, she now gives heed to how to communicate her ideas and emotions effectively through words, facial expressions and body gestures. Aware of the fact that many musical works are recounting a story, Adrianna spends time understanding the background of a musical piece so she can explain the story to student musicians. “A musical piece, for instance, may be about a romance story, where the bassoon plays the male suitor and the flute acts as his lover. To be able to tell the story through music, the bassoon and flute players need to project themselves into the male and female roles of the story,” she said.
Nancy has been playing the violin since kindergarten. Even though she has shifted her focus to conducting, she still likes playing her favourite instrument at musical events organised by the department.
Like Adrianna and many students at CCA, Nancy has had a fondness for music since childhood, with the violin being her choice of instrument. Similar to Adrianna, CCA was the place where Nancy started her conducting journey. She made her debut during her second year at CCA when she conducted the school choir. “I play the violin well, but I was not good at singing. It was tough leading a 70-member choir to sing. I needed to learn how to sing so I could explain my expectations for them,” Nancy said.
After accumulating experience in conducting a choir, Nancy expanded her repertoire by leading the school’s handbell team and EdUHK Orchestra. She finds that conducting a choir and an orchestra requires very different skills. While the key for conducting a choir is knowing how to instill among choir members a feeling of being connected with each other and when to cue the choristers to breathe during a performance, an orchestra demands a precise beat. The conductor also needs to give individual sections of an ensemble cues as to when to join or leave. “Moon has made great progress when moving from conducting a choir to an orchestra. She began to be able to command the orchestral ensemble where to start, change tempo, and end accurately,” said Dr Leung Chi-hin, Assistant Professor of CCA and Director of EdUHK Orchestra.
They need to know how to convey a message accurately to help the ensemble to bring out the best in their instruments. This is very abstract.
Dr Leung is passionate about helping his students to unlock their musical potential. He considers conducting a very valuable experience for young musicians. “In every performance, there is only one conductor. To conduct well, they need to have a broad range of musical knowledge, including musical piece’s historical background and style of the composer. Putting all their skills and knowledge together, they need to know how to convey a message accurately to help the ensemble to bring out the best in their instruments. This is very abstract,” said Dr Leung.
People say that a conductor is tripling up on their roles, as the teacher and leader of their ensemble. To be a good conductor, they need to make sure the music is played accurately with the appropriate style. They also need to take the reins and instill team spirit and morale. “It is a difficult role to play. After all, they are students. Other student musicians might challenge their authority to teach and lead them. I encourage them to move forward regardless of such difficulties and provide them with as much space as possible, so they can develop themselves through first-hand experience,” Dr Leung said.
CCA provides many opportunities for its students to sharpen their instrumental, vocal and conducting skills. In the photo, Nancy conducts a performance by the school’s handbell team at a school event.
Music didn’t stop during the pandemic. In the photo, Nancy leads the school choir to sing songs to cheer people up during a time the pandemic is still raging.
Being an orchestral conductor is not easy. Directing instrumentalists of different sections—strings, woodwind, brass and percussion—to play music with the desired style and interpretation is an art. The conductor needs to be aware of all the things happening throughout a performance. It is doubly difficult for a female to be an orchestral conductor. The public has a stereotype that males are better conductors, especially for orchestras. The stereotype creates extra hurdles for Nancy and Adrianna to overcome when building their authority among their fellow musician classmates.
“While there are females conducting choirs, it is uncommon for an orchestra to be led by a female. People tend to think that male conductors are the natural match for the storminess, majesty and depth that classical pieces should display. In the business of conducting, the bigger physiques and louder voices of males in general can grant them more authority to marshal an ensemble of musicians. My small body build puts me at a disadvantageous position,” Adrianna said.
Despite such challenges, Adrianna and Nancy have gained greater acceptance as conductors from their fellow classmates over the years. One time, Adrianna was dressed in a short skirt when conducting the school wind ensemble. “One of my CCA teachers told me that this would undermine my authority as a conductor,” she said. Now, whenever Adrianna and Nancy step on the conductor’s podium, they will don the typical black outfit conductors wear, with light makeup and tied-back hair. Winning back authority through appearance is one of the practical tips that they learnt at CCA.
CCA invites professional musicians from outside to perform at the University so our student musicians can learn from them. Adrianna conducts at the Interactive Orchestral Performance of the EdUHK Orchestra held on 28 March, 2023, under the guidance of Ms Yip Wing-sie. Ms Yip is a highly-acclaimed and influential figure on the local and regional musical scene.
Mr Victor Tam, centre, is one of the resident musicians invited by CCA to share their experience in playing instruments, singing, conducting and composing with our students. In the photo, Adrianna poses with Mr Tam, her mentor in conducting wind band, at the EdUHK Symphonic Band Annual Performance on 18 May, 2023. She is thankful to Mr Tam for teaching her many subtle ways to improve her communication with people.
Experiences have informed the pair of the importance of authority and confidence when leading a musical ensemble. Exposure at CCA has shown them that a conductor should know something about anything in music. Through courses at CCA and self-studies, they have enhanced their listening and score-reading abilities, honed their instrumental and vocal techniques, and gained knowledge about music criticism and history. Besides learning through formal and textbook-based means, CCA also invites experts in the field to share with our students their precious on-the-ground experience in conducting.
Mr Kelvin Ngai Lung-shing, guest conductor for many of the city’s professional orchestral groups, and Mr Victor Tam Tze-fai, founder of the Hong Kong Wind Philharmonia and Hong Kong Chamber Wind Philharmonia, are two Artist-in-Residents who have joined forces with our staff to coach our students. Nancy is particularly grateful to Mr Ngai for observing her conducting in detail and giving nuanced advice. Adrianna is thankful to Mr Tam for being her mentor in conducting her wind band. “Mr Tam taught me many subtle ways to improve my communication with people,” said Adrianna.
To an aspiring musician and conductor like Nancy and Adrianna, small words can bring enduring positive impact. Nancy and Adrianna are glad they were able to find mentors who have supported and guided them in their pursuit. Apart from Mr Ngai, Nancy particularly wants to thank Dr Paulina Wong Wai-ying, Assistant Professor of Teaching in CCA, for giving her many words of encouragement and concrete advice on her conducting.
Adrianna is grateful to have met Dr Calvin Lee during a time she harboured doubts about whether she was a capable conductor. Formerly a member of the teaching staff at CCA, Dr Lee reassured Adrianna that she has the potential to be a conductor and advised her to learn from online master classes he deemed inspiring. His confidence in Adrianna was justified: she won the Conducting/Directing (Choral/Instrument/Ensemble) Award 2022/23 for her outstanding performance over the years.
Besides studying, Moon, far left on the front, joined CCA’s student music association when she was a first-year student and became the first female president of the association in eight years. She says, “We are ‘comrades’ in music. It is such a wonderful experience that we can share the music we love, play music together, and organise activities to spread a lively culture of music among EdUHK students.”
Adrianna appreciates the many opportunities provided by the University for her musical pursuit. Besides taking up the new challenge of conducting, she continues to play the clarinet, her favourite instrument. In the photo, Adrianna, far left on the front row, poses with other clarinetists after the EdUHK Symphonic Band Christmas Showcase on 19 December, 2022.
They encouraged me to use my passion to ignite the passion of the next generation about music.
In her final year of study at CCA, Nancy is thinking of continuing to study with a master’s degree specialising in conducting or finding ensemble conducting jobs outsourced from schools. For several years, Adrianna, who has volunteered to lead various youth orchestral groups, wants to devote her time to promote wind instruments among Hong Kong people. “I’ve met many talented youngsters in Hong Kong Youth Wind Philharmonia. Some of them come from underprivileged families who don’t have much resources to learn music. Their seriousness towards music, however, impressed me. They encouraged me to use my passion to ignite the passion of the next generation about music,” she said.
A conductor is accountable for every sound that comes from an ensemble. Their duty is heavy, but the glory is great. Debuting this noble position at the EdUHK Orchestra’s annual show was a great blessing for Nancy and Adrianna. In their long conducting journey, it was a small but significant milestone. It will take them many more years before their character and skills are mature enough to enjoy the full glory of standing on the conductor podium amid the audience’s enthusiastic rounds of applause.
While ups and downs will be unavoidable during the musical journey ahead of them, the allure of music will continue to give Nancy and Adrianna the power to step forward. Nancy and Adrianna see each other as confidantes they can share both joyful and daunting moments with in their musical pursuits. “Conducting has become a major part of my university life,” Nancy said. All their teachers and mentors at CCA are pleased to see their determination to continue the journey. Throughout the process, CCA will support them in every way possible – whether they are students or alumni and regardless of whether they eventually become conductors or instrumentalists or music teachers, in all their highs and lows.
