How Asian Youth Orchestra changed a Hong Kong refugee's life
As the orchestra celebrates 25 years of making music, Allyson Chiu talks to Khac-Uyen Nguyen, whose 'fire of passion' for music was stoked by his time with the troupe while a refugee in Hong Kong, and helped him fulfil his dream of making it his career
A little over 25 years ago, Khac-Uyen Nguyen arrived in Hong Kong with his violin and a wish to make music his career. But as a Vietnamese refugee living in a camp, that dream seemed impossible – until the then 20-year-old auditioned for the Asian Youth Orchestra and was accepted.
“Before arriving [in] Hong Kong I had only ever been to two cities and those were in Vietnam. I had never met a foreigner,” says Nguyen, who is a founder and music director of Verdandi Camerata, a London-based orchestra that focuses providing a platform for recent music college graduates.
“Suddenly there I was, wearing an AYO T-shirt travelling, playing music and making friends with people from all over Asia.”
Despite the negative views of Vietnamese refugees at that time, Nguyen says he felt like he was “adopted” and “spoiled” by the troupe. Founded in 1990 as East Asia's counterpart to European youth orchestras, the Asian Youth Orchestra accepts around 100 aspiring musicians in their mid-teens to mid-20s each year following auditions in their home countries. They rehearse together before giving a series of concerts around the region over the summer.
“I was the first ever to represent Vietnam and that year I was the only one,” says Nguyen. “What I remember most vividly is how the music bonded us together despite the obvious differences, and many of us remain good friends until now.”