Give Hong Kong's young talent a greater voice, says multi-talented composer Anna Lo Yee-kwan
Multi-talented composer strikes chord with new generation
The city's younger generation should exercise their right in trying new things without fear, a leading young Hong Kong-born composer and performer says.
Multi-talented Anna Lo Yee-kwan, 29, reflected on the opportunities the city offers young people based on her encounters since returning from the United States with two music degrees and an award under her belt.
"Young people should not be afraid to try out new things without necessarily following the set way of the older generation," Lo said ahead of the premiere on Friday of her music set to novelist Chan Koon-chung's famous Hong Kong Trilogy.
"I believe the new generation absolutely has the ability and the right to create something new or apply a new way for old things. That is the way to go," she added.
Returning to Hong Kong in 2011 after attending Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Berklee College of Music, Lo felt a gap between her music training and the arts scene in Hong Kong.
"At first I thought the music industry was small in Hong Kong, so professionals should get more chances. But I was wrong.
"I had hoped to write popular songs but the city was dominated by karaoke songs in ballad style. I wasn't interested in that and felt disconnected," she added.