Concert Hall, HK City Hall Tomorrow-Jan 31, 8pm, Sat, 3pm Lio Kuok-man still remembers the moment he wanted to become a music conductor - he was four-and-a-half years old and at a concert listening to Brahms' Symphony No 2. 'I was quite a hyperactive child and could never sit still,' he says. 'But [at] this concert, I was mesmerised by what the conductor was doing. I like the idea of sharing the stage with others. Conducting is having a continuous dialogue and engagement with other performers.' This weekend Lio, 28, will conduct the Hong Kong Virtuosi and Opera Society of Hong Kong in La Fille du Regiment (The Daughter of the Regiment), a French opera by Gaetano Donizetti. Directed by Lo King-man, the production also features singers Christina Haldane, Lam Wing-wing, John Zuckerman, Chen Yong, Alex Tam and Brian Montgomery. Lio has devised a scenic narrative that tells the tale of Marie, who was abandoned near the army camp and brought up by the collective fatherhood of an entire regiment. Lio (right), who has been the assistant conductor of the Curtis Opera Theatre for productions such as Don Giovanni, Le Nozze di Figaro and Carmen, says working with singers adds another dimension to conducting. 'So it's not just the orchestra in front of you ... there are also the singers, the text, the drama and the story, so as the conductor you also need to have a good sense of what's happening on stage and timing to sync the music with action,' he says.'Each singer may have a different rhythm in delivering their dialogue, so you have to look out for that as well.' Lauded by the Philadelphia Inquirer as 'a startling conducting talent', Lio is a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music with a double major in orchestral conducting and harpsichord. After graduating from The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, he was awarded a fellowship to pursue a Master's degree in piano performance at the Juilliard School, where he also studied conducting and chamber music. 5 Edinburgh Place, Central, HK$150-HK$600. Inquiries: 2268 7321
