How the Asian Youth Orchestra is marching on after co-founder Richard Pontzious’ death in 2020
- The AYO will hold its first Hong Kong concerts without its American co-founder Richard Pontzious next weekend, before taking off for Thailand, Taiwan and Japan
- This year has seen the orchestra recover to its full size following the lifting of pandemic travel restrictions
A gaping void will be apparent at next weekend’s (August 12-13) homecoming for the Asian Youth Orchestra (AYO), its first concerts in Hong Kong without the larger-than-life presence of its American co-founder Richard Pontzious, who died in 2020.
“He was the fundraiser. He was the writer. He was the musician. He was the whole package,” says Keith Lau, the orchestra’s Hong Kong-born general manager, who has taken over the day-to-day running of the 33-year-old training platform for aspiring professional musicians.
The orchestra was entirely Pontzious’ idea. Back in the 1980s, he was conductor-in-residence at the prestigious Shanghai Conservatory of Music. He had already spent two decades teaching music in Taiwan and Japan, and strongly felt that young musicians in the region lacked the visibility and opportunity to take their careers further.
It was a testament to his power of persuasion that he convinced the legendary violinist Yehudi Menuhin to be the AYO’s founding music director in 1987, and secured long-term patronage from wealthy music lovers in Hong Kong, the city where he decided to launch the orchestra.
Each year, he would audition musicians aged 17-27 for entry to an intense summer camp of rehearsals and masterclasses, followed by high-level public performances in multiple cities. Musicians stay with the orchestra for a year, before a new cohort is recruited.
As the AYO continued to take on board 100 new musicians each summer, the alumni body grew to number thousands, with many placed in professional orchestras around the world.
“The doctor was very kind,” Lau recalls. “[Richard] was in intensive care for a long time and the doctor would let me see him once a week. It was a special arrangement because with Covid, you are not supposed to visit in a public hospital.
“And then later, when we moved him to a private hospital, I stayed with him 24 hours in the hospital.”
Lau and Pontzious were inseparable for nearly three decades. The former was working for an airline when they first met, and it was Pontzious who introduced him to the world of classical music and then made him general manager of the AYO in 1998.
“I just learned from the job. He often said that I had good ears. Especially in the later years we would often look at each other during an audition and silently agree on who was good and who was a ‘no, thank you’. And now, I’ve been with the orchestra for 25 years,” he says.
A major reason why the AYO has kept going after Pontzious died – leaving no succession plan – is because of the continued financial support from patrons such as Jim Thompson, the billionaire founder, CEO and chairman of logistics firm Crown Worldwide, and chairman of the orchestra’s board.
“When Richard was still in hospital, Jim asked me what would happen if we lost him and I said I didn’t know. Even before, when the board asked me what would happen if Richard decided to retire, I would say I didn’t know. Richard Pontzious was AYO,” Lau says.
But Lau carried on, by default, with the board’s encouragement. The artistic side of things is now being taken care of by principal conductor Joseph Bastian, who has been touring with the AYO for several years, and the new assistant conductor, Hong Kong-born Sophie Mok.
“Conductors can never get sick, but we decided to have an assistant conductor for the first time this year,” Lau says. “Sophie has been studying in Miami and she was picked out of over 50 applicants for the position.”
The orchestra regrouped in 2022 after travel restrictions were lifted, after which successful applicants from the pandemic years, plus new recruits, all got together in Bergamo, Italy for summer camp, rehearsals and concerts in Italy and Germany.
Richard was the whole package and you can never find another one like him anywhere
That year’s intake was half the usual size of a 100-strong orchestra. This year, however, has seen it recover to the full level, with players coming from 12 different countries and territories, including Singapore, Taiwan, Macau, mainland China, Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines and Hong Kong.
“This is the first time we have someone from Uzbekistan. Javlon Khayitov is a bassoon player currently studying in Singapore. He’s a very good player,” Lau says.
The orchestra has just completed its European tour after summer camp in Bergamo. It will give two public concerts in Hong Kong on August 12 and 13 before taking off again for Thailand, Taiwan and Japan.
The young musicians are getting to play with well-established professionals as usual: for this tour they are violinist Ning Feng, cellist Alban Gerhardt and soprano Lydia Teuscher, who appear in two programmes that range from Rossini’s rousing William Tell Overture to Mahler’s contemplative Symphony No. 4.
The fact that Pontzious’ spirit remains with the orchestra is made clear by the AYO’s decision to keep his name prominently on the concert fliers.
Even before this year’s tour is over, Lau is already agonising over next year’s arrangements.
“One challenge is to look for space to rehearse in Hong Kong. We can’t keep going to Bergamo and Hong Kong has always been a good base because every musician from Asia can get a visa to come here. We used to go to Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts but they are getting busy.”
In terms of Pontzious’ legacy, Lau is of the view that “if it ain’t broke” then they might as well keep the operational model as it is.
“Richard was the whole package and you can never find another one like him anywhere. What I am doing now is what I was doing before, plus a little bit more of the fundraising and writing to the sponsors to stay in touch. Fortunately, everybody’s been very kind so far.”
Asian Youth Orchestra, Hong Kong City Hall Concert Hall, August 12-13, 7.30pm
