For Macau-born conductor Lio Kuok-man, music is the air he breathes
33-year-old talks about what inspired him, which music he listens to, why he's stopped dressing only in black, and how cooking and conducting compare
Lio Kuok-man, 33, was appointed assistant conductor of the Philadelphia Orchestra in 2014. He appears regularly in Hong Kong, where he trained at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts.
: It would be a mistake. That's from Nietzsche. And I think so too. Music is a very important part of our life. Let's not talk about pop, classical, or Chinese music — it doesn't matter. Music itself is so important; can you imagine life without it? There's no way. Music to me is air.
It has been my dream since I was four. My mother brought me to my first concert and I was mesmerised by this long-haired conductor waving his "chopstick". Afterwards, I told my mum that's what I wanted to be. The concert [by the then Macau Orchestra] left a lasting impression on me and I can still remember it was a Brahms symphony that they played. I started learning the piano shortly after and I came to Hong Kong to study at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts when I was 16. But it wasn't until after I finished my master's degree in New York that I finally got to fulfil my dream in conducting [at the Curtis Institute and the New England Conservatory of Music].
It's a very personal choice, actually. Without the baton I feel freer with my hands but with it it's clearer because it's basically an extension of your arm, so people can see it better. It depends on the music and how I can serve the musicians. I go sometimes with and sometimes without depending on the context.