Hong Kong's home-grown string quartet looks beyond city's squeeze
Despite a tiny rehearsal space and shoestring budget the musicians, who perform tonight, aspire to success both in Hong Kong and worldwide
Like many in the city, Hong Kong's first home-grown string quartet finds itself at the mercy of space constrictions.
The Romer String Quartet, named after Hong Kong's native Romer's tree frog, was formed just two years ago by four young musicians, all locally born and trained abroad. At an average age of 29, they have since overcome the challenges of a cramped rehearsal space and shoestring budget to find success in Hong Kong and abroad.
"We often press against windows or walls when we play and we have to take extra care with our bowing not to hit the score stands or even our bodies," said violist Ringo Chan, a graduate of the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts and Cincinnati Conservatory of Music.
The 1.7 by 2.9-metre space is all the upstart group can afford. But it hasn't stopped them from bringing their brand of classical music to the city and the world.
"String quartet is as much a standard genre as orchestra in Western classical music. But somehow Hong Kong has neither the tradition nor audience," said Kitty Cheung, the first violinist, on the eve of its recital tonight at the City Hall Theatre playing Haydn, Ravel and Beethoven and contemporary Polish composer Maciej Małecki.
"It is quite a challenge to introduce something that is actually old but is new to local audiences," Cheung, who has a doctorate degree at the Eastman School of Music in New York State, added.