Rachmaninov once said, ‘Music is enough for a lifetime, but a lifetime is not enough for music.’ Agree and disagree. Music is not enough for my appetite and I determine to lead several lives simultaneously.
Life No.1: Jenny as an international award-winning radio presenter in classical music and fine arts. She is occasionally involved in TV productions. She has been MC, concert narrator, pre-concert talk speaker for major cultural arts institutions in Hong Kong. She enjoys writing for www.interlude.hk.
Life No.2: Jenny as the Founder and Artistic Director of The Silver Club. In 05/2012, she founded a non-profit organization to provide arts activities to people aged 50 or above. ‘Silver Angels’, the young and talented volunteers, provides free performance and community service. Her dream to serve the society comes true!
Life No.3: Jenny as a qin player. She played in HK, China and UK. She was featured in two documentary films on qin, produced by Deyin Qin Society. She presented a lecture-recital on qin at Royal Academy of Music’s York Gate Research Event. In 07/2009, she played and gave an introductory talk on qin at University of Hong Kong Summer Institute. She is now studying her part-time PhD on qin at University of Hong Kong, under Daniel Chua and Chan Hing-Yan.
Life No.3: Jenny as a multi-media artist and arts educator. In 12/2009, she collaborated with HKDuo in a successful multi-media concert, ‘Duo and Duologue-in memory of Nadia Boulanger’, in which she was the director, scriptwriter, actress (as Nadia) and dancer. Since then, she has been directing and performing qin in several music-theatre productions for AFTEC. She loves working with young people. Since 2010, she has been teaching a postgraduate course on integrated arts at University of Hong Kong, SPACE and conducting music workshops for ‘Arts Ambassador-in-School Scheme’, presented by HK Arts Development Council and AFTEC.
Life No.4: Jenny as an explorer. In 1/2011, She was awarded a WKCDA Fellowship to enter the ‘Advanced Cultural Leadership Program’, organized by the University of Hong Kong and UK’s Clore Leadership. In 3/2008, she was chosen to participate in RTHK’s training course on politics, social and cultural issues of China at the Sun Yat-sen University. Since 2007, she has been listed in HK government’s ‘Central Personality Index’ by Home Affairs Bureau.
Life No.5: Jenny as a student. She started to learn qin, piano, ballet, drama, literature, painting, and Chinese calligraphy at a young age. Having graduated from Kings College London with a First Class Honours degree in music with the Adam Undergraduate Prize, she gained a Masters in Piano Performance and LRAM from Royal Academy of Music in London, where she learnt piano with Aaron Shorr, Daniel- Ben Pienaar and Patsy Toh, wife of Fu’Tsong.
Life No. 6: Jenny as a girl. She likes pink and roses. She enjoys yoga, beauty stuff, fashion, cooking, reading, hanging out with friends and travelling. She admires French culture. She thinks that love is the most beautiful thing in life!
How can I achieve all these? ‘Chances and choices,’ Joshua Bell told me in an interview.