First, there’s cross-cultural collaboration. In 2010, Lee co-founded Musicus Society with her sister Lee Chui-yin, an organisation focused on connecting Hong Kong and international artists. She realised that such collaborations had two benefits: they enhanced the skills of Hong Kong musicians, while also showcasing their talents to international musicians.
Lee will perform with the Camerata Salzburg Orchestra at the 2023 edition of Musicus Fest, an annual festival organized by Musicus Society in Hong Kong. Photo: Musicus Society
“There were a lot of young people here. [in Hong Kong]”There are a lot of people like me who study classical music, but not everyone can go further and make it a career,” he says, pointing out the lack of opportunities for young artists to share the stage with world-class musicians or make professional connections with renowned soloists.
In 2022, Lee founded Musicus Soloists Hong Kong (MSHK), a chamber music ensemble made up of Hong Kong-born soloists with the aim of building a bridge between Hong Kong and Europe. In addition to performing domestically, the ensemble has also toured overseas twice, performing at concert halls such as the Konzerthaus Berlin in Germany and the House of Music in Budapest, Hungary.
As part of the Musicas Society’s annual Musicas Fest this year, MSHK will premiere a newly commissioned concerto at the Salle Gaveau in Paris, where musicians such as French composer Maurice Ravel have in the past premiered notable works.
“What I’ve noticed from the young Hong Kong artists that I’ve been performing with over the last few years is [that] “The level was phenomenal,” Lee said.
Twenty years ago, very few musicians were skilled enough to win international competitions, he added.
“every time [MSHK performs abroad]The response was, “I can’t believe Hong Kong can produce such a great level of performance from its young people. No one thinks of Hong Kong as a music city. Everyone thinks of it as finance, business, import and export.”
Lee (third from the right) will perform with Musicas Soloists Hong Kong at the Hungarian Music House in Budapest, Hungary in June 2024. Photo: Musicas Society
The MSHK received a warm welcome in Budapest in June, where Li and the ensemble performed a primarily Hungarian program alongside some of Hungary’s finest violinists.
“Hungarian music managers and critics came up to us and said, ‘Your music sounds so Hungarian,’ which is the best compliment because they are very proud of their music.”
“Stylistically, they’re like, ‘I can’t believe you’re all from Hong Kong.’ This kind of thing is really what makes Hong Kong famous.”
“What was really important to me from the beginning was to show the world that young Hong Kong artists are just as good, if not better, than all the other artists. [artists] What they’re going to play.
“Everyone in France knows Hong Kong, but how many know Hong Kong musicians? Some know them, but not enough. The majority of people… [Hong Kong] “There are a lot of people who come to Hong Kong for business and work, so we think it’s important to continue to increase this exposure for Hong Kong.”
For artists to thrive, and for the cultural scene as a whole to thrive, individuals need the space to try new things. Trey Lee
In addition to using cross-cultural collaboration to grow Hong Kong’s music scene, Lee believes that providing authentic and unique experiences is a good way to revitalize Hong Kong’s arts and culture scene and promote tourism through the arts.
“If it’s just about, ‘How do we get more people to sit in the seats in the concert hall?’ then you can do superficial things like pretty, attractive posters. But if you want people to be interested in the long term and understand why music and the arts are so important and necessary, I think you need to think a little deeper about why you’re doing it,” he says.
“Sometimes it’s important to choose the more difficult path.”
He points to his organisation’s Musicus Heritage initiative, which has seen world-class musicians perform at Hong Kong’s famous historic buildings, including the former Aberdeen Police Station and the former North Kowloon Courthouse.
“What are tourists looking for? They want authenticity. They’re not looking for a run-of-the-mill experience that you can get anywhere,” Lee said. “Why go all the way to Hong Kong? For example, if you come to one of our concerts in this unique Hong Kong-style architecture, you can’t get that experience anywhere else in the world. So that’s why you come to Hong Kong.”
“These buildings weren’t built in the last five or 10 years so they don’t look dated,” he adds. “They’re really Hong Kong history, so when we have concerts here, we can tell a real story because we have a century or two of history with the music.”
Lee’s latest album, “Seasons Interrupted,” tackles the climate crisis through its arrangements of seasonally themed pieces by Franz Schubert and Astor Piazzolla. Photo: Musicus Society
To boost the importance of arts and culture in Hong Kong, Lee said the government, institutions and venues such as the West Kowloon Cultural District should give young musicians more access to performance spaces and opportunities to experiment with other art forms and non-traditional works.
“For artists to grow, and for the cultural scene as a whole to grow, individuals need to have the space to try new things,” he says.
“These days, especially young people, they want a challenge. They don’t want to hear the same thing all the time. I love the same things, just like everyone else, because they’ve endured them. But at the same time, it’s comforting to hear something different.”
“If you have something unique, it doesn’t matter where it is. You can take it on a concert tour abroad and it will still be unique,” he added. “Especially with computer-generated content these days, we have to take a good look at ourselves and find something that is as human as possible.”
In that sense, Lee says young artists should aim to use their music to engage with society: “You really need to figure out how your music fits into the world.”
Lee released his latest album, Seasons Interrupted, in May, which addresses the climate crisis through rearrangements of seasonal pieces by Franz Schubert and Astor Piazzolla, and also features work by Kirmo Lintinen.
“What’s the point in releasing another album of classic songs that have already been played a thousand times? I felt there had to be a purpose,” Lee says.
“For me, this project is a really good example of the need for not just Hong Kong artists, but contemporary artists in general, to get outside the practice room or concert hall and do things that really make people think.”
