In 2014, violinist Paloma So made her debut with the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, performing as the soloist in Mozart’s . It would be a proud achievement for any young musician to have such an opportunity to shine, but it was all the more impressive since So was only eight years old back then – and had played the violin for only three years. She has not stopped since.
The Post caught up with her during the few days she was back home in Hong Kong after performing the in Wuxi and Shanghai. Playing in mainland China always feels different, So says. Compared to the mature classical music scene in Europe and the United States, the one in China is at an incipient stage and full of young, enthusiastic audiences.
“Whenever I perform in mainland China, I feel an obligation to really spread classical music. I really believe young people can and should go for classical music, not necessarily as a career but as a great hobby,” she says. For some, it will become more than just a hobby.
So herself does not come from a musical family and no one expected her to become a musician. Her parents enrolled her and her siblings in piano and violin lessons as extracurricular activities. But So realised early on that she wanted to devote herself to music and to have professional training.
It took a fair amount of time to persuade her parents, but they finally gave in when she was 10. “They knew how narrow the field was going to be, so there was some resistance at first. But eventually .
