(Photo : JOE KLAMAR/AFP via Getty Images)
Violinist Paloma So has shared her musical journey and how it was a proud achievement for her as a young musician to have an opportunity to shine in the music industry.
So was only eight years old when she started to be interested with classical music and has not stopped ever since.
The violinist made her stage debut in Mozart's Violin Concerto No. 5 in 2014, playing solo with the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra.
At 18, So is now studying economics and music at Harvard University and the New England Conservatory on full scholarship.
She has performed with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Berlin Symphony Orchestra, Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, China Philharmonic Orchestra, and Shanghai Symphony Orchestra. Recently, the HK Phil went on a mainland China tour.
The Post interviewed her when she returned to Hong Kong for a few days after performing the 'Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto' in Wuxi and Shanghai.
"Whenever I perform in mainland China, I feel an obligation to 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 said.
So realized early that she wanted to focus on music and pursue professional training. She had to convince her parents for quite some time before they finally gave in when she was 10.
She said her parents knew how narrow the field would be, so there was some resistance at first. However, eventually, they realized how much she was into it and how passionate she was about music.
Furthermore, she shared that she think they saw that although the journey would be hard, she had the fortitude to pave her through it. She proudly said that her parents are now her biggest supporters.
