September 28, 2022
Image Caption: Li Churen (centre, in red) counts playing Grieg’s Piano Concerto alongside the Singapore Symphony Orchestra and renowned South Korean conductor Han-Na Chang in July 2022 as one of her most cherished memories. (Photo Credit: Singapore Symphony Orchestra / Aloysius Lim)
The arts may be a road less travelled but that doesn’t stop two young artists and alumni from NUS’ Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music, Sulwyn Lok and Li Churen, from braving the journey in pursuit of their love and passion for music. In this mini-series, we catch up with these recipients of the 2019 Paul Abisheganaden Grant for Artistic Excellence (Paul A. Grant) to find out more about their journey so far.
This time, we caught up with homegrown pianist and composer Li Churen – no mean feat given her hectic performance schedule! In 2021 alone she debuted at the Singapore International Piano Festival and Singapore International Festival of Arts, and over 80 solo concerts with the Candlelight series that featured an eclectic repertoire from Chopin and Debussy, to Michael Jackson, John Williams, and George Crumb. Churen shared with us her artistic journey, inspiration and her once-in-a-lifetime experience to learn from and play alongside her idol, pianist Alain Planes – a dream made possible with the help of the Paul Abisheganaden Grant. Read on to find out more about how her love for music began and how meaningful the grant has been in further developing herself as a musician.
Q: How did your interest in playing the piano and the field of classical music first began, and how has that led you to being the pianist / composer you are today?
A: I’ve been playing piano for as long as I can remember. My earliest musical memories are of me picking out tunes by ear on the Clavinova that we had at home, and my very first performance was of my own composition, To Mother with Love, at the Esplanade when it first opened. Improvisation has always been a really natural way of making music for me. Whilst a secondary school student, I started taking lessons at Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music (YST) as a young artist, and then later enrolled in the Bachelors’ Degree programme before entering Junior College, graduating as the youngest person at age 19. After two Master’s Degrees at Yale and Cambridge respectively, one in piano performance and the second in musicology, I moved back to Singapore in 2019. I’ve been very lucky to have had many opportunities to play numerous concerts, compose, launch my debut album (please check it out on Spotify!) while teaching and organising academic research at YST as an Artist Fellow.
Q: In creating music, where do you draw your inspiration from, and how do you differentiate yourself from other musicians?
A: Inspiration is everywhere if you seek it. I am very inspired by artists of all genres, especially those who work with different mediums (visual art, dance, film). I believe the core of why we create is similar, but the ways we express what we want to say is different, and that is really interesting for me.
Richard Wagner believed that the best form of music included all senses, and he called this concept “Gesamtkunstwerk” (all-encompassing art). Sound comes first and foremost, but the teasing of other senses such as sight, or even somatosensory reactions, are also as important in shaping a good artistic experience. After all, we experience music at a sub-aural level with the whole of our bodies. My research in my pursuit of Masters in Philosophy at Cambridge was focused on how our bodies subconsciously respond to music beyond just hearing it — from both a listener’s and performer’s perspective.
It might seem odd for us to imagine that now, but classical music composers like Liszt and Rossini were the equivalent of pop music superstars back in their days. The passing of time has caused the music to be ossified in terms of perception and performance traditions, but what we consider “classical music” was ever-changing and alive back when it was written. Franz Liszt caused women to swoon at his concerts, Rossini made millions from the success of his operas. They were actively responding to culture and people. We’ve lost a bit of that nowadays, and that is what I think classical music can “learn” from pop, because the way we present classical music hasn’t changed since the 20th century. Sitting in hallowed silence, never applauding between movements, wearing concert black? I believe we should be using all tools at our disposal to tell the story – whether it’s with social media, fashion, visual settings, or on-stage banter.
Q: What would you say are some of the most cherished memories and/or accomplishments of your artistic journey, both within and beyond your NUS life?
A: At NUS, my piano lessons with my Professor and now Head of Piano, Albert Tiu. He taught me since I was 14, and without him, I wouldn’t be the pianist that I am today. I really enjoyed going deeper into the music with him through our weekly lessons and studio classes, and he was always so generous with his time and knowledge.
I also really enjoyed playing chamber music with friends – among the many concerts that we did, a few stand out in memory: Skandalkonzert with singer Jade Tan at Zouk, a violin-piano recital with violinist Yang Shuxiang (now Artist Fellow at YST).
Outside of NUS, one of my most significant musical memories is recently playing Grieg Piano Concerto with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra. The euphoria of playing to a crowd of 1,600 people and the energy I felt reflecting back to me from the audience, was immensely thrilling.
Q: Back in 2019, you were awarded the Paul Abisheganaden Grant and took that opportunity to fly to France to participate in the Royaumont Foundation’s Workshop hosted by Alain Planès and Ralph van Raat, as well as the Academie Ravel hosted by Alain Planès. Can you share with us more about why these courses were chosen and how have you gained from them? Other than attending these courses, what would you say are the highlights of your time in France?
A: Both courses helped open up new artistic avenues – I was able to study the historical piano (fortepiano), which is something I hadn’t done before. I chose these courses because I am a huge fan of Alain Planes’ piano playing and love his recordings of the complete Debussy and Haydn.
Studying the fortepiano helped me see the connections of pianos and pianism across history, which is important for my development as a complete pianist. I will also be giving two fortepiano recitals in January 2023 at YST Recital Studio.
Q: In what way, has the Paul Abisheganaden Grant helped fulfill your dreams as a musician and complemented your professional career?
A: The Paul Abisheganaden Grant has made it possible for me to continue developing as a musician. It is really important to keep on learning and developing, or risk stagnating as an artist. When I was in school, I don’t think I quite realised what a privilege it was to have all these learning opportunities available to me. Now that I am no longer enrolled in a degree, I have the freedom to seek out whatever I want to learn, but I also have to work harder to make these opportunities happen for myself.