RTHK 香港故事-音樂‧人間
那些年，我們做大佬的日子
[Excerpt from 2015]
恩雨之聲 香港版
《與神協奏》彭施皿 - 粵語
[2017]
恩雨之聲
筆者：甄敏宜
Published: 18 Apr, 2019
與神協奏的器皿
本文連結 : https://www.sobem.org.hk/edm/pdf/Orangenews20190418.pdf
四歲開始學習小提琴的彭施皿，小學的時候獲獎無數，夢想成為音樂家。 然而中學時他卻未被學校樂團取錄，於是每晚向神流淚禱告，結果奇妙地能到美國頂尖音樂學院進修。十八歲那年，他在一次音樂比賽中贏得總冠軍，心生驕傲，甚至把神的恩典完全忘記......
「我有甚麼用呢?」
在香港出生的彭施皿，成長於基督教家 庭，四歲時開始學習小提琴，而且經常 獲獎，當時已被視為明日之星。然而當 他升讀中學時，事情卻一百八十度轉 變，因為幾乎所有同學的學業及音樂造 詣都勝他一籌，以致他未能成為樂團正 選成員，只能作後備。在學業方面更是慘不忍睹，全級二百多人，他就考到 第二百多名。箇中因由，原來彭施皿心中有數:「年幼時的比賽，大部份小 孩子都只是拿著小提琴不停地拉，獲獎取決於哪個孩子在台上最有自信及台 型，我小時候已經很會扮嘢，所以當時贏了很多比賽。」
直至升上中學後，他很快就被比下去，甚至被同學取笑說，「你讀書又不 行，拉琴也不行，你有甚麼用呢?」這句話，就像一支無情的棒球棍，狠狠 打在彭施皿的頭上。由於他從小在基督教家庭長大，每當遇上困難，他都會 向神禱告。「當時我十三歲，每個晚上就跪在床邊流著淚向神說:『主啊， 如果祢願意讓我成為一個音樂人，我答應祢，我一生會將音樂才華獻給祢， 求祢讓我成為一個音樂家吧!』」
「啪」的一聲 反思人生
中四的時候，彭施皿報讀了香港演藝學院 的部份時間課程，剛好那時出現了一個奇 妙的情況，由於他讀的中學及演藝學院的 中提琴手精英全都畢業離開了，學校急需 人材，唯有邀請校內一些小提琴手轉拉中 提琴。「我一直的禱告，就是求神賜我機 會做一個音樂人，現在突然出現一線曙 光，於是我便自動請纓。」結果演藝學院接納了他，不但答允了他的要求，願意借出中提琴及安排最好的老師給他，還給他全額的助學金。
在這樣優厚的條件下，他的琴藝突飛猛進，像被改造成另外一個音樂人般， 自信心也越來越高。為了攀得更高，他更投考美國一些音樂學院。「每年 都有四間美國音樂學院在演藝學院進行聯招，有意報讀者只要在校內的攝錄 機前拍下演奏錄像，然後繳付港幣二百元，學院便會替你寄到美國評核。」 結果2008年他真的獲紐約伊斯曼音樂學院取錄，且是當年全美國最多人報 讀，但收生率最低的其中一間大學，令他喜出望外。
在入讀音樂學院首年，彭施皿的技巧不斷進步，老師也悉心指導，於是他 參加了校內一個中提琴比賽，沒想到竟給他贏了。「那時我才十八歲，竟 然比我高班的碩士和博士生都被我打敗，當時真的覺得自己很了不起。」 那次比賽的獎品，是獲學校安排在一個有三千多個座位的大劇院裡作獨 奏表演，還有一隊管弦樂團伴奏。於是他努力投入練習，沒想到在練習期 間，他的左手突然「啪」的一聲，原來手腕因過度勞損而患上筋膜炎。
結合音樂與信仰 塑造年輕人生命
這次挫折，令他深深反思到與神的關係， 原來當他沉醉在自己的才華時，他已被內 心的自滿及驕傲蒙蔽了神的恩典。「以前 我求神讓我成為音樂家，然後用自己的 天份才幹去事奉祂，但那刻我一心只想 證明給全世界知道我不是個廢人，只在意 自己在音樂會的表現，如何確保攝影機攝 錄出高素質的音效，然後把影片上載到互聯網，所想的都是為了自己。」 他深深向神認罪悔改，與此同時仍盡力練習。到了演奏會那天，他負傷上 陣，深呼吸了一口氣，便開始拉奏，「當我一拉，我就知道這是個神蹟， 因為那聲音比以前比賽和排練的時候都更美妙。拉了第一句，我已知道 主與我同在，然後便大有信心地演奏，連我老師也覺得那是我拉得最好的 一次。」
這次之後，彭施皿的琴藝提升到另一個境界，雖然演奏完畢後，他的手腕 要休息半年，最多只能練習十五分鐘便要停下來，但他卻實實在在地經歷 到神在他身上行了一次神蹟奇事，自此令他更堅定地以事奉神為首位。後 來他更在教會成立弦樂小組，希望把最好的音樂呈獻給上帝，在 和諧的音符中引領會眾同心讚美。
「上帝施予恩典，成為合用器皿」，正是 彭施皿的真實寫照。今天的他已回到香 港，於他的中學母校任教。即使後來他有 機會到全美國頂級學府茱莉亞音樂學院進 修，他仍選擇放棄，因現在有更重要的使 命在他面前，「中學階段受老師和朋輩的 影響往往比父母大，我希望能把音樂結合 信仰，塑造這些孩子的生命，而教學就是 一個最直接的渠道。」
on.cc 東網
撰文：江樂韻
Published: 04 June, 2015
DBS揚威國際樂在其中
本文連結 : https://orientaldaily.on.cc/cnt/lifestyle/20150604/00298_001.html
交響樂的歷史源遠流長，源於西方、盛於西方，不過外國的月亮不一定特別圓，愈來愈多東方音樂家活躍在國際舞台上，更有不少後起之秀開始嶄露頭角。早前，拔萃男書院（Diocesan Boys' School，DBS）管弦樂團遠赴美國參加「華盛頓國際音樂節2015」；小伙子們與國際隊伍較量，依然能揮灑自如，最終勇奪金獎，為香港爭光，真是不簡單呢！
首次赴美 大開眼界
「華盛頓國際音樂節」是世界著名音樂組織 World Projects 一年一度的重頭節目之一，旨在促進各地音樂家和音樂學生的交流。音樂節開放予世界各地的高中及大學音樂團體報名，經嚴格篩選，挑選出3隊參與最後的比併；而 DBS 便是其中一間入選的院校。在樂團總監兼音樂老師和指揮的彭施皿（Samuel）帶領下，一行70多名學生團員於4月5日至14日赴美，先到紐約參與大師班，然後參與音樂節的演出。
一連10天的音樂之旅，是樂團新班底首次參與的國際盛事。而在音樂節比賽之前，他們一行人先到了紐約，在世界知名頂尖音樂學府伊士曼音樂學院（Eastman School of Music）交流及表演，並參與由兩位音樂巨匠 Neil Varon 及 Renée Jolles 主持的大師班。樂團的長號手羅傲然表示：「以往到外國交流，觀光時間較多，這次連同參與大師班，團員們除了吃飯、睡覺外幾乎都在練習，雖然辛苦，但很有成效。」對團員來說，參與大師班的得着甚至較比賽更大，大提琴手林心宇說：「大師班為我們開拓演奏的新思維，鼓勵我們多作思考和嘗試。」
挑戰新曲 克服困難
獲得大師指點，令樂團成員獲益良多，但欣喜的同時，他們亦要面對音樂節的挑戰。原來，主辦單位與作曲家機構 The Boston Composers’ Coalition 合作，為其中一隊參賽隊伍編寫新曲目，今年由DBS入選。樂團在出發前一、兩個星期才收到曲譜，加上作曲家特意為他們編寫了富中樂感的曲子，新派曲風令慣於演繹經典曲目的他們感到很棘手。另一方面，作曲家在新曲目為不同的樂手安排獨奏機會，亦令每位成員感到有壓力。幸好作曲家親自參與綵排並給予意見，他們經過反覆練習，最終能發揮出曲目的精髓。
除了技巧的磨練，團員亦要適應全新的演奏環境。他們笑言，當地的演奏廳宏偉壯麗，感覺很不習慣，而它的木結構與香港場地不同，音效亦與平日不同，要作很多調整。在音樂節期間，主辦單位更安排他們作戶外表演，小提琴手吳卓霖直言在在二戰紀念碑前的表演最難忘。他說：「我們首次在戶外作公開表演，吸引不少途人駐足欣賞，獲得不少掌聲。」
籌備兩年 勇奪金獎
有人說「夾歌先夾人」，團隊合作對 DBS 管弦樂團來說很重要，而較年輕的團員亦需要年長團員的提點，互相磨合。在比賽期間，演出陣容還除有在校中一至中五的學生，還有3名 DBS 舊生，小號手陳重仁認為師兄們經驗豐富，在他們身上學到了不少技巧，令樂團能夠薪火相傳。
身為樂團總監的彭施皿則認為，樂團的發揮不應限於本地，因此他經過兩年的籌備，讓樂團能成功衝出亞洲，面向世界。他指出，經過這次音樂節奪金，證明香港亦有不少具音樂才華的學生，只要有機會一樣能在國際舞台上大放異彩。而且參與海外賽事，能讓團員拓展視野，感受到不同地區的比賽氣氛，有助提升技巧及培養心理質素。而最重要的是，他們有機會與不同國家、地區年齡相近的樂手交流，有機會向音樂大師討教，這比爭奪獎牌更有意義。
部分攝影：莫文俊
部分相片：由受訪機構提供
EASTMAN JOURNAL
Published: Oct, 2015
FROM THE STUDIO TO THE PODIUM: CONDUCTOR SAMUEL PANG
Original Link: https://www.esm.rochester.edu/general/2015/10/from-the-studio-to-the-podium-conductor-samuel-pang/
Master’s degree orchestral conducting student Samuel Pang will give his first public performance at Eastman this Monday, October 26, conducting Mozart’s Divertimento K. 136 with the Eastman School Symphony Orchestra. Sam received a degree in viola performance at Eastman, taught briefly in Hong Kong, and returned to Eastman, this time to study conducting. He explains why
By Sam Pang
I’ve always wanted to be a musician, but all along I’ve been searching for two things: my best instincts as a musician, and my purpose of being a musician.
Growing up, I had been blessed with the opportunities of learning various instruments, many of which I was decent at, but they just never felt like my mother tongue to me.
Even on the viola, with which I did win an Eastman concerto competition–thanks to Professor Rodland’s patience and guidance, I simply felt that the instrument never connected to the deepest part of me. Sure enough, playing viola concertos with an orchestra felt great, giving viola recitals or playing in string quartets also felt great, but the satisfaction of these experiences never sunk to my gut the way I imagined. I simply felt that the viola never became part of my body the way it does for many others. So I decided to explore other options.
I tried singing for a while, since that was the one instrument that truly came from within me, but I couldn’t quite find the fluency in expressing myself with my voice either. Yet as I continued to search for a fluent channel to express my musical self, I gradually realized how satisfying it was when I could “will” music in my head, translate the music through my body language, and influence someone else to deliver what was in my head.
The process sounds more disconnected with the actual music than playing an instrument, since being the conductor, I also become the only person on stage that doesn’t make a single sound, but the fact that you can make someone connect with music in a certain way because of who you “are” gives me much greater satisfaction that making the actual sounds myself.
So as I embark on this new journey as a conductor, I very much look forward to refining my craft, so that I may connect with many more people with greater fluency in expressing my musical self. I hope to share the joy of music making with you in this very first performance of mine as a conducting student!
South China Morning Post
Published: 1:45pm, 8 Sep, 2014
Music Lab's mission: take it to the public
What can musical prodigies do when they grow up? For a group of gifted young Hongkongers, the answer was to set up Music Lab, an outfit that aims to popularise classical music with a broader audience. The name reflects their more experimental approach: besides offering music lessons, they often combine performances with different art forms.
One performance in December, for example, alternated classical works with bits of satirical commentary on Hong Kong's political scene and its utilitarian view of music education.
Music Lab's founders and prime movers include pianist Wong Ka-jeng - the subject of an award-winning documentary, KJ: Music and Life, who was performing internationally when he was just 11 - and Samuel Pang, a music teacher and conductor of the orchestra at Diocesan Boys School (DBS).
The idea for an organisation to promote classical music came up when the pair were students at DBS, and they followed up on it soon after graduating.
"Instead of trying to join the Hong Kong Philharmonic or the Sinfonietta, we decided to strike out on our own, as we didn't want to confine ourselves to classical music. We wanted the flexibility to get involved in other art forms like visual arts and stand-up comedy," Pang says.
It also opened up more opportunities for professional musicians in the city. "In an orchestra, there may be only two vacancies for musicians in the woodwind or brass sections. Musicians usually occupy their position in an orchestra for more a decade, and you'd have to wait for them to retire for an opening to come up," Pang says.
Wong adds: "We often wondered what we could do for a living after completing our music studies. When I was in the US, students would study for a master's degree after completing their bachelor's, and then aim for a doctorate, which would allow them to apply for teaching posts at universities afterwards. It was as if the only thing you could do after graduation was teach, which is pretty grim.
"So we gathered a group of musicians born in the 1980s through Music Lab to make concerts more interesting and apply our skills in society."
While major orchestras such Hong Kong Philharmonic employs many talented foreigners, Music Lab is entirely homegrown - and the only local ensemble made up only of post-'80 musicians, says its general manager, Flavian Luk Hoi-yiu.
Outreach and education are key components of the Music Lab mission. "Traditionally, people buy a ticket and enjoy the performance in a concert hall. But we want to put old wine into new bottles," says Luk. "We're thinking about setting up an online classical music station, making films to teach classical music and other unconventional ways to boost classical music appreciation."
That means they often come up with "crossover" opportunities, such as introducing stand-up comedy into a music recital or a Valentine's Day concert starring the winner of a TVB singing competition. Last year, the Lab also put together a small orchestra of 20 people to entertain children living in Yau Ma Tei.
Their repertoire ranges from classical to show tunes and pop, Luk says, because their motto is audience evolution. The guiding principle is to help the music become more appreciated.
That's why Music Lab puts on shows of different levels of difficulty. Some, like the Valentine's Day programme, are for beginners featuring a classical repertoire that novices won't find boring, Luk explains. But others - such as their seasonal finale concert last month, which featured 70 musicians - are high-culture fare focused on artistic excellence.
Lamenting how learning sometimes becomes warped in the pursuit of success, Luk reckons Hong Kong often overlooks the value of music education in nurturing all-round development.
"Why do local children learn music just for the sake of competition and stop playing once they pass the Grade Eight exam?" he says. "Parents send their kids for music lessons just to burnish their portfolios for admission into elite schools."
Despite their inclusive philosophy, their shows don't yet have a stable following. The founders often have to use their own money or earnings from music tutorials to cover the costs of staging the performances.
"We need to get funding before we stage a show," Luk says. "When we approached the government and the Arts Development Council, the first thing they asked for was our record [of performances]. We're a new group. We don't have one.
"So we just dig into our bank accounts first, and hope the shows can generate enough income to replenish what we withdrew.
"Although all our shows have broken even so far, this is not a healthy way of doing things. We have two corporate sponsors, but both are secured through Ka-jeng's personal connections."
Wong, now 23, often uses earnings from his modest solo recitals to offset losses incurred in other productions.
"Three factors decide whether a show sells - fame, programme content and marketing," Wong says. "The most bankable thing [at Music Lab] is my face. If I were a nobody, it would be even harder, to be honest."
Fame came to Wong in 2009 when KJ: Music and Life became a sleeper hit in local cinemas and went on to win three Golden Horse awards. (It traced his journey - that of the precocious child who played on concert tours of Britain and the Czech Republic at the age of 11, to the moody 17-year-old who often cut class or acted up over his parents' divorce.)
Classical music is not always solemn. It can be humorous and entertaining, and I love those pieces
Wong Ka-jeng, Music Lab co-founder
Back in Hong Kong on a break from studies at Indiana University at the time, he became a celebrity overnight. Newspapers published profiles on him and variety shows invited him to make guest appearances.
But Wong says he has never craved fame and it was only recently that he could bear to watch the documentary.
"I couldn't look at it before because I hate my face and voice, but recently a friend made me watch," Wong says. "I found it hilarious.
"I wasn't embarrassed [by my outbursts] - that phase is over, and I have started a new life - but I was a bit surprised by my over-the-top behaviour."
Among other scenes, KJ showed how, in a display of youthful arrogance, he had thumbed his nose at his classmates' cheers when the DBS orchestra won the championship in the Hong Kong Schools Music Festival in 2008, and described himself as their charismatic leader.
It may not be a very flattering picture, "but that's normal; as director, Cheung [King-wai] naturally filmed me at the most explosive times. He wouldn't show scenes of me having dinner," Wong says.
He says his four-year study in the US mellowed him - an experience Pang also knows.
A viola player, he won many competitions as a teenager, including a victory over doctoral and master's candidates in a contest during his first year at Rochester on a scholarship.
"Like Ka-jeng, I used to think highly of myself as a musician," he says. "But as I grew up, I realised many people were better than I was."
Wong says: "In the four years I was away, I found my personality and improved my technique. The environment changed me. Now I talk to teachers and students about life. I take in a lot of information and knowledge."
Wong, who returned to Hong Kong last year, also learned humility, recognising that 100 piano majors graduate each year from Indiana University alone. "I may be the so-called artistic director of Music Lab, but I am just 23," he says.
Tribute to Death, his piano recital on September 28 under the Music Lab umbrella, reflects how Wong has grown. It will feature Beethoven's Sonata No 31 in A-flat major, Liszt's Sonata in B minor and Faure-Naoumoff's Requiem.
"The concept is more important than which works are performed," he says. "I put context and meaning into those pieces. It shows how I, as an artist, interpret their meanings."
Wong plans to adopt for this concert a format he has used for free recitals he staged at the Music Lab studio in Jordan earlier this year. He will perform without intermission and then speak about how composers relate each work to death and how it relates to us.
"I like to speak about the pieces I love," he says.
"Classical music is not always solemn. It can be humorous and entertaining, and I love those pieces. But at the same time, the music that I connect most with are the more serious ones that affect our lives."
Epoch Times
攝影：文瀚林
Published: 2010年10月22日
年輕展才華 管弦樂團新進讚小提琴大賽
本文連結 : https://hk.epochtimes.com/news/2010-10-22/年輕展才華%20管弦樂團新進讚小提琴大賽-67455428
【大紀元記者李真香港報導】由新唐人電視台舉辦的第三屆「全世界華人小提琴大賽」即將於本月28日起在美國紐約隆重登場。由香港一群才華橫溢的80後年輕音樂家組成的新樂團──節慶管弦樂團，對大賽表示鼎力支持。音樂總監李承謙讚揚大賽弘揚古典音樂，令香港年輕音樂人有更大的發展；藝術總監彭施皿則期望參賽者能從比賽中領悟人生，學會以謙卑的心態去演繹音樂。
年紀輕輕就拿起指揮棒，指導80多人組成的管弦樂團，這個對年輕小提琴家兼指揮的李承謙和彭施皿來說，是挑戰也是一種嶄新的嘗試。但為了將古典音樂的夢延續下去，兩個年輕人有理想也有幹勁，他們組建了這個節慶管弦樂團，成員個個都是海外和香港名校學生，在校際音樂節成長並相識，為弘揚古典音樂而走在一起。月前他們舉辦了兩場創團音樂會，邀請了鋼琴神童黃家正和沈靖韜在荃灣大會堂同台演出，座無虛席，水準大受肯定，包括多份報章的樂評都給予正面評價。
擔任樂團音樂總監的李承謙，6歲開始學習小提琴，師從李永純老師和鄭石生教授，03年赴英國哈羅公學升學，曾獲得英國全國室樂比賽冠軍，Arratoon獨奏杯冠軍，Smouhua室內比賽冠軍等。雖然自小拉琴吃過不少苦，但透過音樂他學會了很多東西，而音樂也成為了他生活的一部份，「很多時候透過樂器讓自己的心情好了，音樂是一個很重要的媒介，是一個大家都可以明白的一個語言，而且透過音樂，可以和大家有一個更好的默契和聯繫。」
李承謙：古典音樂蘊含真理
為何樂團主力推廣古典音樂？他表示，他們這群80後90後幾乎都是在古典音樂的氛圍中成長，所以就希望用古典音樂和觀眾交流。
他強調古典音樂的魅力在於蘊含真理。「古典音樂含有很多的道理在裏面，含有很多的真理，其實年青人接觸古典音樂的時候，他們學到的東西是很多的，譬如貝多芬、莫扎特、巴哈，每一粒音都包含著他們的心血和智慧，很值得年青人去學習的。」
對於新唐人電視台在紐約舉辦全世界華人小提琴大賽，弘揚古典音樂，他表示非常支持。「透過比賽大家可以互相認識大家，讓大家能有更多的機會發展，我認為比賽令到香港、令到我們音樂人有更加大的發展。」
他並期望參賽者全力以赴，最重要不是輸贏，而是希望大家透過音樂有更多的交流和發展，「讓自己在音樂上面的發展更上一層樓」。
擔任樂團藝術總監的彭施皿，赴美攻讀大學前曾是拔萃男書院音樂部的行政總監，以及該校三個合唱團及管弦樂團的會長，並帶領樂團在香港校際音樂節及世界比賽中多次奪冠。
彭施皿：盼與人分享 不求人追捧
他的體會是，要成為一個好的小提琴家，第一要積極，第二要誠懇、要有誠實的心，第三最重要是要謙卑。他強調：「音樂如果要拉得好，不可以為自己的光榮而去拉，一定不可以為了得到其他人的讚賞和認同而去拉，而是想和人家去分享，才會拉得好。那麼做人也一樣，和人家相處，你如果真是要結交到真正的朋友，或者做好任何一件事，一定是真誠去做，一定不是為了其他人的追捧或者其他人的欣賞去做才會做得好。」
他表示，新唐人比賽曲目包括莫扎特等四個古典大師的作品，對選手是一個很大的挑戰。「因為你拉每一個作曲家的作品，你不單只看上面的譜，學上面的技巧，你要明白每一個作曲家當時的處境、當時的性格、當時作曲的原因。」
彭施皿讚揚新唐人比賽對年輕小提琴家來說是一個很好的鍛煉機會和交流平台，「將自己準備的東西在台上很完整地呈現出來之餘，也可以和其他人交流和學習，為甚麼那個人會緊張，為甚麼那個人會拉得特別好，其實裏面是超出很多純音樂的理論，而是有很多人生的哲理，比如學會怎樣去謙卑，去將自己的音樂獻給觀眾。」◇