Ms LEE Ka-ling, Colleen
Pianist

Ms LEE Ka-ling, Colleen at first had a childhood dream of becoming a woman police officer.  She later started learning the piano as her parents wanted her to gain exposure to music.  Ms LEE said that she needed to spend long hours on her piano practice every day and got very frustrated when she could not achieve the desired results.  Whenever she wanted to give up, she would nonetheless continue her practice with a determined mind by just recalling her passion for piano.  Through the practice, she learned to act with perseverance and self-confidence which have inspired her to act with persistence in her daily life

Ms LEE mentioned that it was not easy to obtain a scholarship from The Hong Kong Jockey Club Music and Dance Fund (the Fund).  Applicants had to showcase their talents and convey their aspirations to the Audition Panel within a short period of time.

After graduating from the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, Ms LEE went to further her studies at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Hannover, Germany with a scholarship from the Fund in 2003.  She recalled that, being the only student from Hong Kong in the school, she was unable to adapt herself to the strange learning environment in the beginning.  Later on, thanks to the encouragement and support from her teachers and other schoolmates, she gradually settled down.

Ms LEE thanked the Fund for providing students with opportunities to pursue their studies overseas, which not only gave her a chance to study music, but also allowed her to learn and experience independent living and offered her more performance opportunities overseas.  The most memorable experience of Ms LEE was the opportunity to perform at the Carnegie Hall in New York, thus fulfilling her childhood dream.  Ms LEE considered the award of the scholarship an appreciation and recognition to herself.  She looked forward to making contribution to the community by applying what she had learned to nurture young artists.

Ms LEE commented that the Fund was established with a target to facilitate the development of music and arts in Hong Kong over the past 30 years and had helped many young artists fulfil their dreams.  She expected more support from the community to the development of music and arts and more opportunities for local artists.  Lastly, she wished to strike a balance between teaching and performing so that she could continue to share beautiful music with others while nurturing the next generation to unleash their full potential.