Symphony of youth

"I thought it's very important for our young musicians to have these types of opportunities," Lee says. He had noticed that while many young people learnt to play instruments, only a small fraction of them went on to make a career out of their music training. "So I thought what if we did something that could help them take it to the next level?"

The society's Musicus Inspires! education initiative allows budding musicians to train and perform with professionals. The program also includes the Young Artist Audition, open to Hong Kong-born students and recent graduates living anywhere in the world. Lee says that the pile of applications from Hong Kong-born youngsters studying in some of the world's best conservatories keeps growing every year.

The 16 young musicians making up the MSHK ensemble are either winners or honorable mention recipients from previous auditions.

Musicus Society now has "a core group of really strong Hong Kong players," Lee says. "Through MSHK, we could offer them even more opportunities to develop in Hong Kong and abroad. This is a wonderful chance to showcase Hong Kong talents, not just to the local community but also to the world."