Award-winning musician Chu Wan-pin makes time for connecting with people
Hong Kong-born Chu believes that face-to-face meetings has played a major role in his successful musical career
Chu Wan-pin ’s first contact with the erhu was as an act of defiance. His father, a talented erhuist, had forbidden his seven-year-old son from playing around with his erhu. But the attraction was too strong and one day his father returned home to find his son playing the instrument. His father immediately decided to teach him how to play it properly.
Hong Kong-born Chu is an award-winning erhuist, songwriter and film score composer who has collaborated on several hit films. At the age of 11, he won his first awards at The Hong Kong Schools’ Music Festival Advance Competition in all categories, such as playing the erhu, gaohu and banhu, which was an unprecedented feat at the time. By 22, Chu represented Hong Kong at the Llangollen Music Festival in Britain, where he won his first international competition. A decade later, he scored two films which premiered at The National Gallery in London, and is widely known for his broad repertoire that encompasses Chinese and classical Western music, and his use of traditional string instruments for playing jazz, pop and rock music. Since 2015, he has been mentored by Rise of the Planet of the Apes and Thor music producer, Maggie Rodford, in London.
Overlooking the harbour from pop singer Peter Cheung Shung-tak’s MMP workshop studio, Chu spoke of his admission to one of Hong Kong’s most competitive private schools, Diocesian Boys School. It was there that the virtuoso learned his most important lessons – that ego kills creativity, that nothing is more important than teamwork, and that there is significance in making time to meet people in person.
I believe many opportunities wouldn’t have transpired if I didn’t invest and make time creating that personal connection
“Human connection is important in this business. A face-to-face meeting exponentially increases your chances of getting into a project. That is why I am constantly flying out to meet with directors and discuss musical ideas. I believe many opportunities wouldn’t have transpired if I didn’t invest and make time creating that personal connection.”
