Meet the Musician: An Interview with Renei, Violinist at The Yehudi Menuhin School

For many of our pupils at the Yehudi Menuhin School, the Spotlights concert series is a vital opportunity to develop their musical abilities in front of an audience. In our first edition of ‘Meet the Musician’ We spoke with a young violinist ahead of their performance in our Spotlight series, about their early musical journey, moving from Hong Kong to England, and what continues to inspire their artistry and individuality as a performer. 

YMS
So, tell me about yourself. What’s your background? How did you get here? What was your starting point for learning your instrument?

Renei
I’m a violinist, and I started learning the violin when I was two and a half. It was more of a hobby at first, but around the age of nine or ten I started to take it more seriously and practised a lot more. I also switched to a really good teacher, which helped me improve and start to see myself as a professional violinist. When I was twelve, I moved to England. It wasn’t initially to study here, but to move to a different environment for my education. I remember it was during quarantine, and I had to isolate for fourteen days in 2021. While I was quarantining, I started looking for music schools in the area, and within the first week of arriving in the UK I had already fallen in love with The Yehudi Menuhin School. I had been watching alumni videos and listening to their incredible playing, and I was already begging my parents to let me visit the school for an open day. At that time, they refused because they thought I was too young for a specialist music school. For the next two years I kept asking to visit, and eventually they said yes. I went to an open day, and both my mum and I fell in love with the school even more.

YMS
You mentioned arriving here in lockdown. What was that like? What were your first impressions of England? Was it a difficult experience, or did it feel like a natural progression?

Renei
Well, first of all, it was cold. I arrived at midnight in February, and it was snowing already. In Hong Kong, that would never happen so quickly, so I wasn’t used to it at all. Initially, it felt more like a holiday. At that young age, I don’t think I was really processing the fact that I had moved.

YMS
So, it was your first time in Europe?

Renei
Yes, everything was completely new. Even the supermarket and walking down the street felt different. Gradually, I went to a local school, so I did get some experience of English life.

YMS
And what do you feel are the main differences between your old school and here?

Renei
I’d say the main difference is that I have a much stronger connection with my peers here. We have a lot more in common, not just in what we do, but in how we grow up in such a special environment. What we do is very individual, and we all understand each other very well.

YMS
You mentioned individuality. Do you take that with you when you go on stage? Is originality something you consciously strive for in your interpretations?

Renei
Of course. Being individual is really important, especially in the twenty-first century. Musicians today are at such a high level, and information is shared so widely on the internet. There are so many great teachers all over the world that it’s easy to copy someone else’s interpretation or style of playing. But I think it’s vital to find your own voice, to really understand what the composer wanted, to process it yourself, and to come to your own conclusions. That is what helps create individuality.

YMS
Speaking of great teachers and musicians - who was the first teacher who really inspired you, and which performer inspires you when you listen to them?

Renei
It wasn’t really a teacher at first, but a masterclass I attended with the great pedagogue Dora Schwarzberg. She’s one of the best teachers in the world. She has a way of teaching that’s very philosophical and individual. She once gave me advice that really stayed with me, which was to think deeply about what I want to do in life, to be open with others, to tell them what I want, and not to try to please everyone. She said to find what your life is truly about. That was incredible advice.

YMS
When you prepare a piece of music for the Spotlight Series, what’s your process? How do you first approach it?

Renei
When I first start learning a piece, I research the composer’s life and how the work they were writing relates to that period of their life. I think that’s really important because once you understand what was going on, what era, what country, and what was happening politically and economically, it helps to set the scene. It’s the subtext that matters. I don’t believe composers just write notes. It’s always about something emotional.

YMS
You mentioned composers writing from their emotions. When you go on stage, do you try to express your own emotions through the music, to use it as a kind of canvas?

Renei
Yes, definitely. When I think about using, as you say, the canvas of the composer’s life and understanding the context, it’s important to be authentic but also to make it relatable through a modern lens.
It’s not about copying how people played in the past, but about creating the same feeling for today’s audience as people had back then, whether that was in Beethoven’s time or when Rachmaninoff was performing his concertos.
For example, when you play Beethoven, you could play on period instruments, but you can also use more extreme dynamics to bring the same emotional power. It’s about putting things into context and making them meaningful now.

YMS
What was it like stepping onto the stage for your first Spotlight concert?

Renei
To be honest, it was nerve-racking at first. It was my first time performing in such a great hall with such amazing acoustics. But even though I was nervous, there was something really welcoming and intimate about the hall and the audience. It was almost as if they were saying, “There’s nothing to be afraid of, just be expressive.” That was very comforting.

YMS
And what’s it like having your peers there in the audience, cheering you on from the gallery?

Renei
I see my peers as the audience, just like anyone else. I’d play the same way even if it were just one person. Even if it was just friends from school, I would still be just as expressive. I think it’s important not to cater to what you think the audience wants, because you can never know exactly what they expect. The most important thing is to be true to yourself and your interpretation.

YMS
Which composer are you focusing on at the moment?

Renei
Right now, I’m working on the First Prokofiev Violin Sonata, which I’m performing tomorrow. After reading his autobiography, I found he had a fascinating life. He was a very intelligent composer who travelled all over the world and had a cosmopolitan outlook. When you look at his music, it’s not just “Russian” music. It’s very original, very precise, and full of character.

YMS
How do you think that differs from other repertoire you’ve played? What’s been the biggest challenge?

Renei
I’ve played works by Bach, Mozart, and Tchaikovsky, but playing neoclassical composers like Prokofiev opens up a different aspect of my playing. Neoclassicism is about precision, being faithful to the score while also forming your own artistic interpretation.
It’s quite difficult because you want to do everything exactly as Prokofiev writes, but at the same time you need to make your own artistic choices. That balance is challenging but very rewarding.

YMS
And finally, where do you see your future in classical music? What’s your ultimate goal?

Renei
My ultimate goal is to inspire. Music isn’t always a direct way of expressing ideas. Composers like Shostakovich and Prokofiev used their musical language as a kind of subtext. It’s not always deliberate or explicit.
For me, it’s about inspiring the audience to see things differently, to realise things they might not notice without music and imagination. That’s what I want to do through my playing.

Support our young musicians and hear them perform more classics of the repertoire and undiscovered gems in our upcoming Spotlight Concerts, Menuhin Hall’s Flagship concert series. 

Thursday 27 November, Tuesday 9 December and Thursday 5 February 7:30pm

Book tickets here: https://www.menuhinhall.co.uk/whats-on/category/spotlights