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Gilbert now serves
as the Principal Second Violin in the City Chamber Orchestra
of Hong Kong, and teaches at the Hong Kong Academy for
Performing Arts and Hong Kong Baptist University in addition
to giving tuition to individual students at home. Also
a conductor, Gilbert's most recent stint was with the
St Petersburg State Academic Symphony Orchestra. He is
also the Music Director of the Hong Kong Civic Youth Orchestra,
which he founded in 2005. Gilbert has been invited by
the Leisure and Cultural Services Department to present
pre-concert talks and a lecture series on violin music.
He would like to organize and give chamber music concerts
on a regular basis. The first of his 'Gilbert Sak and
Friends' concerts will kick off on 19 October at City
Hall. |
Gilbert Sak's harsh words have sometimes reduced students
to tears. He is definitely not an easygoing teacher. Perched
atop a conductor's seat as he led the seven-to-20-year-old
players of the Hong Kong Civic Youth Orchestra through their
weekly rehearsal, he seemed equally demanding. But knitted
eyebrows gave way to a smile when the players did the right
thing.
Gilbert started learning the violin at the age of eight and
decided not long after that the instrument would be his life.
After Secondary Five, he furthered his studies in Germany,
England and the US under the tutelage of a number of world-famous
violinists and teachers, including Michael Goldstein, Albert
Markov, Yfrah Neaman and Petru Munteanu. He played in orchestras
in the US and around the world before coming back to Hong
Kong in 2000. Despite some ups and downs in his pursuit of
this passion over the last 30 years, he has never regretted
his choice. 'If it's something that you love doing, you won't
get bored. Money and fortune don't rate highly on my list
of priorities. But I do look for a sense of accomplishment
and appreciate some recognition,' he said.
The first Hong Kong native to have received a doctorate in
violin performance, Gilbert believes a good music teacher
has to train his students into 'thinking' musicians and to
reflect on his teaching to tailor-make different approaches
for individual students. So he enrolled on the OUHK's Master
of Education programme in 2002 to get some exposure to teaching
and learning theories, obtaining the degree in 2006. 'I enjoyed
the freedom and flexibility of OUHK's distance learning mode,
which allowed me to study at my own pace,' he said.
'As a musician, every successful
performance leaves me with a happy memory. And in life, seeing
my wife giving birth to our daughter was my happiest moment.'
Despite his hectic schedule, the violin virtuoso has taken up
marathon running and participated in triathlon competitions in
recent years to give himself new challenges. He also loves
pingpong and became a vegetarian after seeing animals cruelly
slaughtered on TV.
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The Open University of Hong Kong 2012
