Give Them a Show

For pianist Hii Mei Lin, classical music is an age-old art form that should be experienced in its entirety, and not just listened to

- Koyyi Chin

No matter the genre, we listen to music according to how we feel or how we want to feel—whether it’s the thrumming of heavy bass, a rhythmic tempo, the rise and fall of a melody or even the narrative resonance of lyrics, listening to music can be a singular experience unique to every individual.

For classical pianist Hii Mei Lin, the word ‘experience’ is one she heavily emphasises, especially when it comes to elevating the accessibility of classical music. Since it isn’t as ingrained into our culture as it is in western societies, Hii observes that the lack of public interest is due to its inaccessibility, which limits one’s curiosity towards classical music and their active discovery towards it. While the genre came with prestige, that very prestige, alongside its historical and cultural significance, carried a weighty expectation, wherein it was only for the elite, or, in the context of Malaysia’s classical music ecosystem, a niche.

However, those preconceptions, according to Hii, were old news that didn’t need revisiting. Instead, she says, why not offer the public new experiences that would get them invested? “You can’t change the way people think [just by telling them]—forget it!” she exclaims. “But what you can do is put on an unforgettable show.”