Transcript of interview with Bernard Lanskey (conducted by Gavin Lee), 30 September 2016, 4.30 pm, Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music.
Australian pianist Bernard Lanskey serves as the Dean of the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music. Music, in his view, can function as a therapeutic outlet, an adventure, a journey, or an exploration. He conceptualises music as a medium for self-expression and for articulating one's connection with the surrounding world.
In his leisure time, Bernard engages with Western pop music and jazz. However, he predominantly immerses himself in music related to his professional activities. Consequently, his primary focus is on Western classical music, supplemented by an interest in Southeast Asian musical traditions.
Bernard observes that many conservatory students initially concentrate on attaining technical virtuosity on their instruments. He advocates for a more holistic approach, emphasising the importance of exposure to diverse musical and cultural dimensions. Through his interactions with students in Singapore and across Asia, Bernard has discerned a general reticence among Asian students to express individual personality through music. He argues that students can enhance their musicality by exhibiting confidence and passion in their expressive endeavours. Bernard aspires for each conservatory student to develop a personalised interpretation of musical pieces, incorporating elements of their identity, including facets of local and Southeast Asian influences.
Since its inception, Bernard perceives that the conservatory has begun to exert an exponential impact on Singapore's arts scene. Alumni returning from overseas studies contribute to this transformation by integrating into local ensembles or governmental organisations, thereby effecting change. He considers the conservatory's geographical positioning advantageous, given its proximity to culturally rich and diverse neighbouring countries.
Bernard identifies a generational divergence among Singaporeans: individuals in their twenties strive to establish a sense of identity and self-expression, whereas those in their sixties tend to accept Western classical music more exclusively on its traditional terms. He acknowledges the historical Western-centric orientation of the global music and arts scene but anticipates that Southeast Asia will emerge as an increasingly significant cultural hub. Looking ahead, Bernard envisions a future where music becomes increasingly cross-genre, as musicians and composers draw influence from one another, fostering a more interconnected musical landscape.
“I do have sort of a conventional mix of Western popular music and Western jazz as well that I might occasionally listen to. But the majority of the time when I’m listening, I’m listening to stuff that I’m working on [professionally].”
“I wouldn’t normally listen to any musical mix that is outside that field. The only exception is I’ve begun to listen sometimes to Southeast Asian musics because I’m also the president of the Southeast Asian Directors of Music, and so that is arguably professional work too.”
“I don’t know if I enjoy performing on the piano. I understand enough about the language that it speaks to me intuitively. And I now also respect any culture I see an equivalent, and I have a natural instinct for the expression that’s coming through the music.”
“One of the things we’re trying to do increasingly is to get students to be aware of the responsibilities of an artist – which would be first of all to find an expressive identity that is authentic to who they are, but also to learn to project themselves, so that they can be envoiced effectively. So that transcends some of the stuff they think they’re coming [to the conservatory] for.”
“So, my basic take is that you can focus on excellence, and the performance will be good but probably quite dull. You’ve got to have passion for what you’re trying to express.”
“Music in [Singapore] has been shifting. Which is great. You’ve now got students beginning to come back, having studied abroad, beginning to make a sort of underground difference in what’s going on here.”
“[There are] alumni who are working from ground up to instigate change. Some of them have been in [National Arts Council], so they begin – although in junior positions – but they begin to have an influence on culture.”
“This is potentially the most exciting conservatory in the world. Because you can get on an airplane and be in such diverse cultures within an hour and a half of here. All with strong cultural artistic identities, all different from each other. Very strongly different.”
“Music’s center of focus is shifting and Asia is becoming the center of focus. And therefore, you can begin to think about the potential future where the center of musical world is in this time zone. And it’s not that far away actually.”
“I think that’s the way we’re increasingly going to be in a cross-genre world. And contemporary composers are going to be drawing from one another.”
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