Portrait of an Artist: Christine Hong

Christine Hong ’19 made her Symphony Hall debut on March 5, playing the first movement of Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Thomas Wilkins. A graduate of the New England Conservatory Preparatory School and the winner of the BSO’s 2015 Concerto Competition, Hong performs with the Harvard-Radcliffe Orchestra and the Brattle Street Chamber Players. The Harvard Crimson sat down with Hong before her performance to talk about time management, stage fright, and learning from music.

The Harvard Crimson: How did you get involved with classical music?

Christine Hong: I started on the piano when I was five and quit because I hated it. After I quit, my mom just came home one day with a violin. She was like, “You’re going to play the violin now,” and I was like, “Okay.” I hated that too, so I quit for a year, then started again, then quit again, then started again. I’ve been playing for twelve years, but I hated music up until eighth grade. I was in the New England Conservatory’s Youth Philharmonic Orchestra, and we played Mahler’s Symphony No. 9. That was the first time I felt really emotionally moved by any piece of music. It was a turning point in my music career, because it was the first time I felt electrified and very connected with everyone in the orchestra. That’s when I started really wanting to do it because I loved it.

THC: How’s the balance between music and life at Harvard been?

CH: In high school I’d practice two to three hours a week, and rehearsals took up a lot of time. In college, I have even more rehearsal, but I stopped taking lessons because I wanted to focus on work. This semester, preparing for the performance with the BSO has helped keep me on track and forced me to practice. That push made me realize that I’m so much happier in general when I’m playing music, so I’m going to keep practicing, and doing orchestra and chamber and solo stuff. Last semester, I felt like a huge part of me was missing, and I think that contributed to a lot of unhappiness. I definitely want to keep taking lessons regularly.

THC: Who are some of your major influences, musical or otherwise?

CH: I really admire Itzhak Perlman. He’s been through so much in his life, being born with polio, and I love how he uses his passion for music to do something impactful for other people. After he made it as a soloist, he was highly involved in helping kids with polio. A lot of my respect for him comes from how genuine his passion is. The same goes for Yo-Yo Ma. I feel like both of them have such an infectious love for classical music, and it’s very important to have that kind of charisma and joy when playing, just as much as it is to be serious and a “classical musician.”

HC: Have you tried to pursue any projects like Perlman’s with your music?

CH: In high school, my best friend and I started Project Expression, which raised money to try to bring instruments and art materials to children in underprivileged areas around Boston. Other than that, I play for nursing homes.

HC: What are some habits or tricks you’ve cultivated, either during practice or onstage, for optimal performance?

CH: Oh, this is so bad! I always procrastinate practicing until two weeks before, consistently two weeks before, and then I practice five hours a day. But I get eight hours of sleep the night before, do a face mask in the morning, eat a healthy breakfast with a good amount of carbs, and two hours before the performance I nap for 20 minutes. And right before walking on, I eat a banana. I thought I’d be really nervous rehearsing with the BSO, but when I walk onstage, I don’t even sweat anymore. I almost feel like something’s biologically wrong.

HC: How has classical music affected how you see the world, or yourself?

CH: I think music has taught me to empathize and to feel for other people. When it comes to difficult social situations—and I’m not sure if there’s a direct correlation—I find my first instinct is to empathize with others and try to understand the situation from their perspective. I think part of that comes from music, connecting to people and trying to feel what they’re feeling, especially in chamber music and orchestra.

HC: How do you see yourself moving ahead with music?

CH: As of right now, I plan for it to be a hobby, but I want to find some way to incorporate it into my professional work. I’m looking for creative ways to combine psychology and music to help people. I still have time, so if I decide to pursue a masters in music later on, I’ll think more about that.

HC: If you couldn’t play music, what would you spend all the free time doing?

CH: Binge watching “Gossip Girl,” of course. Um—no, yeah, seriously. Or like, spending time with people. I should probably say spending time with people.