The conductor of an orchestra is like the director of a movie. He is the person responsible for the entire production, yet often his face is unknown to the audience. Instead, the musicians are the stars - celebrities who dazzle the public with their technical and artistic prowess.

Hong Kong Sinfonietta hopes to change that by bringing conductors and musicians closer to their audiences. This year, it introduced UpClose Encounters, a series of talks where audience participation is encouraged. Held as a separate event close to the date of a concert, it allows fans to enjoy musical discourse through shared knowledge with practicing professionals.

"We want our audience to have another experience," says Hong Kong Sinfonietta music director Yip Wing-sie as she introduces the inaugural UpClose Encounters: a dialogue with German conductor Christoph Poppen on the impact of classical music on education and society.

"You usually see the conductor's back at a concert. We thought it would be nice to hear his voice, too. And we hope that this will happen more in the future."

Held at Four Seasons Hotel in Hong Kong on May 28, the subject is close to Poppen's heart. He was in town to conduct a concert on May 30 consisting of Webern's 1905 string quartet, Rachmaninoff's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, featuring young piano virtuoso Nareh Arghamanyan, and Mendelssohn's Symphony No 3 in A Minor.

Poppen and Yip share the same views about education and its importance in building new audiences.

"In Germany, where we have a strong classical music tradition, musicians should take responsibility for the educational process," Poppen says.

Along with his duties as principal guest conductor of the Cologne Chamber Orchestra since 2013, Poppen appears frequently around the world at the invitation of its orchestras, such as the Singapore Symphony and Netherlands Radio Philharmonic. Since 2003, he has been a professor of violin and chamber music at Hochschule fur Musik and Theater in Munich.

"When I ask my students why they are studying classical music, many have no answer," Poppen says.

"And that is why it is important to have dialogue. In a formerly divided country such as Germany, it is important to build bridges. Music is the only international language that everyone can understand.

"Of course we want to entertain our audiences. But is it enough? Musicians' responsibilities are increasing, and it's our job to lead listeners to another level of consciousness. Money should not be the motivation, nor success, at least not in the long run. In a noisy world such as ours, the silence in a concert at the end of a movement is a nice moment. It gives people the chance to open something within themselves that is not possible in their daily lives."

Poppen and Yip touched upon the various aspects of education, including teaching passion rather than pure technique, as well as the advantages and disadvantages technology has played upon their profession. The audience was quick to add their viewpoints.

"What we need is a big iPad so that we don't have to turn over sheet music in a concert," says Yip with a smile.

To an audience member who questioned how today's children can be encouraged to practice with so many distractions, Poppen suggests turning practice into play dates.

"Get kids together in small groups," he says.

"Music is a way of communicating together. Children have a different attitude when they practice together. It's more fun and it paves the way for ensemble playing."

Yip says: "It is the rationale behind our concerts for babies. We get them in and listening to music before they can speak."

IF YOU GO

UpClose Encounters: Dialogue with Edicson Ruiz

7:30 pm, Aug 8.

KUC Space, 2 Jordan Road, Yaumatei, Kowloon.

Edicson Ruiz Plays Dittersdorf

8 pm, Aug 9.

Concert Hall, Hong Kong City Hall, 3 Edinburgh Place, Central.

852-2836-3336.

sundayed@chinadaily.com.cn

Conductor Christoph Poppen (left) is introduced to audiences by Hong Kong Sinfonietta music director Yip Wing-sie at a music dialogue. Provided to China Daily

(China Daily 07/06/2014 page9)