A conductor who defied the odds after being born with severe hearing loss will take centre stage in Asia this autumn – leading one of the continent’s most acclaimed orchestras.
Robert Guy, a trailblazing conductor from Wrexham, has been invited to guest conduct the renowned City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong.
He will be taking up the baton at a glittering two-night showcase called A Night at the Musicals on October 26 and 27.
READ MORE: UK city a stone’s throw from North Wales named ‘world’s most beautiful’
READ MORE: Giant 100ft Welsh dragon appears on North Wales beach to bring ‘magic’ to people’s lives
Join the North Wales Live WhatsApp community group where you can get the latest stories delivered straight to your phone
The star-studded event will feature Crisel Consunji, the award-winning Filipina -Hong Kong film and stage actress, singer and star of global cinema hit Still Human.
During the eight-day visit Guy will also deliver a prestigious lecture at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
Entitled From Silence to Symphony, the lecture will explore his personal journey from childhood hearing loss to conducting on world stages.
Though he is has been based in Manchester for more than a decade, Guy was born in Wrexham, North Wales, where his interest in music began when his grandmother started teaching him piano at the age of three – despite the fact he was almost completely deaf.
Rob Guy, composer from Wrexham
“I couldn’t hear a single note,” he recalled.
Guy’s early years were shaped by near silence – until medical operations to widen his ear canals gradually restored his hearing.
By the age of 15 he had made a full recovery and a life in music beckoned.
He took up the viola and went on to study at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester where he realised his real passion was for conducting.
Today he leads one of the largest university music conducting programmes in the UK at the University of Manchester.
He is also Principal Conductor to the Liverpool Philharmonic Youth Orchestra and has conducted the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Manchester Camerata which led to his work being on BBC radio and even recorded for Sony Play Station.
Having won a string of plaudits at home, his international reputation is steadily growing with invitations to conduct in Austria, South Korea, Vietnam, Kazakhstan and Kosovo, among other destinations.
Still only in his 30s, he has been described as one of Britain’s most exciting talents in classical and choral music by royal composer Paul Mealor, who wrote the music played at the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton as well as music for the King’s Coronation.
Guy conducted the world premiere of Mealor’s community opera Gelert performed at St Asaph cathedral by North Wales flagship orchestra NEW Sinfonia, which he and his brother, Jonathan, co-founded.
The invitation to work with the City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong came after he met its founder and artistic director, Leanne Nicholls, during a January 2024 visit to Hong Kong when he led the University of Manchester Chamber Choir performance at the World Global Concert.
He said: “I met with Leanne for coffee and we wound up talking for hours. We quickly discovered our approaches to programming concerts are very similar. We both have a strong mission to make classical music more accessible and appealing to wider audiences.
“When Leanne contacted me to invite me to conduct A Night at the Musicals I was thrilled and humbled at the same time. The City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong has an enviable reputation and is among Asia’s most prominent orchestras, it’s a huge honour for me. I’m very excited if a little nervous about the prospect.”
Leanne Nicholls said: “Rob is an orchestra founder and, like myself, knows what it takes to get an orchestra off the ground and then nurture it as it gains in prominence.
“We have similar visions for our orchestras, despite being worlds apart geographically.
“One of the most significant reasons why I invited him to conduct this particular show is because of his natural empathy working with vocalists.
“Having seen him work so beautifully with the University of Manchester Chamber Choir when he was here previously, I instinctively knew that he was the perfect choice for A Night at the Musicals.”
City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong has performed with world renowned artists including Sir James Galway, Dame Evelyn Glennie, Julian Lloyd Webber, Sir Karl Jenkins and also celebrities including Dame Edna Everage, Hayley Westenra and Robin Gibb.
In a happy coincidence, Guy will also be reunited with a familiar face while in Hong Kong – Bill Kong, who hails from Hong Kong but now lives in Llangollen in North Wales.
He is the longest serving member of the Welsh Male Voice Choir of Hong Kong, which was founded in 1978 by a group of expats and now has 70 members from all around the world.
Coincidentally, Kong is due to be travelling back to Hong Kong due to family commitments at the same time as Rob will be there.
Kong said: “I’ve long been a fan of Rob’s work and of NEW Sinfonia. So, I was delighted when he invited me to see the concert which he will be conducting in Hong Kong.
“It would be great if we can arrange a time for him to visit us while I’m over there and learn a little more about the work we do promoting Welsh choral music. It’ll practically be a home from home for us both.”
Guy added: “This feels like a full circle moment. From a childhood of silence to conducting in one of the world’s great musical cities – it’s overwhelming in the best way.”
Sign up for the North Wales Live newsletter sent twice daily to your inbox
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source uk.news.yahoo.com ’
