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Spotlight had the honor to interview Chia-Chia (full name Chiahu Lee) about her journey to finding her powerful voice. As a professor at the Conservatoire de la Ville de Luxembourg and a freelance composer, performer, and project manager, she blends her rich cultural heritage with her musical talents.
Raised by a Taiwanese mother and a Chinese father born in South Korea, Chia-Chia's upbringing in Luxembourg deeply influences her music and teaching. She is also the founder and artistic director of Fingertips ASBL, reflecting her dedication to social change through music.
Chia-Chia's story is one of blending tradition with innovation, using her platform to inspire and empower the next generation of musicians.
Let's start with your cultural background. How has it influenced your upbringing?
My cultural background is whatever my mom taught me about Chinese culture. As a child, I was ashamed of it because I desperately wanted to fit in with my classmates. I wanted to be like them, to be white, and for my parents not to work in a restaurant. I spent so much time trying to integrate. It wasn't until a few years ago that it finally clicked. Everything that makes me different defines me.
A few years ago, it became important for me to find my roots. I wanted to feel anchored somewhere, and I fantasized about living in Taiwan for a year or two. In Taiwan, I blend in physically, but as soon as I open my mouth, I’m even more of an outsider. It was an identity struggle, constantly asking, "Who am I?" But now, it doesn’t matter anymore because I’ve realized we’re all like clay, constantly being molded by our experiences.
How did this journey influence your understanding of being a woman?
It’s something I’ve only started thinking about in the last couple of years, partly thanks to therapy. Being a woman is so complex.
Growing up with mainstream media, for example Disney movies, there was always one clear type of woman. That made it difficult to fit in if you didn’t conform to that ideal. Now, with all the different representations of women, I still find it confusing sometimes. Everything seems fluid, so it’s hard for me to define who I am in my own mind.
To make sense of it all, finding my voice has been crucial. It doesn’t matter how I dress or what my background is; speaking my own truth is what matters. I guess being a woman who speaks her own truth is an act of feminism. When I’m teaching, I try to be unapologetically myself to inspire my female students.
My mom is really my biggest role model in so many ways. For example, the way she dresses is very different from how my friends’ moms dressed when I was growing up. She didn’t try to fit in.
Did you face difficulties conforming to both East Asian and Western standards?
Definitely. When it comes to my appearance, I’m not a very feminine woman by East Asian standards. In Taiwan, some women like to be super white-skinned and made-up, while others present themselves in a very masculine way. I’m somewhere in-between.
On the other hand, I also felt pressure to be quiet and listen to my teachers at school, absorbing information without questioning, because that’s the Asian way. In Western culture, the extroverted, funny person in class is more appreciated. At university in the UK, especially in music, bringing my own identity to my craft was difficult because I had never been pushed to critically assess or to express myself creatively.
In your experience, are women sufficiently represented in classical music?
When I went to Manchester, seeing women and Black women in the Philharmonic Orchestra was striking. It made a huge impact on me. But in Luxembourg, you don’t see that diversity. You see more male conductors than female, and women in leading positions are rare.
To contribute to change, I started focusing on contemporary female composers. Whenever I play a concert, I include at least one female contemporary composer. My last two concerts were entirely dedicated to female composers. However, I sometimes feel uncomfortable because I don’t want people to think I’m choosing their work just because they’re women.
What are your future plans?
I’ve spent my whole life adapting and pleasing people. Now, I need to fulfill my own creative side first. It takes more courage to do something good for myself than to do crowdfunding projects. I need to start making decisions for myself first. Self-expression is the first step in feminism. By being authentically myself, I hope to inspire others to do the same.
Do you have any advice for the next generation?
I don’t think they need advice; they’re already smarter than us. But if I had to say something, it would be to embrace your insecurities and doubts, and transform them into part of your voice. Just be brave.
Watch Chia-Chia in her element on YouTube:
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