Le Siffleur - The Whistler

French May Arts Festival 2024:
Le Siffleur

The Whistler is Fred Radix – a comedian, musician, and uncanny whistling talent who brings offbeat humour and jaw-dropping musicianship to every show.   In his Hong Kong debut, he performs a sweeping canon of beloved classics, from Bizet to Mozart to Singing in the Rain. He'll charm you into whistling along through his masterful music, tap-dancing, and storytelling. His antics and artistry are funny, fresh, relevant and impertinent.

Radix is the founder of Les Mange-Cailloux, a musical and comedy company that has performed six original shows over 700 times across a dozen countries and a huge number of festivals.  He reflects: ‘As long as I can remember, I've been whistling from morning ‘til night. After twenty years of touring, I had the idea to bring whistling and comedy together. With each new show I create, I choose a new discipline that serves as the basis for the comic writing of my character and its interactivity with the audience. Coming from street theatre, I like this direct communication. It breaks the fourth wall and the barriers that this character erects at the beginning of the performance, placing "whistled music" as an erudite art reserved for specialists. This show allows everyone to be an expert on classical music. I love being The Whistler.'

For more information, please visit French May Arts Festival's website here.

Lung Kwan-wai Kenny (violist)

Violist of Hong Kong Sinfonietta, Kenny holds a Master’s degree in Music Performance from University of North Texas (UNT) and a Bachelor’s degree in Music from Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU). His viola mentors include Susan Dubois, Daphne Gerling and Felix Ungar. He has also participated in various solo and chamber masterclasses, including those conducted by Roberto Diaz, Jeffrey Irvine, and Paul Silverthorne.

While Lung was studying in the United States, he won the First Prize at the Tuesday Musical Club Young Artist Competition (2019) in San Antonio, Texas. He also performed as a soloist with Paul Leenhouts and UNT Baroque Orchestra in the same year. As Lung joined the Sinfonietta, he performs frequently as a chamber musician in its Good Music This Lunch Series, sharing works by renowned as well as less-known composers. 

Apart from his passion in viola playing, Lung is also enthusiastic about orchestral conducting. He has studied conducting with Miguel Harth-Bedoya, Kirk Trevor, John Farrer, David Itkin, Clay Couturiaux, and Po-kwan Law. He has also conducted the UNT Symphony Orchestra, UNT Concert Orchestra, UNT String Orchestra, and HKBU Student Orchestra. He was one of the conductors at the UNT Concerto Competition Winners’ Concert in 2019, and held a conducting recital in the same year, featuring works by Barber, Bartok and Elgar.

Laurent Perrin (cellist)

Laurent first studied in his native country Luxembourg and subsequently in France, Spain, England (Guildhall School of Music) and Canada (The Banff Centre for the Arts).

His cello teachers are Georges Mallach, Lluis Claret and Raphael Wallfish. He also worked with Daniil Shafran and took part in Masterclasses with Frans Helmerson, Bernard Greenhouse, Gyorgy Sebok, Monique Deschaussees, the Borodin, Melos, Takacs and Amadeus String Quartets.

At present he is Assistant Principal Cello with the Hong Kong Sinfonietta and teaches at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts. He is a member of the recently founded RTHK String Quartet and the Hong Kong New Music Ensemble (HKNME)

Laurent is an active chamber-music player and has performed in China, Korea, Japan, Malaysia, Macau, Europe, the USA and Canada. In 2008 he did a 3 weeks tour of the United States with the Excelsior Piano Trio from Philadelphia.

He is demand as a teacher and his students have won prizes both locally and abroad. He has also recorded several programs for RTHK Radio4.

Luo Weimin (violist)

Former member for the Hong Kong Sinfonietta. Luo received her Bachelor in the Xinghai Conservatory of Music, then gained her Master’s Degree at the Cologne University of Music and Dance in Germany.

William Lee (violist)

Completed the Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Music at Hong Kong Baptist University. During the time, Lee was appointed to be the concertmaster of Hong Kong Baptist University Symphony Orchestra and Collegium Musicum of Hong Kong. For striving a more advanced performance level, Lee received the Master of Music in Violin Performance at the University of Texas at Austin with scholarships.He had studied with Mr. Wong Wai Ming, Mr. Andrew Ling, Mr. Ray Tsoi and Mr. Daniel Ching in his university studies. Moreover, Lee participated in several violin and chamber masterclasses with Ms. Kathleen Wrinkler, Mr. Daniel Jordan, Mr. David Kim, Mr. Leo Philips, Mr. Robert Diaz etc. Besides that, Lee was coached by the members of Miro Quartet.

Lee is passionate in performing the music,including solo, chamber music and orchestral music. In his early time, he had obtained the violin LTCL and viola ATCL from the College of Trinity in distinction. In 2014, he was invited to be one of the members of Collegium Muscium of Hong Kong to perform at Carnegie Hall. Besides that, Lee had won the third prize at the 5th Princess Galyani Vadhana International Ensemble Competition in 2017. Furthermore, Lee gained the full scholarship to take part in the 30th Texas Music Festival and be the concertmaster in that orchestra. Lee played as a full time violinist of the Hong Kong Sinfonietta.