Every Malaysian abroad has a unique journey and a different connection to their homeland. The way everyone resonates with Malaysia is distinctly their own. Magdalene Ho, for example, has lived in the United Kingdom since she was 9. As someone who has been in a different country her whole life, she may not have the same memories and attachment to her home country as many other Malaysians. But no matter the distance and the years apart, one thing rings true – Malaysia will always be here to welcome her home.
A life’s worth of dedication to her craft
After being awarded a full scholarship from the Purcell School for Young Musicians in England, Magdalene set off from her hometown in Johor Bahru to begin a new life in the UK. She describes the transition to the UK as quite easy, as she was happy to be surrounded by other children her age at her boarding school as she was homeschooled back in Malaysia.
Since then, Magdalene has become an accomplished classical pianist at the ripe age of 21, winning the prestigious Clara Haskil Competition and becoming the first woman to receive the International German Piano Award in Frankfurt. More recently, she has received the prestigious Tabor Foundation Award, granted at the Verbier Festival in Switzerland. Nonetheless, she remains focused on her craft, being careful as not to be swept up in notoriety.
“If you chase success too hard, it avoids you.” – Magdalene Ho on winning awards.
Although she has proven herself to be a talented pianist, she remains humble, stating that the best way to achieve success is not to think about it. Instead, she believes in treating success and failure with equal contempt and focusing on improving as an artist, regardless of the result.
Magdalene values honesty and creativity as an artist; she stresses the importance of remaining modest and staying true to yourself in the process. Especially in classical music, it’s important to respect and understand the composer’s intentions, but equally essential to connect with the music on a personal level without letting ego interfere.
Magdalene has dedicated essentially her whole life to the pursuit of her craft, driven by one goal, that is to become the best artist she can be. When asked about dealing with periods of burnout and stagnation, she says it’s important to take a step back from the seriousness of practicing and take time to view music through a fresh perspective. Playing new pieces and injecting more fun and novelty into her routine helps her stay grounded in her art and continue moving forward without quitting.
A desire to connect to her culture
Magdalene’s parents have since moved to the United States, yet, she has come back to Malaysia a couple times since moving to the UK. When visiting, she notes the feeling of being in a whole different world from the one she exists in. Although she is grateful for everything she has in the UK, she does wish that she could be more connected to her roots in Malaysia.
She thinks about walking around in London and reminiscing on her grandmother’s house in Kuala Lipis, where she would often see chickens roaming around in true ‘kampung’ style and ponders on the things she missed out on by living in the UK. Though one lifestyle is not better than another, she’s aware of the different possibilities that she could have had if she stayed back home.
Magdalene wishes she had made more friends back in Malaysia, so that she would have more connections to come back to Malaysia to, learn to cook more Malaysian dishes, noting that though complex, she still believes Malaysia has the best cuisine in the world, even after years of living in London’s melting pot of cultures.
Building opportunities back home
To support Magdalene in pursuing her dream, her parents made a significant sacrifice by selling their house in Johor Bahru. She states that though moving to the UK opened plenty of doors for her to do classical music, she wishes that she didn’t have to move to the west for that to be a possibility.
This is the core value of MyHeart. A part of our vision is to bring more opportunities to Malaysians back home by getting Malaysians, such as Magdalene, to contribute their expertise to Malaysian-based talents. By getting more Malaysian professionals abroad to be a part of this journey, we can work towards building industries for Malaysians to thrive, right at home.
If you hope to see more progressive opportunities emerging in Malaysia, you can make a meaningful difference by contributing your expertise through the MyHeart platform. Click here to register today.
