[bright classical guitar music]
- Angela Fitzgerald: Kevin Loh is a guitar prodigy
from Singapore who plays with purpose and precision.
- Kevin Loh: I try to provide a sort of refreshing take
on classical guitar repertoire
that really pushes classical music to the next level.
- Angela: Kevin is pursuing a master's in guitar performance
at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
On the classical guitar, he is a virtuoso.
- Ren? Izquierdo: I knew that minute I heard him play
the very first time
that he was gonna be one of the great guitarists
of our time.
- Angela: That's saying a lot, coming from Ren? Izquierdo,
a maestro on classical guitar and Kevin's music professor.
- Ren?: He's a quick learner, very quick.
And maybe with the right side of the nail to get,
there you go.
- I first met Ren? in 2014.
It was at a guitar festival in Iserlohn, Germany.
[Ren? singing]
I was just mesmerized right away
as to the level of teaching that Ren? was giving.
And for me, it was a matter of when,
not if, as to when I'd arrive in Milwaukee
to pursue further studies with him.
There's a difference between [note playing]
and [note playing].
One of the biggest lessons that I had already heard of,
but it was really reinforced with Ren?,
was that talent alone is not enough.
[bright classical guitar music]
- Ren?: When you find that talent
meets desire and sacrifice,
that's where you have all those elements
to make a great musician.
- Angela: Before Ren?,
another man started Kevin on a path from Singapore to success.
[gentle classical guitar music]
- Kevin: My father and I were simply just playing the guitar
in our living room,
and my mother would be behind the camera, filming us.
[bright classical guitar music]
- Angela: Within a few years,
these home videos had been viewed worldwide
on the family's YouTube channel.
[gentle classical guitar music]
- Kevin: So, it was around 9 or 10 years of age
when people were saying, "Okay, there's something here.
We can push this further a little bit."
That was when the bigger performances started to come in,
giving me my debut at the Esplanade Concert Hall,
which is, like, one of the two big concert halls
in Singapore.
At that point, my father and I were like, "Wow, okay."
You know, all these opportunities came along
because of this added exposure.
I performed in the Berlin Konzerthaus.
I've played in the London Wigmore Hall.
I've also played in places like the Suntory Hall in Tokyo.
All of these places are real prestigious sort of venues.
[bright classical guitar music]
- Ren?: Everyone on the world stage knows him.
People can tell every time they hear him playing,
even the simplest pieces,
that this is just beyond playing guitar well.
This is just guitar at its best.
- Angela: Kevin has won the highest national
and international awards for classical guitar,
and he could also win a medal for modesty.
- Kevin: It's not so much about the results
or the glamour necessarily.
It really is appreciating the craft
and understanding that it's the journey.
- Ren?: This is one of the best in the world
because right now, he has nothing else left to prove.
- It feels really weird because normally, he will make sure
to avoid saying anything of the sort.
- That's true. [both laugh]
- Angela: The accolades are welcome,
but what Kevin still cherishes
is the musical advice from his dad.
- Kevin: He was the one who brought the guitar idea
to the table to begin with. [laughs]
He's taught me a lot of life lessons.
He often brought those lessons
through the guitar sessions that we had.
I'm very grateful for that because I feel
that contributed to the passion of music making very much.
Very good.
- Angela: Today, Kevin is sharing that passion
with UWM students he helps mentor.
[note playing] - Kevin: Yeah.
I find myself saying the exact same things that he's taught me.
If you're taking a breath physically,
take a breath musically.
And I have that out-of-body experience
where it's like, "Damn,
I'm really turning into my father." [laughs]
[gentle guitar notes]
- Angela: Classical guitar is the instrument that taught Kevin
your passion can become your profession.
[gentle classical guitar music]
- Ren?: No doubt he's gonna be concertizing,
performing, teaching at the highest level
anywhere he would be.
- You're forging your own path.
You create your own story.
And you only live once, right?
I am just really fortunate to be here. [laughs]
[gentle classical guitar music]
[applause]