Guest Spotlight: Christine Lu
Christine and Her Family Engage with Music through Belvedere Events
by Sara Laws
Now Director of Communications at a wealth management firm in Richmond, Christine Lu played piano and violin during her childhood. Recently, she’s re-engaging with music, and this has been a family endeavor enriched by The Belvedere Series.
For many, chamber music might seem dry and unemotional—or irrelevant. Christine addressed this misconception in our June 2024 conversation, noting that audiences often expect these compositions to be inanimate and inaccessible.
But Christine’s experiences with The Belvedere Series have been anything but distant and unemotional. In addition, recent concerts have catalyzed conversations with her two daughters about art and music history, deeply affecting Christine as she reconnects with her roots as a musician.
In this story:
Belvedere makes music accessible
Re-engaging with the music
Activating family love for the arts
The afterglow of a Belvedere event
Belvedere makes music accessible
Christine herself is interested in chamber music, but recognizes that many aren’t familiar with the repertoire. “People hesitate with a piece of music that was composed 200 years ago - it feels so far removed,” she said.
“You may see a familiar name like ‘Beethoven,’ but then each piece has all these numbers and abbreviations that may not make sense,” Christine added.
She compared this feeling to being at a restaurant, looking over a wine menu. Even if you know a little about wine, it can be intimidating to try to read a menu with unfamiliar names and descriptions in different languages. It can feel like the menu is telling you, “you should know what this means!”
"But many people don't know," Christine said, adding: "They might not even want to ask questions about the wine for fear of appearing uncultured." This uncertainty affects the overall experience, leaving one wondering if they are fully appreciating the wine.
"It can be the same at many classical music events," Christine says. "You may look at a program and wonder, what does this mean? Or who is this person? And the whole time, you're thinking, 'I hope I'm getting out of this what I'm supposed to get out of it.'"
Christine contrasts this discomfort with the experience of a good wine tasting. “They explain to you who the winemaker is, what they did to the grapes, what the natural conditions were that produced the liquid, and all of a sudden, you have the sense that you belong.” This brief education makes the experience richer and more enjoyable.
“If you start asking, ‘What exposure to arts can I give my kids?’—music events like these can be so rich. This is a whole world they can learn more about.”
“That’s what The Belvedere Series can do and is doing,” Christine said. “And that’s why I’m so excited about it. It is making music accessible in the way that a wine tasting makes you love something you didn’t think that you would.” The Belvedere Series provides context for each piece, explaining the composer's background, the piece's history, and its significance. This educational approach transforms the experience, making the music more accessible and enjoyable.
Christine has taken a similar approach with her family. Before and after bringing them to Belvedere events, she lays a little bit of groundwork. “I say, ‘This is what the theme is for this concert. These are the pieces, and here’s a little bit of the history behind them.’” Introducing Belvedere artists and explaining who they are and what else they do beyond music helps her family feel they belong at these concerts.
Re-engaging with the music
Christine has played piano since she was very young. When she was eight years old, she started playing the violin and continued for ten years.
Music was a big part of Christine’s life: “I had a lovely relationship with it,” she said. But her music education and performing schedule were intense, and she developed other interests. “As soon as I turned eighteen, I stopped playing,” she said, adding that she’s always loved music.
Two years ago, Christine’s daughters expressed interest in playing the violin. “I was teaching them rudimentary things and they were playing piano, but then they started asking about the violin, and I thought, ‘oh, they’ll have to beg me.’”
“Ultimately, I’m hoping exposure to these events helps to cultivate my daughters’ appetite for beauty.”
“So they persisted,” Christine said. “I found a couple of little violins for them, and then I wondered if I could still play.” Christine borrowed a violin from a friend and was amazed that her skills “came back,” if a little roughly. After working on a piece with a friend, they performed to high praise.
“It was very gratifying and I felt like I was playing on my own terms for the first time,” Christine said. “I hadn’t touched a violin in 22 years, but after that performance, I thought, ‘I should keep doing this.’”
Activating family love for the arts
Christine’s re-engagement with music has been a family endeavor, and it’s been enriched by Belvedere events.
I asked whether Christine, someone trained in music, hears and appreciates a Belvedere event more than those who aren’t trained to play music.
She resisted the idea that you need training to appreciate chamber music, admitting that, “Sure, I can identify technical aspects like guessing at how much artists have practiced to make it sound that way. But there are ways to have an understanding of music that’s not just about the technical piece. I believe it is possible to teach people to appreciate music. Just like you can teach someone to appreciate drinking wine, even if they've never made wine themselves."
“Belvedere is making music accessible, like a wine tasting that makes you love something you didn’t think you would.”
Her daughters’ interests in chamber music and the violin are proof of this. “We talk a little bit about composers, time periods, and what instruments sound like–the possibilities of sound that come from different instruments. They are hungry for that knowledge,” said Christine.
For Christine, Belvedere events are about far more than the music.
“Even if you are not interested in Mozart, if you start asking, ‘What exposure to arts can I give my kids?’—music events like these can be so rich,” Christine said.
“Kids can take in and appreciate so much more than people give them credit for. This is a whole world they can learn more about.”
Christine brought her daughters to the Bridget Kibbey harp concert in January 2024. Kibbey added layers of storytelling to each piece, inviting everyone to have a relationship with the music.
“It’s this sacred space that we were all in together. I felt really grateful to have been a part of that concert.”
Few people understand what the harp can do, and “[Kibbey] broke down some of the preconceived notions people have about harps and concerts generally,” Christine said. “People come into concerts thinking that they should already understand this music or have some context for it, and when they don’t, it can feel uncomfortable,” Christine said.
Her daughters loved the event. “When we got home, I looked up Bridget Kibbey and found she’d done a Tiny Desk concert on NPR. We all sat down and immediately watched it. Right after the concert,” Christine said. “It was great to be able to relate music to another thing for them. I’m always thinking in terms of ‘how do I help them make connections?’” Christine said. “You never know what will resonate with them, so cultural events, gardens, music, arts–these are events I look for, for their benefit and their education. Ultimately, I'm hoping exposure to these things helps to cultivate their appetite for beauty.”
The afterglow of a Belvedere event
These concerts are meaningful to Christine personally, beyond their educational value for her family. "For me, that hour of music—it's like an escape. Only, instead of dissociating, I’m fully in the music. It feels like five minutes have passed, and it’s not at all that experience many of us have had where we’re counting the minutes until a concert ends," she shared.
Christine recalls being particularly moved by Belvedere’s Roaring Twenties concert in November 2023: "I got to my car, and I just sobbed,” she said. “I was so overwhelmed with just this feeling of—there's other people out there that care about this."
Knowing this, for her, “was very moving. That people cared—from the programming, to the musicians who were involved, to the selection of a theme, and then everyone who attended.”
“It’s this sacred space that we were all in together. I felt really grateful to have been a part of that.”
“For me, that hour of music—it’s like an escape. Only, instead of dissociating, I’m fully in the music.”
After each concert, Christine describes a "glow" that envelops her, making it difficult to immediately return to normalcy. “You’re just in this glow, and once that wears off a little bit, you can hear how others have reacted to the music.” Directly after the music has stopped playing, Christine says she “feels like [she’s] in a bubble. It feels hard to have a normal conversation afterwards. I need a moment to have this bubble, a little time to sit and marinate. Sort of need a moment to transition out of this.”
These concerts give Christine access to her earlier history as a musician. “I always tell my girls, ‘If you get to learn music, it is like learning a new language entirely. It gives you access to a whole new world you don’t even know until you have learned those tools.”
Ready to experience the magic Christine describes? Join us for our next event and see how music can transform your evening.
Stay informed on our upcoming concerts and special events.
Help us continue to make music accessible to all. Consider making a donation to support The Belvedere Series and our mission.
