Veteran Cantonese opera teacher Leung Sum-yee does not expect every child who enters her classroom to become a performer. If they leave knowing what good Cantonese opera sounds and looks like, she considers that worthwhile too.
“My purpose was not to train stars or idols. I wanted more people to understand Cantonese opera and to have more audiences,” she said.
That approach has guided Leung through more than three decades of teaching and cultural advocacy.
She founded an opera organisation in 1994 that was renamed Kim Sum Cantonese Opera Troupe two years later. It runs classes for children, teenagers and adults and brings Cantonese opera into schools and the community.