In her autobiography From Clementi To Carnegie, Siow Lee Chin recounts her life journey from the time she was a student and what she went through to eventually become one of Singapore’s most recognised violinists.

But it is not only an anecdote-filled memoir of her life. “(It’s also about) overcoming the odds and our fears,” she said. “I wrote it for the young people and not just for musicians. Music is just my medium, but this (book) is really about life lessons.”

The life journey Siow takes in her book is probably matched only by her journeys as a musician and music educator. She held the post of Associate Professor of Violin and Director of Strings at the College of Charleston in South Carolina; and was appointed Professor of Strings at the recently opened Soochow University School of Music located in the China-Singapore Suzhou Industrial Park. As a musician, she has crossed continents and performed at some of the biggest concert halls and festivals in the world, including the Royal Albert Hall, Carnegie Hall and, most recently, at the SEA Games here in Singapore.

Sometimes, her life lessons came about through chance meetings, while on the road, such as when she was in the Polish city of Poznan for the Henryk Wieniawski International Violin Competition and was chitchatting with a taxi driver. Siow recounted: “He saw me carrying a violin and asked me if I was in the competition. I said, yes, and then he asked what I was playing, so I told him. And then he asked if I would be playing a particular movement in that piece.”

She continued: “I mean, this is just a normal taxi driver — I know (to presume) is wrong— but most people wouldn’t think a taxi driver would know about that piece, even if that composer was from his own country. You really can’t judge a book by its cover. I mean, the audience there — it was a very knowledgeable audience. It was inspiring that people there really know their music. But it was also nerve-wracking — because they know their music!”

But meeting people like that, she shared, is one of the perks of her job. “I think that is the beauty of being a musician — you get to travel because it’s part of your job. But the most beautiful thing about visiting a place is making friends and seeing it from the point of view of the locals. To me, travelling is more about that than visiting tourist attractions.”

So what kind of travel recommendations can she share? London, for example, is a must-visit for those who like a little bit of everything, she said. “It is a city of immense culture and there is no lack of things to do. I was there in June and there were events like Wimbledon going on. There was even a shoe exhibition. It’s a real world-class city. If you just want to have a week of culture, go to London. You can’t beat that. Oh, and the shopping is great!”

Italy, on the other hand, offers other delights. “In terms of pure romance, you cannot beat Italy. The food, the people, the fashion … it’s just gorgeous. If you want to take me on a holiday, that is the place to go. It was one of the first European countries I visited as a teenager — I went to Venice, Modena, Milan and Florence, and those cities left a strong impression on me.”

Lijiang in China, Siow added, is great for its natural beauty (“The colours are so strong and vibrant,” she said; as is Charleston in the United States). “(Charleston) has lovely cobblestone streets and beautiful marsh areas,” she added. “There is this stretch of road I drive along every time I go to work and I have to pinch myself because it is like a dream or a movie set. Some of the places have been the same for 200 or 300 years. Coming from a modern city like Singapore, the juxtaposition was very refreshing for me.

“I was told that Charleston is one of the most beautiful cities in America and they were right. I feel very privileged and fortunate to have called it home.”

Siow has also had her fair share of on-the-road “Spinal Tap” incidents. While in Hanoi, for example, she wanted to check out the notorious Hoa Lo Prison, which was used to house American prisoners-of-war during the Vietnam conflict and was nicknamed the Hanoi Hilton. “But I had a little misunderstanding. I told the driver I wanted to see the Hanoi Hilton, but he took me to the Hilton hotel instead,” she said with a laugh.

That said, there were times when such encounters were not so disastrous. “I was in London earlier this year for the City Of London Festival and I had a show at the church of St Bartholomew The Great,” said Siow. “While I was practising in the church, somebody came in to pray and left a note for me — and I didn’t know it at the time — that said how she was moved by the music,” she said. “It is one of those moments that show you how powerful music can be.”