"I'd like to share with you a French song. My favourite colour is pink, and this song is called La Vie en Rose.”

At the Hong Kong Hope Through Music Annual Concert 2020, local soprano Michelle Siu gave an unforgettable rendition of the French classic La Vie en Rose while playing the piano. Her voice was so moving and penetrating that it was hard to believe she had, in fact, never seen pink before.

Michelle lost her sight from eye cancer when she was only three months old. From that point on, her perception of the world has had to rely mainly on the sense of touch and hearing. Slowly, her parents realised that she had a gift for the piano and singing.

With sheer determination and hard work, Michelle went on to earn performance diplomas in piano and vocal music. She’s also won a host of prizes for piano and singing in open competitions. In 2016, she was offered a place by the Chinese University of Hong Kong, becoming the first visually impaired student in its music department.

In 2017, Michelle was awarded a Hong Kong Jockey Club Scholarship in recognition of her academic excellence and dedication to community service. Founded in 1998, The Hong Kong Jockey Club Scholarships is the Club's leading charity programme for nurturing local talent. Over the past 24 years, the scholarship programme has continued to grow. In 2015, it began to offer overseas graduate scholarships. Moreover, it was expanded to benefit students from the Vocational Training Council as well as students with special education needs like Michelle.

To date, The Hong Kong Jockey Club has funded scholarships totalling over HK$640 million to over 800 students. Looking ahead, Michelle wants to devote herself to inclusive education on top of her career as a musician, so that more people with special needs can find an education model system that works for them.