#289 Lora Chow: Reveries from the Trading Floor to the Concert Hall — Part One
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Who is Lora Chow and what is her background?
We are both from Hong Kong, shaped by the same family and societal expectations to chase money, business, and brand names. We followed the expected path, elite schools, big careers, but eventually stepped away from the weight of titles, status, and what we were supposed to want. In this two-part series, Nora shares how she returned to music, launched her new album, Referees on Ivory, and built a life that sounds like her, not someone else's script. From headphones to harmonies, this is a story about dropping the labels and choosing the nooks that matter. Let's get into it.
Nora, welcome to Chief Change Officer. Welcome to my show. Hi, Vince. Thank you for having me. I'm very excited to be on your podcast.
Nora and I have known each other for quite some time now through the Yale Club of Hong Kong. Over the years, I've watched your growth and transformation. And I have to admit, I always assumed you've been a musician your entire career. But later you told me yes and no. You are definitely a musician by training, but part of your career actually took quite a different turn into finance. which happens to be the area I used to work in as well. So I say there's a lot of interesting layers in your journey. Let's start with a big question. Who are you? Tell us a little about yourself. where you're from, what you've done, and what you're doing now. And then we'll dive into different parts of your story and your transformation.
Sure. I am Laura Chow. I'm from Hong Kong. I'm a composer, a singer, and a multi-instrumentalist. I'm also the co-founder of two music organizations, the Yale Alumni Chamber Music Society of Hong Kong and Virtuoso Fiesta, which I founded with a friend also from Yale, a violinist named Ruda Lee last year in Hong Kong. Actually, in 2023 in Hong Kong, we co-founded Virtuoso Fiesta. So I'm very passionate about creating music that inspire positive changes in the world. And my background is that I studied music and economics at Yale College. And after graduation, I pursued a career in finance from being a prop trader in investment bank to a portfolio manager in a hedge fund. And I spent over 10 years analyzing stocks, learning about the financial markets. making returns.
But always on the side, I've been doing music as a performer, as a composer, and as an administrator and trying to make changes in the music scene in Hong Kong to hopefully allocate more resources in the music scene and to promote the transformative power of music.
When you first shared your story with me, there were a lot of things I could relate to. Not the singing or composing part. I'm definitely not a trained musician. I did learn piano as a kid, and I enjoy singing. I even did some vocal training later on, but that was more for public speaking. But like you, I was born and raised in Hong Kong.
How did Lora Chow balance music and finance?
I took part in all those extracurricular activities growing up, including music. Then, like many of us, you went on to a great school. And at Yale, you chose to major in both music and economics. Can you take us back to that moment? You were around 18, starting college. What were you thinking back then when you chose those two majors? Why not just music or just economics? What made you want to combine the two?
Sure. I was always very passionate about music. I started the piano at four and learned different instruments, played in orchestra, sang in choirs. And I always wanted to be a musician, but I always also got the impression that it's impossible to be a musician in Hong Kong. where I was born and where it's a financial hub it's very unrealistic and it's very difficult to make a living and I'm not from a wealthy family so I do have to be practical and of course there are also pressure from my traditional parents just giving me the idea that it's very important to have a stable income and it's much easier to be a professional and to have a high standard of living.
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Chapters
6 chapters
1
Who is Lora Chow and what is her background?
0:58–5:15
2
How did Lora Chow balance music and finance?
5:15–8:49
3
What influenced Lora's decision to study at Yale?
8:49–16:47
4
Why did Lora choose economics and music as her majors?
16:47–26:30
5
What led Lora to pursue a career in finance?
26:30
6
How did Lora's upbringing shape her career choices?
20:03–27:36
Speakers
2 identifiedMore from Chief Change Officer™: Ensemble
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