Chinese-American conductor Shui Lan took up the baton by accident.
He started playing the violin at age five and wanted to be a violinist, but a football injury to his hand at 18 meant he could not practise the instrument for a long time.
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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on January 29, 2019, with the headline Goodbye, for now: Singapore Symphony Orchestra's outgoing music director Shui Lan. Subscribe