On the eve of The Way You Dance soundtrack release, CHOPSO sits down with breakout musical prodigy Lora Chow—the mastermind behind the original score for Quentin Lee’s highly anticipated new feature. A Yale-educated, award-winning composer, coloratura soprano, and multi-instrumentalist, the Hong Kong native is making her feature soundtrack debut today. The highly anticipated album drops via 604 Records and is available across multiple platforms at TWYDmusic.com.
What was your very first interaction with music and why did you decide to create music?
LC: My first interaction with music was prenatal — because my mom loved playing classical music albums at home. My actual music journey started when I was four — watching my sister’s first piano lesson at home, I begged to join. But honestly I was a very lazy student for years. I made slow progress because I just wanted to play, not practice. The shift happened when I became the choir pianist in elementary school. That made me practise a lot harder.
As for creating music, actually since my childhood, I have always loved improvising on the piano, but I never thought about becoming a composer until after college graduation. I called my improvisations “music diary” because they are simply raw thoughts and feelings freely expressed through music, created just for myself. I never thought of publishing them until a few years ago, when I got some encouragement from my musician friends and was introduced to the record label Prima Classic. Those diaries became my piano albums Reveries on Ivories and Pursuits from my Roots. My obsession for creating music came after I attended my first film scoring program. I had the chance to listen to a full orchestra playing my music live. I was exhilarated. Since then I just couldn’t stop chasing that high: the ecstasy of hearing your inner world become physically real.
Tell us a bit about the first feature film The Way You Dance you have scored? How did you get involved?
LC: I am in love with this film — it is incredibly touching and meaningful. The film resonates with me deeply, since it mirrors my family’s story in some ways — the unspoken sacrifices, the love that gets lost in translation between generations, and the challenges of parental expectations. I cried reading the script before I had even written a single note.
The director Quentin Lee and I both went to Yale, years apart, and we were introduced through a mutual friend from our alumni network. Quentin brought me in to meet the team, and I am so grateful for their trust in me.
What was the collaboration process like with filmmaker Quentin Lee?
LC: My collaboration with Quentin was very enjoyable and smooth. Quentin is not only a wonderful director to work with, but also a very supportive friend and mentor. He has given me a lot of creative freedom and he accepted my first raw instincts for every cue, except for one that he encouraged me to re-imagine. I am so glad that we clicked. Because the film was so achingly beautiful and inspiring, the music came to me quite naturally and instinctively.
What is the most memorable piece of music for you from the soundtrack of The Way You Dance and why?
LC: My most memorable piece is “The Letter”. Scoring the scene where Twinkle reads his father’s words, I actually teared up uncontrollably. “The Letter” has a melody that carries the weight of everything we meant to say but never did. The regrets, the love that lingers, the permanence of time, the ache of a past that you cannot rewrite. I can’t spoil the plot here, but I can say this: if this cue makes you want to hug your parents, text an old friend, or forgive someone you have been holding a grudge against, then the music has served its purpose.
Tell us about the fusion opera and film Sleepless Moon that you created. What’s the concept behind the fusion opera?
LC: My fusion opera Sleepless Moon stages a musical conversation between two worlds that have always been kept in separate boxes: Cantonese opera and Italian opera. I actually find that Italian opera and Cantonese opera have many complementary qualities and thus, can blend beautifully together. Italian opera has memorable melodies and rich harmony and orchestration; Cantonese opera is an interdisciplinary showcase of not just music, but also dance, acrobatics, poetic lyrics, costume and makeup. So, in Sleepless Moon, I get to capture the best of both worlds, with performers from both art forms singing together, accompanied by an orchestra of both Chinese and Western instruments. And the real magic happens when watching the performers from completely different traditions find a shared pulse. Hearing the Chinese erhu finally blend with the Western violin in harmony feels like witnessing a diplomatic truce through sound. It is about peace and our shared humanity.
The story of Sleepless Moon follows an AI hardware engineer and a Cantonese opera performer across past lives; but underneath, it conveys that peace is not about erasing differences — it is about letting them sing together and embracing the differences. Sleepless Moon is the first opera of its kind in history, and we filmed a documentary called The Making of Sleepless Moon: An East-West Opera because the behind-the-scenes chaos were almost as moving as the final theatrical show. You can watch the documentary for free on my Youtube channel — I wanted it to be shared and widely accessible.
I heard you recently also created the stage musical Doctor Clown. Tell us about it.
LC: Dr. Clown is a musical I created from the bottom of my heart; it is about the struggle between being practical and being free. I face that battle personally as a composer with a second career in hedge fund. Dr. Clown‘s story follows a doctor who wants to be a clown and a medical school student who wants to be a filmmaker. It is about family conflicts, inter-generational trauma, and the courage and the challenges to heal from it.
We recorded the songs with the Budapest Scoring Orchestra, and hearing the lush orchestra tell such a raw, human story moved me so much. The musical premiered in Cantonese at the Hong Kong Fringe Festival 2026. Watching the audience sob and laugh in the same breath has proved to me that this story is universal. I am translating the musical to English now as I believe everyone everywhere has a dream they are too scared to chase. I want to bring the musical to more countries and inspire more discussions and positive changes.
What keeps you inspired everyday waking up to create music?
LC: Today I got inspired by the sound of birds. Inspiration is everywhere, from the beautiful nature, music, arts, books and social media, to the people around me. Traveling is also a big source of inspiration. Creating music is like making magic, and it makes me so happy. It is very fulfilling when I see people enjoy playing or listening to my music. When a fan messages me and says my music has made their day brighter, that turns my obsession into a mission. I create music because I have to — but I keep creating music because of your support.
If you have to bring a 10 songs playlist to be stranded on a uninhabited island…. what would be that playlist?
LC:
- Rachmaninoff — Cello Sonata in G minor — for the catharsis
- Ravel — Ondine — for the water magic
- Lora Chow — The Unfulfilled Dream (from Dr. Clown) — to remind me of why I live
- Andrew Lloyd Webber — All I Ask Of You (from Phantom of the Opera) — for the romance
- Rachmaninoff — Piano Concerto No. 2 — to remind me that despair can turn into beauty
- Dvořák — Symphony No. 8 — for the sheer joy of living
- Lora Chow — At First Sight (from Sleepless Moon) — for the moment when two seemingly separate worlds merge
- Lora Chow — The Letter (from The Way You Dance) — so that I can cry and heal
- Lora Chow — The Watch (from The Way You Dance) — for the sentimental hugs and warmth
- Alan Menken — A Whole New World (from Aladdin) — for the belief in all possibilities
Stream or purchase the soundtrack for The Way You Dance now
