Kai-Young Chan earned his Ph.D. in Music Composition from the University of Pennsylvania and has been teaching at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) since 2016. His orchestral, chamber, choral, and mixed media works have been performed internationally by groups such as the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, Hong Kong Sinfonietta, Daedalus Quartet, Mivos Quartet, and Hong Kong New Music Ensemble.

Chan has received the CASH Golden Sail Music Award (Hong Kong), Keuris Prize (Netherlands), First Prize of the Robert Avalon Composition Competition (United States), and multiple other international accolades. He organized the first-ever conference on Cantonese Contemporary Music, an event recognized by Radio Television Hong Kong as the Top 10 Music Headlines of 2023 based on the event’s influence on the cultural and academic development in Hong Kong. His work has been showcased at major music festivals, including the International Society for Contemporary Music (ISCM) World Music Days and the International Rostrum of Composers. His compositions are released globally by record labels such as Ablaze, Innova, and Navona Records, with scores published by Edition Peters and Universal Edition.

At CUHK, Chan has received the Faculty Outstanding Teaching Award and multiple grants to develop online videos and games for music theory education. Supported by research grants from the Hong Kong Research Grants Council, the Hong Kong Arts Development Council, and other organizations, his music and research have explored how Cantonese text-setting constraints inspire creativity in contemporary music, addressed the under-representation of Cantonese-language contemporary music on the international stage, and fostered interdisciplinary collaborations between music studies, artificial intelligence, and neuroscience.

陳啟揚於美國賓夕法尼亞大學獲得博士學位，自2016年起任教於香港中文大學音樂系。其創作包括管弦樂、室內樂、合唱曲、跨媒體作品，曾獲美國匹茲堡交響樂團、香港管弦樂團、香港小交響樂團、Daedalus四重奏、Mivos四重奏、香港創樂團等歐、亞、美洲樂團，於世界各地演奏。 

陳氏為香港CASH金帆音樂獎、荷蘭可利斯獎、美國阿華龍作曲比賽首獎多個國際獎項得主。陳氏於2023年籌辦了首個粵語現代音樂的交流會議，入選香港電台2023十大樂聞。陳氏的作品曾入選多個國際音樂節，包括國際現代音樂節（ISCM）世界音樂日、國際作曲家交流會議等。部分作品由美國Ablaze、innova、PARMA等唱片公司全球發行，樂譜則由 Edition Peters及Universal Edition出版。

陳氏曾獲香港中文大學文學院傑出教學獎，並獲得多項資助開發音樂理論教學的在線影片和遊戲。在香港研究資助局、香港藝術發展局及其他委託機構的研究資助支持下，陳氏的創作與研究致力探索粵語創作的限制如何化為音樂的創意，積極在世界各地推廣粵語音樂，並促進了音樂、人工智能、神經科學之間的跨學科研究。

Albums

Constraints/Creativity

Release Date: January 24, 2025
Catalog Number: NV6687
21st Century
Vocal Music
Choir
CONSTRAINTS/CREATIVITY considers the humanistic thread connecting disparate cultures across time and space. This collection of 10 original works from composer Kai-Young Chan sets ancient Chinese lyric poetry, contemporary literature, and religious texts to moving choral music. The journey begins with themes of longing and separation, vividly depicted in poems like Li Ch’ing-Chao’s “Seeking, Searching” and “Withering Blossoms, Fading Scent,” which depict imagery of scattered petals and autumnal decay. The collection also explores the solace found in nature and the resilience of hope, as in Su Tung-Po’s “Egrets around the Mountain” and “Beneath the Moonlight.” Concluding with Psalm 23, the music finds strength in life’s darkest moments.