Lee Kar-Tai Phoebus 李家泰

Musical works of Lee Kar-tai Phoebus have been presented at various international music festivals and conferences. These include the Arena Contemporary Music Festival, The Asian Composers League Conference and Festival (Taiwan, Israel, Singapore, Tokyo), The Chinese Composers Festival, Hong Kong Art Festival, Hong Kong Contemporary Music Festival, Hong Kong Week of Taiwan, International Rostrum of Composers, Musicarama, Singapore Asian Composers Festival, SOUND-IMAGination, soundSCAPE Festival in Italy, Swiss Contemporary Music Festival, WASBE Conference, and Yogyakarta Contemporary Music Festival. Many of his works were commissioned and given premiers by renowned performing groups including Baden-Württemberg Youth Wind Orchestra (Germany), Bang On A Can All-Stars (United States), dissonArt ensemble (Greece), Eclat Ensemble (Korea), Ensemble Télémaque (France), Hong Kong Band Directors Association, Hong Kong New Music Ensemble, Hong Kong Wind Kamerata, Taiwan National Symphony Orchestra, UMS n’JIP (Switzerland), and more.

 

He attained the Doctor of Music degree (D. Mus.) at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK). He is freelance composer, and works as a part time lecturer at universities and a freelance presenter, editorial assistant, and daily music program director at RTHK Radio 4. At various occasions, he also performs as an organist or pianist on both traditional and contemporary repertoires. phoebuslee.com

 

 

 

 

Ng Chun-hoi Daniel 吳俊凱

Ng Chun-hoi (Daniel) (b.1959) serves as a music educator, composer, and music critic. He had early exposure to Chinese traditional music in his household surroundings, but it was his secondary school years at the St. Paul's College in Hong Kong that proved to have a strong impact on his musical development. At St. Paul’s College, Ng developed deep interest in music and particularly in composition through learning the guitar and being a chorister.

 

In order to pursue his music career, Ng entered the Chinese University of Hong Kong studying music, where he became a composition pupil of David Gwilt. Upon graduation, Ng worked as a school music teacher for a few years. After being overwhelmed by listening to Bruckner's symphony, Ng decided to further his studies and was admitted to the University of Hong Kong. There, he studied composition with Anne Boyd and subsequently completed his master degree under Doming Lam.

 

In composition, Ng is often commissioned for new works by different organizations and a number of his work has been performed and broadcast in Hong Kong and overseas. His publications include vocal and choral compositions published in the Hong Kong Vocal Music Collection, the chamber work Lyric Dialogues published in discography by Hugo Productions, the violin duet Nocturne published by Red House Editions, the duo for clarinet and piano Moody, and a piano piece, Morning Rain, published in discography and score by the Hong Kong Composers' Guild.

 

Apart from composing, Ng also learned Chinese Chaozhou Xianshi music with his uncle, Ng Wing-wah and thereafter undertook research in Chinese music and teacher education. He later obtained a doctoral degree in music education at the University of New South Wales, Australia, under Gary McPherson.

 

Ng has taught at several universities and conservatoires such as the Education University of Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Baptist University and the Hong Kong Academy for the Performing Arts. He is presently the dean of the Hong Kong Music Institute where he also teaches counterpoint, composition, and Chinese music history. hkcg.org/ng-chun-hoi-daniel

 

 

 

 

Au Tin-yung Alex 歐天勇

Au Tin-yung Alex was born in Hong Kong. He is an active composer, educator, and promoter of contemporary music. His works have been widely performed in different places such as the United States, China, Ireland, Taiwan, Italy, France, Sweden, and the U.K. Au’s works often explore the potential of the audible sonic spectrum by integrating computer technology with contemporary compositions, creating interesting timbre based on tradition instruments. His work “Dao” has been selected as one of the three finalists in Duosolo Emerging Composer Competition in 2011 (Cortona, Italy). Musicians that performed Au’s music include Kreutzer String Quartet, Concorde Contemporary Music Ensemble, Juilliard String Quartet, Aoife Ni Bhriain, Paul Roe, Martin Johnson, Sarah Watts, and more.

 

Au is the founder and music director of Avant Music Group Association of Hong Kong (AMGA) established in 2011. AMGA is a non-profit association aimed at promoting contemporary compositions and creating an exchange platform for composers and musicians. Projects include Avant Music Night (2015) – a concert features a number of York composers; project between Avant Music and Concorde Ensemble – features Hong Kong composers and Irish composers; Marco Ramelli’s Guitar Masterclass (2018) – contemporary guitar techniques; Dr. David Mooney’s Piano Masterclass (2018); and Avant Music Night (2019) – a concert featuring new music from Hong Kong and Ireland.

 

Au received his Master’s Degree (Distinction) in Composition at the University of York under the supervision of Dr. Thomas Simaku. He is currently continuing his research on integrating electronic technology with contemporary music in a PhD in Composition at HKU, with the support of the university postgraduate scholarship. Au also studied computer music at IRCAM in 2017 under the guidance of Mikhail Malt. He is now working as a teaching assistant at the HKU Music Department and is also a council member of Hong Kong Composers' Guild (HKCG).

alexautinyung.wixsite.com/alexau

 

 

 

 

Wong Chun-Wai 黃俊諱

Earning his doctorate from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Wong Chun-wai has a versatile composition profile comprising concert music, musicals, and film scores. He often infuses different musical languages to evoke various atmospheres and sceneries, engaging audiences with a quasi-multimedia-art experience.

 

His compositions are featured worldwide in occasions such as the International Rostrum of Composers, ISCM World Music Days, ACL (Asian Composers League) Festival, International Forum of New Music “Manuel Enríquez” and the Asian Youth Orchestra World Tour. His music is performed and recorded by prominent groups and musicians including the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, Internationale Ensemble Modern Akademie (IEMA), performers from the New York Philharmonic and soloists including Dong-Suk Kang and Jan-Erik Gustafsson.

 

His works have been published by the Ablaze Records (United States), Europa Musica Publishing (France), Imagine Music (United States), Murphy Music Press (United States) and the Hong Kong Composers’ Guild. Other honours include winning the Bassoon Chamber Music Composition Competition (United States), the First Prize and Audience Prize in the Coups de Vents 5th International Composition Competition for Wind Orchestra (France), and the David Gwilt Composition Prize.

 

Apart from his creative work, he also authors an online study journal for orchestration, Orchestration Masters (orchestrationmasters.wordpress.com).

wongchunwaimusic.com

 

 

 

 

Wolfgang Nüßlein, Cello

Harvey Shapiro was impressed by his “outstanding talent” and appreciated him as a “most excellent cellist and first class musician,” Paul Tortelier invited him to study with him in Paris and Nice, Zara Nelsova was “impressed by his talent,” and Joel Krosnick from the Juilliard Quartet calls him a “brilliant, superb cellist and sensitive musician.”

Wolfgang Nüßlein studied at the Musikhochschule Karlsruhe (Orchestra und Pedagogic Diploma) and was a student of Harvey Shapiro at the “Juilliard School of Music New York” (Master of Music) and of Paul Tortelier.

 

As a cellist he was traveling throughout Europe, gave concerts in Russia, North and South Africa, the United States (at Carnegie Hall and Merkin Concert Hall, New York), South America (Chile), Korea, and China, and was a guest at many festivals such as the Schleswig-Holstein Festival, MDR-Musiksommer, Jazztage Braunschweig (together with the J. Loussier Trio), Beethoven Festival Krakow, “International Contemporary Music Festival Hong Kong,” Mozart Festival St. Petersburg, “Victoria International Music Festival” Canada, and more.

 

Since 1991 he has been an active teacher at different Conservatories and Universities in Germany. For 12 years he coached the cellists of the Bavarian Youth Orchestra, was a jury member of different competitions, and was an assistant of Harvey Shapiro’s. He taught masterclasses for chamber music and cello in Germany, China (Central Conservatory of Music Beijing), and Chile. Many of his students have won prizes at competitions, become members of orchestras, and now hold teaching positions. From 2008-2010 he was teacher of cello and chamber music at the Conservatory for Music in Kassel. Since 2009 he has been a full-time teacher for cello and chamber music at the Hochschule für Musik in Regensburg. In addition to his position in Regensburg he started as a full-time teacher for chamber music at the Hochschule für Musik (university of music) at Würzburg.

His relation to Hong Kong as a performer and teacher started in 1999, and since then he has performed regularly with violinist Hong-Ying Ho and pianist Mary Wu.

 

Wu Mei-Loc Mary, piano

Hailed as “one of the most gifted pianists of her generation” for her “musical variety, profundity and sensitivity” by Ravel’s protege Vlado Perlemuter, Mary Wu is also praised by the late Lord Yehudi Menuhin as having “a captivating poetical quality to her playing.” European review praises Wu for “her extraordinary artist quality, absolute mastery over the keyboard, and magical virtuosity.”

 

Starting from an early age, Wu has performed extensively throughout the world as a soloist and in chamber performances with artists including Lord Menuhin, Vlado Perlemuter, Richard Stoltzman, Colin Carr, and the Maggini Quartet, and has appeared in major festivals. Wu has also collaborated with many major orchestras and has several albums on BMG, ASV, Dutton, and Universal Label.

 

Wu is a graduate of the Yehudi Menuhin School and the Royal College of Music, and has received her Doctoral degree from the State University of New York at Stony Brook. Her teachers included Betty Drown, Peter Norris, Vlado Perlemuter, Louis Kentner, Kendall-Taylor, and Gilbert Kalish.

 

Selected in 2003 as one of the ‘Top Ten Outstanding Young Persons in Hong Kong,’ Wu has won the Chappell Gold Medal of RCM, first prizes at the Royal Overseas League Competition and the Mozart Bicentenary Competition of Asia, and the 2010 ADC Hong Kong Best Artist (Music) award. Her prizes and distinctions include first prize at the Royal Overseas League Competition, the Mozart Bicentenary Competition of Asia, and the Hong Kong Arts Development Council’s Best Artist Award in Music in 2010.

 

She is featured as a major artist in the recently published “Hong Kong Music History (CC Liu, Commercial Press 2014).” Wu has recorded on BMG, “Contemporary Chinese Piano Works” by Paradism, “Ravel Piano Works” under Universal Label, and complete Arnold Bax / Ernest Reed violin and piano works with violinist Robert Gibbs on ASV.

 

 

 

Cross-currents​ 橫流

 

 

 

Yu-Fang Chen 陳玉芳, piano

A native of Taiwan, Yu-Fang Chen is currently the Assistant Professor of Music Performance – Violin at Ball State University (Muncie IN) and a member of Indianapolis Symphony. She received her Doctoral of Musical Arts degrees in both violin and viola performance from the University of Missouri-Kansas City in 2013. As a sought-after performer and pedagogue, Chen has been invited to teach and perform at various music institutions and festivals including the Sunflower Music Festival and the Heartland Chamber Music Academy in the United States, the InterHarmony International Music Festival in Italy, and Thailand International Composition Festival in Salaya, Thailand.

Chen has won many awards and competitions and her career as a performing artist is extensive. Her international performing career has taken her to more than 15 countries on five continents, and she continues to perform as a guest musician nationally and internationally with various concert artists, chamber ensembles, and orchestras.

Chen served as an Assistant Professor of Violin and Viola at Washburn University in Topeka KS from 2015-2017. She was a member of the Kansas City Symphony, the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, the Des Moines Symphony Orchestra, and the Academy of Taiwan.

 

As an enthusiastic performer of contemporary music, Chen has commissioned, premiered, and recorded many compositions by living composers. Her recordings can be found through ABLAZE and PARMA Recordings.

 

 

Clouds in Twilight 暮雲

 

 

 

The Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra

Vision: To inspire through the finest music-making

 

The Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra (HK Phil) is recognized as Asia’s foremost classical orchestra. Presenting more than 150 concerts over a 44-week season, the HK Phil attracts more than 200,000 music lovers annually and maintains a comprehensive education and community outreach program.

 

Under Music Director Jaap van Zweden, the HK Phil has accomplished various ambitious initiatives including the four-year project to perform and record the complete Ring of the Nibelung (Richard Wagner).

 

The orchestra has toured extensively in locations including Europe, throughout Mainland China, and in Seoul, Osaka, Singapore, Melbourne, and Sydney in 2017 as part of the HKSAR’s 20th anniversary celebrations.

 

The HK Phil is a registered charitable organization supported by the HKSAR, Principal Patron Swire, the Hong Kong Jockey Club, the commercial sector, and generous individuals.

Bright Sheng

Bright Sheng is respected as one of the foremost current composers, and is an active conductor and concert pianist. He studied composition and conducting with Leonard Bernstein privately and worked as his assistant until Bernstein’s passing in 1990. As a composer, his stage, orchestral, chamber, and vocal works are performed regularly throughout North America, Europe, and Asia. As a guest conductor, he has appeared with some of the world's most important orchestras such as the San Francisco Symphony, The Detroit Symphony, The Seattle Symphony, The New York Chamber Symphony, The St. Petersburg Philharmonic, among others; and his conducting repertoire includes works from Mozart to John Adams. As a frequent artistic director and advisor he has appeared at many of the world’s most prestigious music centers and institutions including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Kennedy Center, and Tanglewood Music Center.