Sharing Lectures by Hong Kong Composers 2017

The Hong Kong Composers’ Guild will hold a series of lectures entitled “Sharing Lectures by Hong Kong Composers 2017” in March and April.  Six local composers will share their experience and views on music composition in the lectures, some of which will be supplemented with demonstration performances by local musicians.  The lectures will mainly be conducted in Cantonese.  Details as follows:

March 15 (Wednesday)

Topic: My Music in Dialogue with Different Art Forms

Speaker: Dr Joyce Tang

Moderator: Dr Ada Lai

Composer Joyce Tang has been collaborating with artists of different disciplines in recent years.  In this lecture, she will discuss her recent interdisciplinary compositions for visual arts, dance, theatre and literature.

March 22 (Wednesday)

Topic: More Space for Chinese Music

Speaker: Prof. Leung Chi-cheung

Moderator: Au Tin-yung Alex

Guests: Chu Wan-pin (Erhu) and Bryan Lai (Yangqin)

Mentioning about Chinese music, most people only know about the violin concerto Butterfly Lovers, but whether they know about the name of the composer would be another question.  Is there such a little space to appreciate Chinese music given its long history?   Composer Leung Chi-cheung will answer this question from different perspectives in history, composing, performing, conducting and even marketing.   Through illustration of his works in the last decade, Prof. Leung will talk about a wider space for the development of Chinese music.

Demonstration:  The Pair of Jades for Erhu and Yangqin（2009）

March 29 (Wednesday)

Topic: Representation of Human Empathy in My Music

Speaker: Associate Prof.  Wendy Lee

Moderator: Dr Lee Kar-tai Phoebus

Guests: Cynthia Chan (Piano) and Grace Chiang (Mezzo-soprano)

The music of composer Wendy Lee is lyrical, poignant, and narrative, but it also derives from an engagement with the musical materials of the 20th and 21st centuries.  A central and crucial feature of her music is its representation of human empathy.    This empathy arises not only as a result of her composition titles, but of the technical implications and other deeper inner workings of such pieces as well.   In this lecture, she will take the audience onto her musical journey that is highly emotional and personal.

April 5 (Wednesday)

Topic: Searching for Magic: the Music of Christopher Coleman (Conducted in English)

Speaker: Dr Christopher Coleman

Moderator: Dr Austin Yip

In this lecture, composer Christopher Coleman will present a sampling of his works.  A polystylistic composer, he writes music that is serious, music that is humourous, and everything in-between.  From acoustic to electronic music, tonal to atonal, Coleman’s music shares one feature throughout — a search for a magic moment where the audience feels transported.

April 12 (Wednesday)

Topic: My Experience and Several of My Works (Conducted in Putonghua)

Speaker: Prof. Wang Qiang

Guests: Dr Lam Lan-chee

Composer Wang Qiang’s childhood years coincided with the turmoil of wartime.  A number of massive political movements occurred throughout her musical journey.  That could explain why her works are somehow imprinted with a certain watermark.  In this lecture, she will present some of her works and share the stories behind these compositions, including River of Fortune (for Chorus) (1958), Farewell My Concubine (for Konghou, Peking Opera Percussion and Dizi) (2013)

April 26 (Wednesday)

Topic: From Inspiration to Sounds

Speaker: Tang Man-ngai

Moderator: Dr Leung Chi-hin

Guests: Terry Chan (Violin) and Tong Wai-ho (Cello)

Composer TANG Man-ngai will share his writing experience of Dawn, Birds Singing by the Brook and Voices and discuss the use of harmony, melody and texture in these works.

Hong Kong Composers' Guild

Founded in 1983, the Hong Kong Composers' Guild (HKCG) is a professional association of serious composers with objectives to promote and cultivate music composition in Hong Kong.  Apart from organizing concerts, publishing scores and producing recordings of works by Hong Kong composers, HKCG also takes an active part in arousing interest in composition especially amongst youth and in developing music as a vital creative art form in Hong Kong. Organizing composition competitions and sending composers to the community and schools are its regular activities. HKCG’s predecessor is the Hong Kong Section of the Asian Composers League which was founded in 1973.  HKCG is also a National Section of the International Society for Contemporary Music.

Dr. Joyce Tang

Joyce Tang received her master's degrees in both composition and electro-acoustic music at the Hong Kong Baptist University.  She also received a Doctor of Philosophy degree in musicology at The University of Hong Kong.   Her works have been described by Ablaze Records as "incisive and brilliant … terrific and fresh compositional voice", and have been premiered and performed worldwide.   Her works span orchestral, chamber, theatrical genres, etc., many of which have been jury-selected for performances in major festivals and conferences, and they are also featured on several CDs.  Tang has attracted numerous commissions from performing groups like the Hong Kong Arts Festival. 

Prof. Leung Chi-cheung

Leung Chi-cheung studied music in the United States, Hong Kong and Australia, and obtained his Doctor of Philosophy degree at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology.  He won the First Prize in Composition in the 1985 Hong Kong Young Musicians’ Award.  His works, described as fresh, colourful and intriguing, intermingling elements of the East and West, have been performed worldwide.   He has been invited to present concerts in the United States and Japan.   Leung is currently the Associate Dean of the Faculty of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences at the Education University of Hong Kong, and the Music Director of Yao Yueh Chinese Orchestra.

Associate Prof. Wendy Lee

Wendy Lee is an Associate Professor of Music Composition at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK).  She received her Doctor of Philosophy degree in Composition and Music Theory from the University of Michigan.  Prior to CUHK, she held teaching positions at the Oberlin College and the State University of New York at Binghamton.  Lee is the recipient of commissions and honors from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, Chicago Ensemble, and many others.  Recently she has been invited as one of the keynote presenters for the Composition in Asia Symposium and Festival at the University of South Florida.

Dr. Christopher Coleman

Christopher Coleman is a composer, conductor and trombonist.  He is currently the Composition Coordinator and Associate Head of the Hong Kong Baptist University Department of Music, where he has taught for 27 years.  Coleman's works range from fixed media works for massive multichannel playback, to orchestral tone poems, and many others.  As a prize-winning composer, he has received numerous commissions and grants.  His music is published by publishers including Vanderbilt Music, Maecenas Music, etc.

Prof. Wang Qiang

Wang Qiang commenced her study in composition at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music in 1955.   She graduated with honor and was invited to join the faculty as a professor.  She was credited with a wide range of musical compositions.   Her works tend to display bold, novel, and profound emotion.   In 1994, her name was listed in the Dictionary of The World’s Greatest Female Composers and she was also included into the New Grove Dictionary of Women Composers.  Currently, she is the President of Chinese Woman Composers’ Association.

TANG Man-ngai

Tang Man-ngai studied composition and electronic music with Law Wing-fai and Clarence Mak at The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts and graduated in 1998.    Tang was then awarded the Composers and Authors Society Scholarship for Overseas Studies at the University of Melbourne and received a Master of Music degree in 2001.

Tang’s works include solo, chamber, vocal, electronic, multi-media and orchestral pieces.    His compositions were performed in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, Australia and Switzerland.   Tang is now a part-time teacher at the Composition Department of The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts.

Sharing Lectures by Hong Kong Composers 2017

DATE

VENUE

PRICE

15.03.2017 (Wed)
19:30

22.03.2017 (Wed)
19:30

29.03.2017 (Wed)
19:30

05.04.2017 (Wed)
19:30

12.04.2017 (Wed)
19:30

26.04.2017 (Wed)
19:30

Lecture Hall, Hong Kong Space Museum

$50

BUY NOW

DATE

15.03.2017 (Wed)
19:30

22.03.2017 (Wed)
19:30

29.03.2017 (Wed)
19:30

05.04.2017 (Wed)
19:30

12.04.2017 (Wed)
19:30

26.04.2017 (Wed)
19:30

VENUE

Lecture Hall, Hong Kong Space Museum

PRICE

$50

BUY NOW

Tickets available from 15 February at URBTIX outlets, on Internet, by Mobile Ticketing App and Credit Card Telephone Booking.

Half-price tickets available for senior citizens aged 60 and above, people with disabilities and the minder, full-time students and Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) recipients.  (Limited tickets for full-time students and CSSA recipients available on a first-come-first-served basis.)

Group Booking Discount

10% off for each purchase of 4-9 standard tickets; 15% off for 10-19 standard tickets; 20% off for 20 or more standard tickets.

Patrons can enjoy only one of the above discount offers.  Please inform the box office staff at the time of purchase.

Programme Length

Running time of each lecture is about 1 hour 30 minutes.

Programme Enquiries: 2268 7321

Ticketing Enquiries: 3761 6661

Credit Card Telephone Booking: 2111 5999

Internet Booking: www.urbtix.hk

The programme does not represent the views of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department. 

Presenter reserves the right to change the programme, speakers, demonstrators and moderators.