Jazzing up classic, familiar tunes

In the “Music Delight” Series: Gingers’ Tonic concert held in July 2021, a group of homegrown musicians in Hong Kong gave a riveting performance at the Kwai Tsing Theatre featuring vibrant contemporary interpretations of classical melodies.  This online series will show you three works played at the concert, and how they were being adapted from classical repertoire by jazz pianist Joyce Cheung.

Content of each episode

Episode 1: Excerpts from Gingers’ Tonic concert

Episode 2: Highlights and Appreciation - Fantaisie Impromptu, Op. 66 by Chopin

Episode 3: Highlights and Appreciation - Sinfonia de Wolfgang by Mozart

Performers

Joyce Cheung (Piano / Keyboard)

Sally Law (Violin)

Samuel Au (Violin)

Tiffany Cheng (Viola)

Bernard Chan (Cello)

Floro Sernade, Jr. (Flute)

Siu Hin-chuen (Saxophone)

Oscar Lam (Trumpet)

Ivan Tong (Trombone)

Sam Po (Guitar)

Victor Chu (Guitar)

Jackiz Tsang (Bass)

Anna Fan (Percussion)

Dean Li (Drums)

Conducted in Cantonese.

The programme does not represent the views of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department.  The presenter reserves the right to vary the broadcast time of the series.

Joyce Cheung

Joyce Cheung is a jazz pianist, arranger and composer based in Hong Kong.  She is a co-artistic director at Music Lab, an emerging festival organiser for different genres in Hong Kong.

Both of her albums, Set Loose (2020) and Jazzical Collection (2022), were released under Ginger Muse, a recording label under Music Lab that presents local instrumentalists on the global stage.

Cheung’s latest performances include the opening performance of Freespace Jazz Fest 2021 - Jazzical Collection in Oct 2021 and Gingers’ Tonic in July 2021, where she and her 14-piece big band showcased jazz arrangements of classical music.  In the same year, she also played for Chan Fai Young x Women’s Choir at the Hong Kong Coliseum as well as Our Jazz Pianist curated by the Jazz World Live Series.

Cheung spent her formative years at the Berklee College of Music, having graduated with first honors in Film Scoring as well as Contemporary Writing and Production in 2014 and obtained her Master’s degree in Contemporary Performance in 2017.

Aside from her performing career, Cheung is also a passionate educator.  She has been invited to conduct masterclasses and performed at the Musicians Education Festival, Prague.  She also teaches the jazz programme at the Education University of Hong Kong.

Cheung is a frequent collaborator with local musicians, including Chan Fai-young, Joey Yung, Alfred Hui, On Chan and the Grasshoppers.  She was responsible for arranging the latest album of the harmonica world champion CY Leo, and has worked on projects ranging from pop string quartet arrangements to a 100-piece orchestral and choral musical.

Cheung maintains an active presence in Hong Kong’s jazz and pop music scene, and has had the pleasure of sharing her music with live audiences across the world, including the Mainland, Indonesia, Taiwan, Japan, Singapore, Thailand, Boston, Spain, Germany, Belgium and France.

Excerpts from Gingers’ Tonic concert

Programme

Highlights and appreciation - Fantaisie Impromptu, Op. 66 by Chopin

The speaker shares with us how to colourfully jazz up Chopin’s Fantaisie Impromptu, Op.66 through the use of instruments and by varying the melodies and rhythms.

Highlights and appreciation - Sinfonia de Wolfgang by Mozart

The speaker shares with us how she gives a festive adaptation of Mozart’s Sinfonia de Wolfgang through the use of instruments and the rhythms of Latin music.