HKCC 35th Anniversary Celebration Programme: Jazz Up x Pipe Up 35

Celebration on the Timeless Legacy of “King of the Instruments” Across the Boundaries

9.11.2024 (Sat) 3pm
Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall

Free admission with ticket (Online Registration for Free Tickets)

Programme includes première of hkcc theme song, pop and jazz works, pipe organ classics and more…

Performers
Organ: Eric Fan, Chiu Siu Ling, Joshua Law, Mandy Kan
Guitar: Alan Kwan
Double Bass: Nelson Fung
Saxophone: Au Yin Tak

Eric Fan (Host/Organ)

Eric Fan started learning the piano as a child, and was mesmerised by the organ when he first came to know it in 2008. Three months after taking his first lessons from his mother Dr. Chiu Siu-ling, renowned organist and music educator, Fan gave his organ debut at Hong Kong Cultural Centre, featuring his rearrangement of Rimsky-Korsakov’s Flight of the Bumblebee on pedalboard. In 2015, Fan even broke the world record of playing the piece in one minute and thirteen seconds, blowing the audience away with his extraordinary and agile pedal techniques ever since. Fan took a special interest in composition and organ improvisation. He studied the piano improvisation with Dr. Joachim Segger, and Bach’s works with his mother’s organ instructor, Dr. Paul Jordan. He also majored pipe organ at the Eastman School of Music and studied with Dr. John Schwandt at the American Organ Institute from University of Oklahoma. Fan appeared actively on the international stage. These included his recitals at the University of Oklahoma, Manchester Town Hall, Hangzhou Grand Theater and in many cities in China. In 2009 and 2010, Fan was invited to give three touring concerts in Seoul sponsored by the Korean pipe organ manufacturer, Treanor Pipe Organ Company. He also engaged the organ music programmes at Hong Kong Cultural Centre and “Beautiful Sunday Concert Series” at Shenzhen Concert Hall, sharing the unique performance style of his original and arranged works with the audience.

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Alan Kwan (Guitar)

Alan Kwan is an award-nominated jazz guitarist, composer, producer and educator. Kwan was born in Hong Kong and started playing guitar at the age of 14. Kwan devoted himself to jazz and studied with Ted Lo and Eugene Pao, two of the most distinguished jazz musicians in the city, before embarking on his journey as a jazz artist. In 2009, Kwan moved to the United States to further pursue his studies in music at the University of North Texas, and studied privately with David Berkman, Paul Bollenback, Stefan Karlsson, Rodney Jones, as well as many other renowned musicians. He took his pursuit of jazz music further by completing Master of Music in Jazz Performance at Queens College, City University of New York in 2017. Kwan has actively performed in New York, Texas, Tokyo, Taiwan and Hong Kong. He has performed or recorded with a number of well-known jazz musicians with performances ranging from jazz gigs, stage performances to outdoor performances. Kwan was also invited by the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in New York to perform at the celebration event of the 20th Anniversary of the Establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR). Kwan appeared on various music festivals and received three nominations including the best album, best album producer, and best composition for the 31st Golden Melody Awards.

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Chiu Siu Ling (Host/Organ)

Chiu Siu Ling received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Music and Master of Music degree, majoring in organ and voice from the State University of New York, United States in her early years. In 2009, Chiu further obtained her Doctor of Musical Arts degree in organ performance and choral conducting from the American Conservatory of Music under the tutelage of pianist Seymour Fink, soprano Mary Burgess, organist Paul Jordan, Mary Ann Dodd and Marnie Giesbrecht, and conductor Debbie Cairns and Brad Nitschke. Chiu was a two-time recipient of the Link Organ Scholarship and was awarded the Beryl Barnes and Marco Fischer Memorial Scholarships respectively in 2005 while she was studying organ performance and choral conducting at the University of Alberta, Canada. Chiu has actively performed in the United States, Canada, Taiwan and Shenzhen, she has been regularly invited to perform in the ‘Beautiful Sunday’ Pipe Organ Concert Series at the Shenzhen Concert Hall since 2008. Chiu was an organ instructor at the Hong Kong Baptist University between 1993 and 2005, and The Chinese University of Hong Kong between 1993 and 2010. She has also been the principal instructor of the Hong Kong Cultural Centre ‘King of the Instruments’ Pipe Organ Education Series since 1999. Chiu is currently the president of the Hong Kong Institute of Music Plus, the choir director of Fairview Park Alliance Church, Christian Soldiers Choir, Fairview Children’s Choir and the conductor of Fairview Park Alliance Church Orchestra.

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Nelson Fung (Double Bass)

Nelson Fung is a local classical and jazz double bassist who actively performs and participates in different jazz ensembles, big bands and classical orchestras. He started receiving classical double bass training at the LCSD Music Office at the age of twelve. Fung has been invited to play at various venues and festivals including West Kowloon Cultural District's Freespace Jazz Fest 2020 and Jazz Marathon 2019 presented by LCSD. Recently, Fung has been playing with singer-songwriter Olivier Cong in different programmes including The Interpretation of Milou's Dream, an online concert, and a cross-media live performance In Sync: Music in Motion presented by WKCD. Fung is also a member of Freespace Ensemble, a new group-in-residence at Freespace.

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Au Yin Tak (Saxophone)

Au Yin Tak embarked on her music journey by learning the instrument on her own at the age of 13. In 2001, she studied abroad in the United States where she came under the tutelage of Kent H. Eanes at County College of Morris in New Jersey and Dale Underwood at George Mason University in Virginia. She obtained her bachelor’s degree in music performance in 2007. Over the years Au performed extensively in the United States and Southeast Asia, and more recently gave regular performances in Hong Kong and Shenzhen. She has shared a stage with many local ensembles as a soloist, and also appeared on Radio 3 and 4 of Radio Television Hong Kong and TVB for live performances and interviews. Au is active in the local music scene. She founded Saxo Electro and Opus a la Carte Collective under Opus a la Carte with talented musicians and joined them for regular performances in Hong Kong. Pip & Phone, a pipe organ and saxophone duo which she co-founded with organist Eric Fan, was invited to perform at prestigious venues including Hong Kong Cultural Centre, Hong Kong Arts Centre, Hong Kong Fringe Club and Shenzhen Concert Hall. In recent year she expanded her repertoire from concert saxophone music to jazz music, and joined the Happy-Go-Lucky Big Band, The 5422 Collective and Starlight Elan Orchestra for jazz performances at home and abroad

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“Organ Education Series” Graduates

Joshua Law (Organ)

Joshua Law started learning musical instruments at an early age and has attained ABRSM Grade 8 certificates in piano, organ, viola and practical musicianship. Served as a church pianist since the age of twelve, Law was introduced to the pipe organ during his study in the United Kingdom. After graduating from the University of Oxford, he joined the Hong Kong Government and served until 2020. Law has a great passion for music, he completed the Hong Kong Cultural Centre ‘King of the Instruments’ Pipe Organ Education Series in 2008 and further studied organ performance under the tutelage of Dr. Chiu Siu Ling. He was invited to perform in the ‘Organ Showcase Series – A Pilgrimage to French Symphonic Organ Music’ in celebration of the 25th Anniversary of the Hong Kong Cultural Centre and the ‘Beautiful Sunday’ Pipe Organ Concert Series at the Shenzhen Concert Hall. Law now serves regularly as an organist at local churches.

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Mandy Kan (Organ)

Mandy Kan completed the Hong Kong Cultural Centre ‘King of the Instruments’ Pipe Organ Education Series in 2010 and later attained ABRSM Grade 8 in organ. She was one of the performers of the HKCC 30th anniversary ‘King of the Instruments’ Organ Education Series Graduates Celebration Concert in 2019. Kan served as an organist at the Kowloon International Baptist Church from 2013 to 2022. During her pursuit of an MA in Psychology of Music at the University of Sheffield (UK) from 2019 to 2020, she was an organ scholar of St. Mark’s Church (Broomhill and Broomhall) and pianist of the Sheffield Cancer Choir. Kan is a registered nurse with passion for music and sports. Her exceptional achievements were recognized through four Talent Development Scholarships awarded by the Hong Kong Government. While Kan has dedicated her career to health-related research by serving as a research associate at the university, she has also contributed to organ and health-related research, with publications in the Psychology of Music journal and The American Organists Magazine.

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Free tickets will be distributed, limited to four per person, on a first-come, first-served basis at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre enquiries counter between 9 am and 9 pm, or through online registration starting from 18 Oct (Fri). Children aged 6 and above are welcome. The programme lasts approximately 60 minutes without intermission.

The presenter reserves the right to substitute artists and change programme should unavoidable circumstances make it necessary.

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

Enquiries: 2734 2009 / 2734 2883