Professor CHAN Wing-wah

Prof. CHAN is a composer, conductor and music educator who has written 10 symphonies plus over 200 musical works including chamber and orchestral music for Chinese, Western, Japanese and Korean instruments, songs for children and mixed choir.  Eight of his ten Symphonies were released on CD by Hugo Productions performed by orchestras in China-Hong Kong and Russia. The music scores of Symphony No. 5 ‘The Three Kingdoms’ & No. 6 ‘Reunification’ were published by People’s Music Publishing House. His Symphony Nos. 8 and 10 were recently released by the National Centre for the Performing Arts, Beijing.

As a composer, he was the first Resident Composer of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra. His music has won the First Prize in the International Double Reed Society Composition Contest, USA; the Yoshiro Irino Memorial Award from the Asian Composers League, Beijing 20th Century Masterpiece by Chinese Composer Award and several other local awards. His works had been performed in over 20 countries and his biography is included in the New Grove Dictionary of Music & Musicians Online and Oxford Music Online. His musical style is marked by a fusion of both Chinese and western compositional techniques with themes mostly came from Chinese history and literature. The Government of Hong Kong SAR appointed him Justice of the Peace in 2000.

As a conductor, Prof. Chan became the Music Director of the Hong Kong Oratorio Society(established in 1956) since 1995 and has been leading this choir with regular concerts in Hong Kong and concert tours to various cities in China, USA and Canada. He is also Music Director of the Allegro Singers, Chairman of the HK Association of Choral Societies, Council member of the HK Children’s Choir.

Prof. CHAN received his BA in music from The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) studying composition with Professor David Gwilt. He then finished his Master and Doctor of Music(Composition) studies at the University of Toronto on a Canadian Commonwealth Scholarship studying with Professor John Beckwith. Internationally he had served as an Executive Committee member of the International Society for Contemporary Music and the Vice-Chairman of the Asian Composers’ League. Locally he had been Professor of Music, Associate Dean of Arts, and Chairman of the Music Department at CUHK. He had also dedicated a part of his time in public service such  as an appointed Regional Council member, Hong Kong Arts Development Council member, Jockey Club Music and Dance Fund Chairman among others.

He is now supervising postgraduate music students in CUHK (Shenzhen) after serving as Associate Dean(Education) there. He is also Adjunct Professor in music at CUHK, the Chairman of the music copyright organization The Composers and Authors Society of Hong Kong, Council member of the HK Chinese Orchestra and advisor to numerous groups including the China Musicians Association, Hong Kong Dance Company, New Tune Chinese Orchestra, Windpipe Chinese Music Ensemble, Harmonic Singers among others.