The Bachelor of Music (Honours) programme has been designed in response to the industry’s requirements and expectation upon new employees in the field. Students must go through aural training and consolidate their musical theory knowledge. They may select among western instruments, Chinese instruments, vocal music, or composition and electronic music for their major. Starting from academic year 2022/23, conducting and creative entrepreneurship are designated as compulsory subjects. Selected students in Year 3 and Year 4 may choose a second Major Study area in “Conducting and Cultural Leadership”. The inclusion of “Cultural Leadership” is specifically designed to nurture students to embrace a proactive attitude, a sense of purpose and a vision, to prepare them to be influential in the promotion of musical culture in the future. In addition, the programme also offers a variety of electives for students to choose freely, ranging from Jazz Improvisation to Contemporary and Intercultural ensembles, from survey of Medieval music history to Music Therapy.

To achieve all-round performing arts training, the programme offers two courses “Concert Practice” and “Composers’ Seminar”, both requiring students to perform and exhibit their work every week. Students can participate in a variety of solo performances, chamber music, ensembles and choral performances, and also cooperate with students from the Schools of Chinese Opera, Dance, Drama, Film and Television, and Theatre and Entertainment Arts to work on multimedia projects, including the annual showcase of a fully staged opera production.

The School of Music features world-class faculty members with versatile and top-class performing arts background globally, including America, Asia, and Europe. Internationally renowned teachers include Prof. Sharon Choa, Head of Conducting and Cultural Leadership (Music), Prof. Gabriel Kwok, Head of Keyboard Studies, Prof. Clarence Mak, Head of Composition and Electronic Music, Prof. Christopher Pak, Head of Academic Studies in Music, Prof. Ray Wang, Head of Strings, Prof. Yiu Song-lam, Head of Woodwind, Brass and Percussion, Prof. Nancy Yuen, Head of Vocal Studies and Ms Zhang Congxue, Head of Chinese Music. In 2022, internationally renowned pianist and composer Dr Iñaki Sandoval was appointed Dean of the School of Music.

The School has well-equipped teaching facilities. The Academy’s Concert Hall supports orchestral performances. The Recital Hall supports piano and chamber music performances of a smaller scale. Furthermore, the School is equipped with a wide variety of musical instruments including Steinway grand pianos, valuable string instruments, percussion instruments, Chinese musical instruments, Baroque instruments, Composition Studios, Music Technology Labs and even a large pipe organ made by Rieger in Austria.

Every year, the School invites around 100 world-renowned musicians to the Academy for exchange and teaching. They come to deliver masterclasses, to provide lessons for individual students and to conduct orchestra. Renowned musicians whom the School has invited in recent years include cellist Yo-Yo Ma, pianist Aquiles Delle Vigne, violinist Cho-Liang Lin, Music Director of Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra Jaap van Zweden, and Artistic Director and Principal Conductor for Life of Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra Prof. Yan Huichang, and the composer and former Chairman of the International Society of Contemporary Music Prof. Richard Tsang. Despite the impact of the pandemic around the world, the School of Music managed to hold numerous international musical masterclasses in the past year. British operatic soprano Nelly Miricioiu, Principal Flute of the Orchestre de Paris Vincent Lucas, Je¬ Nelson of Canadian Brass, renowned percussionist Evelyn Glennie, Guzheng player Wei Jun, Chaozhou Gongs and Drums player Chen Zuohui, Chinese woodwind instruments and Cantonese music master Chen Fangyi etc. have been invited to provide lessons for students to advance their performance techniques.

The School proactively encourages students to participate in external performances in addition to performing on campus. Students perform individually or in groups while touring to countries, such as the UK, the US, mainland China, Japan, and Australia, in additional to numerous other cities in Europe and Southeast Asian cities. The School’s Chamber Orchestra collaborated with the Orchestra of Taipei National University of the Arts in the 2019 Kuandu Arts Festival under the baton of the Dean of Music.

Lio Kuokman (Piano)  
Hong Kong Arts Development Awards 2022  
Artist of the Year (Music) 

Rachel Cheung (Piano)  
Hong Kong Arts Development Awards 2018  
Artist of the Year (Music) 

Chan Ming-chi (Composition)  
Hong Kong Arts Development Awards 2017  
Artist of the Year (Music) 

Ma Wai-him (Suona)  
Hong Kong Arts Development Awards 2016  
Award for Young Artist (Music)

In 2019 Thailand International Wind Symphony Competition (TIWSC) Open Class (Small Wind Ensemble Class), the Academy Wind Chamber Ensemble won the 1st Prize.

Hannah Tam Wan-ching was awarded 2021 The Menuhin Competition (Richmond, USA) Junior 3rd Prize and Junior Audience Prize.

Colleen Lee Ka-ling was invited to perform with London Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Sir Simon Rattle to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Hong Kong Cultural Centre.

No matter locally or internationally, the graduates of the School of Music have been appointed to positions in various professional areas in music at different levels. Some of the graduates have joined institutions such as Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, Hong Kong Sinfonietta, Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra, Music Office of the HKSAR Government, etc. as full-time performers or teachers. Quite a number of other graduates have become eminent performers, or have taken up jobs in accompaniment, teaching, composition, recording or arts administration. In short, our graduates enjoy a wide range of opportunities in career development.

Established in 2022 and directed by The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (HKAPA) with the support of the Swire Group as Founding Patron, the Greater Bay Area Youth Orchestra (GBAYO) aspires to be one of the finest youth orchestras in the world. It aims to provide a platform for the highest standard of classical orchestral performance in the Greater Bay Area (GBA) by offering professional training and coaching by world-class musicians to talented young musicians across the region. The inaugural training camp and concert tour will be held in Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Macau in August 2023, offering the participants a unique and multicultural environment for music performance and cultural exchange. In 2021, the School and the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra (HK Phil) jointly launched The Orchestra Academy Hong Kong (TOA), funded by “TrustTomorrow” of The Swire Group Charitable Trust with a promising sponsorship of approximately HK$9 million over a 3-year period. Each season, up to six music graduates are selected to join Fellowship Programme which allocates 70% participation in orchestral services with the HK Phil. The other scheme, Young Pro Platform offers a versatile season-long programme including full ensemble concerts with Philharmonia APA (PAPA) and a series of chamber performances. Formed by HKAPA music graduates in 2017, PAPA has an intimate size of 20-25 players which encourages each member to not only commit to high-calibre performances but also take an active role in curating specially designed concert programmes. Those who are admitted to TOA will contribute their talents to servicing the community through volunteering opportunities.

As one of the leading higher education institutions in performing arts in the world, faculty and students have actively engaged in practice-led research activities that enrich their knowledge of the profession, as they inquire and research to broaden their vision and insight of embracing cultural lives and issues, locally and internationally. Faculty members have frequently been invited to present master classes and lectures in major performing arts institutions and professional conferences around the world. Undergraduate students are required to present an Honours Portfolio as part of the graduation requirements. Postgraduate students are required to present Lecture Recital or Lecture Demonstration as part of their postgraduate Thesis components. Such research components will enable students to develop and advance in research skills that are pivotal for grounding informed music practitioners of performing arts. Faculty and students of the School will also have opportunities to develop interdisciplinary research projects with teachers and students from other Schools and departments within the Academy. Research funding is also available for application to support these research activities.

Master of Music 
Major Study     
> Performance 
> Conducting  
> Composition 
 

Postgraduate Diploma in Music (Subject to approval)  
Major Study    
> Performance  
> Conducting 
> Composition  
 

Bachelor of Music (Honours) 
Major Study    
> Performance  
> Composition and Electronic Music 
 

Diploma in Music Foundations       
(Feeder programme to Undergraduate Programme)

Programme Enquiry: (852) 2584 8623