Building a Successful Career in Music
Cultivating Your Personal Artistic Voice in a Multidisciplinary and Global Environment
Content of School Leaflet
In a rapidly evolving performing arts landscape in Hong Kong, the demand for highly trained and versatile musicians continues to grow. The School of Music strives to provide a vibrant and supportive environment in which aspiring musicians can develop their artistic potential, refine their skills, and prepare for sustainable careers in the global music profession.
With distinguished faculty, advanced facilities, and extensive international collaborations, the School is committed to nurturing the next generation of music professionals. Emphasis is placed not only on technical excellence, but also on artistic individuality, critical thinking, and the ability to engage with diverse cultural and professional contexts.
The Bachelor of Music (Honours) programme is designed to meet the professional expectations and the evolving needs of the music industry. Students receive comprehensive training in aural skills and music theory, strengthening both technical proficiency and musical understanding. They may specialise in Western or Chinese orchestral instruments, vocal studies, keyboard studies, or composition.
The programme offers a wide range of electives, including Jazz Ensemble, Contemporary and Intercultural Ensembles, Medieval Music History, and Music Therapy, broadening students’ artistic perspectives and interdisciplinary awareness.
To support practice-based learning, the School of Music offers courses such as Concert Practice and Composers' Seminar, where students present performances and original work on a regular basis. Students participate in solo and chamber music, ensembles, choral and orchestral performances, and collaborate with students from the Schools of Chinese Opera, Dance, Drama, Film and Television, and Theatre and Entertainment Arts. These experiences include interdisciplinary and multimedia projects, as well as an annual fully staged opera production.
Faculty and Visiting Artists
The School of Music brings together distinguished faculty from Asia, America, and Europe, supported by a strong roster of visiting artists each semester. Under the leadership of Prof. Iñaki Sandoval, the School includes internationally recognised faculty across all departments.
Visiting artists contribute through masterclasses, individual and group instruction, and coaching for ensembles and orchestras, offering students exposure to a wide range of artistic practices and professional perspectives. Notable musicians who have collaborated with the School of Music in recent years include Yo-Yo Ma, Aquiles Delle Vigne, Cho-Liang Lin, Jaap van Zweden, Yan Huichang, Richard Tsang, Nelly Miricioiu, Vincent Lucas, Jeff Nelson, Evelyn Glennie, Wei Jun, Chen Zuohui, and Chen Fangyi, among others.
Facilities
HKAPA provides seven performance venues of varying scales, from the Recital Hall to the Lyric Theatre. Together with composition studios and music technology labs, these facilities support both daily training and major productions.
The School is equipped with a wide range of instruments, including Steinway grand pianos, fine string instruments, percussion, Chinese and Baroque instruments, and a Rieger pipe organ, providing students with professional-level resources for performances and practice.
The School of Music offers exchange programmes and collaborative projects with leading conservatories and universities worldwide, including short-term exchanges and mobility initiatives. These opportunities enable students to gain both regional and global perspectives on the performing arts.
In addition to on-campus activities, students are encouraged to participate in performances and productions across different regions, including Chinese Mainland, Asia, Europe, and the United States. Selected highlights include:
Grammy and Pulitzer Prize winner Wynton Marsalis visited The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts for the first time in 2024. He engaged students and audiences through a sharing session, alongside two concerts with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra.
The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center collaborated with the Academy on Chamber Music Week 2025, bringing together international artists, students, and chamber ensembles.
Students from the Wind, Brass and Percussion Department performed in the Hong Kong Week 2023@Bangkok, organised by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) of the HKSAR Government. The programme included joint performances and a masterclass with students from Mahidol University in Thailand.
The Composition and Electronic Music Department presented original works at an exchange concert and at the 2023 C-LAB Sound Art Festival: DIVERSONICS in Taiwan, China.
• Students from the Vocal Studies Department presented opera scenes at the Shenzhen Arts School, while students from the Chinese Music Department participated in major events across Chinese Mainland and India, including the Shanghai Conservatory of Music’s Guzheng Music Week and the World Music Festival with the Sai Symphony Orchestra in Bangalore, India. They also collaborated with professional ensembles such as the Macao Chinese Orchestra and the Zhuhai Chinese Orchestra.
The School of Music’s alumni have achieved remarkable success in their respective fields. Some notable graduates include:
Aristo Sham
Gold Medal and Audience Award, Van Cliburn International Piano Competition (2025)Anson Wong Ying-shun
Third Prize and the Ita Stephens Prize for Beethoven, Dublin International Piano Competition (2025)Alex Tam Tin-lok
Most Performed Work (Serious Music), The Composers and Authors Society of Hong Kong Ltd. (CASH): The 23rd CASH Golden Sail Music Awards – Trusting the Rainbow (2025)Angus Lee Yi-wei
Best Serious Composition Award, The Composers and Authors Society of Hong Kong Ltd. (CASH): The 23rd CASH Golden Sail Music Awards – …aux cendres [study II for orchestra] (2025)Fish Yu Tsz-long
Best Young Composer (Serious Music), The Composers and Authors Society of Hong Kong Ltd. (CASH): The 23rd CASH Golden Sail Music Awards – Room (2025)Lio Kuokman
Hong Kong Arts Development Awards 2022 - Artist of the Year (Music) and Chief Conductor, RTV Slovenia Symphony Orchestra from 2024Bobby Cheng Chi-yuen
Hong Kong Arts Development Awards 2022 - Artist of the Year (Music) and Principal Oboe, l’Orchestre National du Capitole de ToulouseRachel Cheung
Hong Kong Arts Development Awards 2018 - Artist of the Year (Music)Chan Ming-chi
Hong Kong Arts Development Awards 2017 - Artist of the Year (Music)Ma Wai-him
Hong Kong Arts Development Awards 2016 - Award for Young Artist (Music), and Principal Suona and guan player, Hong Kong Chinese OrchestraWu Pak-tuen
Associate Conductor, Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra and Resident Conductor, Hong Kong Young Chinese OrchestraWong Sum-ho
Co-Principal Huqin and Principal Gaohu, Hong Kong Chinese OrchestraXiong Yin
Cellist, St. Louis Symphony OrchestraLiu Tung-bo
Principal Bassoon, Hong Kong SinfoniettaLevin Chan Ling-fai
Principal Flute, Hangzhou Philharmonic OrchestraChan Ting-yuen
Principal Bassoon, Shanghai Symphony Orchestra
Outstanding achievement of our faculty includes:
- Angela Chan Sin-ying (Senior Lecturer - Strings)
Joint First Prize and Best Interpretation of the Commissioned Work, Joseph Joachim International Violin Competition Hannover (2024) - Florence Cheung Pui-shan (Head of Composition) & Alumna):
The Composers and Authors Society of Hong Kong Ltd. (CASH): The 22nd CASH Golden Sail Music Awards Best Serious Music Award – The Lotus Script (2024) - Joyce Tang Wai-chung (Lecturer in Academic Music Studies)
The Composers and Authors Society of Hong Kong Ltd. (CASH): The 21nd CASH Golden Sail Music Awards Best Serious Music Award – Since When (2023)
Outstanding achievement of our students includes:
- Michelle Siu Hoi-yan: “Touching China 2023 Awards” by CCTV
- Ivan Cheung: 1st prize, International Trombone Association’s Edward Kleinhammer Orchestral Bass Trombone Competition 2022
(Listed in no particular order)
Graduates of the School of Music pursue careers across a wide range of professions, both locally and internationally. These include orchestral performance, music education, composition, arts administration, and related areas, with appointments in organisations such as the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, Hong Kong Sinfonietta, Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra, and the Music Office of the HKSAR Government.
Since the introduction of the Master of Music programme in 2006, an increasing number of graduates have pursued further postgraduate study and taken up teaching positions in leading conservatories and universities, particularly within the Greater Bay Area (GBA). Many others have developed careers as soloists, orchestral musicians, accompanists, composers, recording artists, and interdisciplinary practitioners across China and internationally.
Founded in 2022 and supported by the Swire Group, the Greater Bay Area Youth Orchestra (GBAYO) is one of the School of Music’s flagship ensembles. The project provides professional orchestral training for young musicians, with internationally renowned conductors and instrumental coaches, and tours across the Greater Bay Area, including Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Macau.
Community Engagement and Outreach
Students and graduates of the School of Music actively participate in off-campus performances at venues such as the LCSD venues, Hong Kong Arts Centre, the Jockey Club Creative Arts Centre, the Fringe Club, ArtisTree at Taikoo Place, Tai Kwun, and Quarryside at Quarry Bay, demonstrating strong engagement with the community. Through collaborations with the World Wildlife Fund Hong Kong, they also contributed to environmental awareness initiatives.
The School of Music actively promotes practice-as-research, integrating artistic practice with critical inquiry. Through creative work and performance, students and faculty explore artistic questions and develop professional knowledge. Faculty members are frequently invited to present masterclasses and lectures at major performing arts institutions and international conferences, and to serve on juries for prominent competitions.
At the undergraduate level, students complete an Honours Portfolio, while postgraduate students present a Lecture Recital or Lecture Demonstration as a core component of their thesis. These outputs combine artistic practice with research and reflection.
Faculty and students are also encouraged to pursue interdisciplinary research projects in collaboration with other Schools and departments of HKAPA. Competitive research funding supports a wide range of practice-led initiatives.
Master of Music
Major Study
> Composition
> Conducting
> Performance
Bachelor of Music (Honours)
Major Study
> Composition and Electronic Music
> Performance
Diploma in Music Foundations
(Feeder Programme to Undergraduate Programme)
Major Study
> Composition
> Performance
Programme Enquiry: (852) 2584 8623 | music@hkapa.edu