Program notes: 2019.06.08—Bach Motets & Britten "Saint Nicolas"

Venue Sponsor

Hong Kong Voices Grace Chiang

Ken Lam

8 June 2019 (Saturday) 8:00 p.m.

Methodist International Church, HK Sanctuary, 1/F Wesleyan House 271 Queen's Road East, Wan Chai

BRITTEN BACH Motets Cantata SAINT 8-6-2019 NICOLAS

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PROGRAMME NOTES Even the best of us had their moments of doubt—Nicolas, Bishop of Myra, once persecuted and imprisoned, lived out the same faith that strengthened Isaiah the Prophet, Paul the Apostle, Martin Luther, and brought hope to many more. Tonight, we present to you the works of Johann Sebastian Bach and Benjamin Britten, recounting numerous miracles of piety and tales of unwavering faith.

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750) Motets Fürchte dich nicht, BWV 228 Der Geist hilft unser Schwachheit auf, BWV 226 To Bach’s contemporaries, the motet was a rather obsolete genre that was used as introits for services and particular ceremonies. In Leipzig, Bach inherited the practice of choosing introit motets from the 16th century compilation the Florilegium Portense, hence, it is not surprising that he penned few motets in comparison to his vast collection of cantatas. These motets were likely written for burial services; Der Geist hilft unser Schwachheit auf (1729) was composed for the funeral of Johann Heinrich Ernesti, the rector of the Thomasschule and Professor at the University of Leipzig.

Such occasions also called for a larger performing force, as illustrated by the five to eight-part choral writing found in the motets. Bach’s use of the double chorus also adhered to the German tradition, as is the inclusion of a continuo part in motet performances since the 17th century. Although the continuo may include organ, harpsichord, lute with violone, cello and bassoon (depending on the situation), colla parte accompaniment was not compulsory; only for Der Geist hilft were there instrumental scores found, with strings doubling the first chorus and reed instruments the second.

Fürchte dich nicht (Do not fear) is a motet set for double chorus based on the texts from the Old Testament Book of Isaiah (chapter 41:10 & 43:1, both verses beginning with “Fürchte dich nicht”), and stanzas 11 & 12 of the hymn Warum sollt ich mich denn grämen penned by Paul Gerhardt. The date of composition has been contested among Bach scholars, and for a long time it was believed to be composed in 1726 in Leipzig for a funeral, whereas new studies argue that stylistically the work seems to be an earlier work by Bach, probably from his Weimar years. Similar to his other motets, Fürchte dich nicht has markedly polyphonic, almost instrumental vocal writing.

The first movement sets the first Isaiah verse in double chorus, emphatically proclaiming “Fear not, for I am with you” in a resounding A major. After the elaborate antiphonal writing on ich erhalte dich, the opening material briefly returns and cadences on E major. The ensuing second movement juxtaposes Gerhardt’s chorale (sung by sopranos) with the double fugue performed by the three lower voices. Beginning with an ascending subject in the bass and a falling chromatic line in the counter subject of the tenors, the movement gradually intensifies as the voices take turn to deliver the subject. The sopranos sing the chorale melody twice, before the motet concludes with a coda that brought back material from the very beginning, where the double choir fervently declares “du bist mein!” in the home key of A major.

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In contrast, Der Geist hilft unser Schwachheit auf (The Spirit gives aid to our weakness) composed in Leipzig in October 1729, is a more mature work.

With text taken from the Epistle to the Romans (chapter 8:26–27) and Martin Luther’s third stanza to the hymn Komm, Heiliger Geist, Herre Gott (1524), the motet is in three movements, beginning with a quasi-concerto movement for double chorus in B-flat major. Set in a dance-like triple meter, Bach employs florid vocal writing and elaborate melismas across voice parts, highlighting in particular the words “Geist” (spirit) and “gebühret” (proper).

There is a change in tonality and meter to a steadier quadruple time at the word “sondern” (rather), with apparent word painting on “Seufzen” (sighing) —interjecting the vocal lines with deliberate rests. The double chorus then modulates from D minor through a series of secondary dominants, eventually arriving at the key of F major. The second movement continues in a four-part double fugue in B-flat major, with intricate polyphonic writing and distinctively melismatic passages on “die Heiligen” (the saints).

Lastly, the motet closes with the chorale that firmly establishes the believer’s reliance on the Lord: “O Herr, durch dein’ Kraft uns bereit und stärk des Fleisches Blödigkeit, daß wir hier ritterlich ringen, durch Tod und Leben zu dir dringen!”

(O Lord, through thy might prepare us And strengthen the weakness of our flesh, That we here may chivalrously strive Through death and life to come to you!)

Benjamin Britten (1913–1976) Cantata Saint Nicolas, Op. 42 Originally known as The College of St. Mary and St. Nicolas, Lancing College in Sussex commissioned Benjamin Britten to compose a new cantata for their centenary celebrations. Britten planned to begin the piece as early as September 1947, when he approached theatre director Eric Crozier for the libretto. Crozier previously provided the libretto to Britten’s comic opera Albert Herring (1947), and directed the performances of Peter Grimes at Sadler’s Wells (1945), and The Rape of Lucretia (1946) at Glyndebourne. To spur Crozier on, Britten gave him a copy of Haydn’s Creation for reference, and after extensive research into the legendary life of Saint Nicolas, the first draft of the libretto was completed in November 1947. For Crozier, instead of trying to achieving the impossible of separating fact from fiction, in this case, the many myths and miracles of the Bishop of Myra, Lycia, he went beyond painting St. Nicolas as the amiable “Santa Claus” (from the Dutch version Sinterklaas); Crozier’s Saint Nicolas expresses “the anguish of the struggle for faith that all good men must experience in a world corrupt with sin, despair and lack of grace.”

Britten began composing the music a little before Christmas, writing to Lancing College alumnus Peter Pears on 18 December 1947: “I am beginning St. Nicolas, & enjoying it hugely. It’ll be difficult to write, because that mixture of subtlety & simplicity is most extending, but very interesting… I think St Michael’s [school] will have to be relegated to the galleries (where anyhow all girls should be in Church), because they are obviously the most efficient, & their breathy voices are obviously most suited to the wind noises & so forth.”

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With much enthusiasm, Britten completed the draft of the cantata on 8 January 1948, but he set it aside briefly to work on a new realisation of John Gay’s The Beggar’s Opera; hence the scoring of St. Nicolas was not completed until as late as 31 May. The cantata premiered on 5 June 1948, as the closing item in the inaugural concert of the first Aldeburgh Festival (co-founded by Britten and Crozier), with Pears appearing as the title role. Not only was the work a great success with the audience, it also highlighted Britten’s ability to engage amateur musicians, even the congregation, (singing two hymns) in a unique musical/theatrical performance.

Composed for a very specific ensemble, the piece was designed for a chorus comprised of boys from three schools and girls from another, string orchestra, percussionists, organist, piano duet, and tenor soloist. Saint Nicolas is Britten’s first work for amateur musicians, as the only professionals required are the tenor soloist, a string quintet to lead the other strings, and the percussionists. As Nick Strimple writes, “Throughout his career Britten devoted serious attention to music for children’s voices, featuring them effectively in large works… [his] intent was not to create yet another series of didactic pieces but rather to include young people in the process of music making at the highest artistic levels, without compromise, condescension, or the imposition of impossible demands. A striking example is the cantata St Nicolas, in which his interest extended to adolescent voices.”

Britten’s music substantially dramatized Crozier’s libretto; from the raging seas (IV. He journeys to Palestine) to raising the murdered boys from death (VII. Nicolas and the Pickled Boys), every page of the score is teeming with colourful text painting, daring contrasts in orchestration, textures and music quotation—the strategic placement of the hymn tunes Old Hundredth and London New—as well as juxtaposing the psalm tone on Nunc dimittis with the Nicolas’ final lament.

The cantata begins with a slow processional march, as a modern-day chorus calls upon Nicolas to address the congregation on the his life’s story, setting the backdrop for the movements to follow. On a light-hearted tune, the upper voices take turns to narrate the many stories of Nicolas’ birth and childhood, interjected by “God be glorified” sung first by the treble solo, and the tenor in the last iteration. The third movement continues from the death of Nicolas’ parents; over extended passages of dissonance, the tenor sings of the many tribulations of humanity, resolved only at the end of the movement when Nicolas humbled himself before God. The fourth movement paints Nicolas’ journey to Palestine across the raging seas—the unmissable waves depicted by the piano, the men’s chorus both as narrator and the faithless sailors, the howling winds of the female voices, and the exquisite use of percussion timbre—all propel the drama towards Nicolas calming the winds and waves, the first miracle in series of many. Arriving at Myra in the fifth movement, Nicolas is ordained and made Bishop; here the organ takes precedence until the orchestra joins in an exciting fugato on “serve the faith and spurn his enemies.” The chorus then pivots on a lengthened G major chord into the Old Hundredth, as the congregation joins in singing “all people that on earth do dwell,” bringing the audience into Nicolas’ time. A sudden change in mood shifts the scene to Nicolas in prison (sixth movement); in a recitative manner, the tenor rebukes mankind for succumbing to sin, and call for all to repent.

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The seventh movement is as antiphonal as it is dramatic; while the chorus portrayed starving people, the female voices act as distressed mothers in search of their lost sons who were murdered. Nicolas arrived just in time to stop people from devouring the boys’ flesh, and in an almost gruesome manner, he raised the pickled boys from the dead. The trio then sings an alleluia, which gradually grows into a resounding praise for the miracle performed. The subsequent movement is a commentary by the chorus, as they sing about Nicolas’ forty years shepherding his flock. Through recounting the many miracles of Nicolas (feeding a hungry crowd with a single sack of corn; saving three girls from prostitution by giving their noble fathers gold for their dowry, etc.), they “keep his memory alive in legends that our children and their children’s children treasure still.” The gentle, homophonic choral writing gave way to the sudden fortississimo opening of the final movement, giving it the gravitas as Nicolas yields his soul to God, while the chorus chants a subdued Nunc dimittis underneath.

As a worthy conclusion to a monumental cantata, all voices (including the congregation) join in unison to sing the majestic London New “God moves in a mysterious way His wonders to perform; He plants His footsteps in the sea, And rides upon the storm.

Deep in unfathomable mines Of never failing skill He treasures up his bright designs, And works his sovereign will.

Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take, The clouds ye so much dread Are big with mercy, and shall break In blessings on your head. Amen.”

Despite temptations, turmoils, tribulations and fruitless toils, the saints fear not, their faith waver not, as the spirit will strengthen us as it did the many generations of the faithful.

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Fürchte dich nicht

Do not fear

Fürchte dich nicht, ich bin bei dir; weiche nicht, denn ich bin dein Gott; ich stärke dich, ich helfe dir auch, ich erhalte dich durch die rechte Hand meiner Gerechtigkeit.

Do not fear, I am with you; do not recoil, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, and help you as well, I sustain you with the right hand of my righteousness.

Fürchte dich nicht, denn ich habe dich erlöset; ich habe dich bei deinem Namen gerufen, du bist mein.

Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name, you are Mine.

chorale

chorale

Herr, mein Hirt, Brunn aller Freuden!

Du bist mein, ich bin dein, niemand kann uns scheiden.

Lord, my Shepherd, fount of all joy!

You are mine, I am Yours, No one can part us.

Ich bin dein, weil du dein Leben und dein Blut, mir zu gut, in den Tod gegeben.

I am Yours, since Your life And Your blood, For my sake, You have given to death.

Du bist mein, weil ich dich fasse und dich nicht, o mein Licht, aus dem Herzen lasse!

You are mine, since I seize You And do not, O my light, Let you out of my heart!

Laß mich, laß mich hingelangen, wo du mich und ich dich lieblich werd umfangen.

Let me, let me arrive there, Where You And I Will lovingly embrace each other.

Der Geist hilft unser Schwachheit auf

The Spirit gives aid to our weakness

Der Geist hilft unser Schwachheit auf.

Denn wir wissen nicht, was wir beten sollen, wie sich’s gebühret; sondern der Geist selbst vertritt uns aufs beste mit unaussprechlichem Seufzen.

The Spirit gives aid to our weakness For we do not know for what we should pray, what is proper; but the Spirit itself intercedes for us in the best way with unutterable sighs.

Der aber die Herzen forschet, der weiß, was des Geistes Sinn sei, denn er vertritt die Heiligen nach dem, das Gott gefället.

He, however, who examines hearts, knows what the Spirit’s intention is, since it intercedes for the saints according to that which pleases God.

chorale

chorale

Du heilige Brunst, süßer Trost, nun hilft uns fröhlich und getrost in dein’m Dienst beständig bleiben, die Trübsal uns nicht abtreiben!

Thy holy fire, sweet comfort, Now help us joyfully and confidently To remain constantly in thy service, Although trouble is not driven away!

O Herr, durch dein Kraft uns bereit und stärk des Fleisches Blödigkeit, daß wir hier ritterlich ringen, durch Tod und Leben zu dir dringen.

Halleluja, halleluja!

O Lord, through thy might prepare us And strengthen the weakness of our flesh, That we here may chivalrously strive Through death and life to come to you!

Allleluia, alleluia!

Saint Nicolas I. Introduction Our eyes are blinded by the holiness you bear.

The bishop’s robe, the mitre and the cross of gold Obscure the simple man within the Saint.

Strip off your glory, Nicolas! And speak!

Across the tremendous bridge of sixteen hundred years I come to stand in worship with you.

As I stood among my faithful congregation long ago.

All who knelt beside me then are gone.

Their name is dust, Their tombs are grass and clay, Yet still their shining seed of faith survives In you!

It weathers time; it springs again In you!

With you it stands like forest oak Or withers with the grasses underfoot.

Preserve the living Faith for which your fathers fought!

For Faith was won by centuries of sacrifice And many martyrs died That you might worship God.

nicolas

Help us, Lord! To find the hidden road That leads from love to greater Love, from faith to greater Faith.

Strengthen us, O Lord!

Screw up our strength to serve Thee with simplicity.

II. The Birth of Nicolas Nicolas was born in answer to prayer And leaping from his mother’s womb he cried, boy nicolas God be glorified!

Swaddling bands and crib awaited him there, But Nicolas clapped both his hands and cried, boy nicolas God be glorified!

Innocent and joyful, naked and fair, He came in pride on earth to abide. boy nicolas God be glorified!

Water rippled Welcome! In the bathtub by his side; He dived in open-eyed, he swam, he cried, boy nicolas God be glorified!

When he went to Church at Christmastide, He climbed up to the font to be baptized. boy nicolas God be glorified!

Pilgrims came to kneel and pray by his side.

He grew in grace, his name was sanctified. boy nicolas God be glorified!

Nicolas grew in innocence and pride, His glory spread a rainbow round the countryside.

“Nicolas will be a Saint!” the neighbors cried. nicolas God be glorified!

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III. Nicolas Devotes Himself to God My parents died All too soon I left the tranquil beauty of their home And knew the wider world of man.

nicolas

Poor man! I found him solitary, racked By doubt: born, bred, doomed to die In everlasting fear of everlasting death: The foolish toy of time, the darling of decay— Hopeless, faithless, defying God. Heartsick, in hope to mask the twisted face of poverty, I sold my lands to feed the poor.

I gave my goods to charity But Love demanded more.

Heartsick, I cast away all things that could distract my mind From full devotion to His will; I thrust my happiness behind But Love desired more still.

Heartsick, I call’d on God to purge my angry soul, To be my only Master, friend and guide.

I begged for sweet humility And Love was satisfied.

IV. He journeys to Palestine Nicolas sailed for Palestine Across the sunlit seas.

The South West Wind blew soft and fair, Seagulls hovered through the air, And spices scented the breeze.

Everyone felt that land was near, All dangers now were past, Except for one who knelt in prayer, Fingers clasped and head quite bare, Alone by the mizzen mast.

The sailors jeered at Nicolas, Who paid them no regard, Until the hour of sunset came When up he stood and stopped their game of staking coins on cards.

Nicolas spoke and prophesied A tempest far ahead, The sailors scorned such words of fear, Since sky and stars shone bright and clear, So ‘Non-sense!’ they all said.

Darkness was soon on top of them, But still the South Wind blew.

The Captain went below to sleep, And left the helmsman there to keep His course with one of the crew.

Nicolas swore he’d punish them For mocking at the Lord.

The wind arose, the thunder roared, Lightning split the waves that poured In wild cascades on board.

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Waterspouts rose in majesty Until the ship was tossed.

Abaft, aback, astern, abeam, Lit by lightning’s livid gleam, And all aboard cried ‘Lost!’

Lightning hisses through the night, Blinding sight with living light! Ah! Spare us! Man the pumps! Save us!

Man the pumps! Axes! Saviour!

Winds and tempest howl their cry Of battle through the raging sky! Ah! Spare us! Lifeboats! Save us!

Lifeboats! Lower away! Saviour!

Waves repeat their angry roar, Fall and spring again once more! Ah! Let her run before the wind!

Shorten sail! Reef her! Heave her to!

Thunder rends the sky asunder With its savage shout of wonder! Ah! Pray to God! Kneel and pray!

Lightning, thunder, tempest, ocean, Praise their God with voice and motion.

Nicolas waited patiently Till they were on their knees.

Then down he knelt in thankfulness Begging God their ship to bless And make the storm to cease.

O God! we are all weak sinful, foolish men.

We pray from fear and from necessity at death, in sickness or private loss.

Without the prick of fear our conscience sleeps, forgetful of Thy Grace.

Help us, O God! to see more clearly.

Tame our stubborn hearts.

Teach us to ask for less and offer more in gratitude to Thee.

Pity our simplicity, for we are truly pitiable in Thy sight.

nicolas

Amen. nicolas The

wind and waves lay down to rest The sky was clear and calm.

The ship sailed onward without harm And all creation sang a psalm Of loving thankfulness.

Beneath the stars the sailors slept Exhausted by their fear, while I Knelt down for love of God on high And saw his angels in the sky Smile down at me, And wept.

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V. Nicolas comes to Myra and is chosen Bishop Come, stranger sent from God! Come, man of God! Stand foremost in our Church and serve this diocese, As Bishop Nicolas, our shield, our strength, our peace!

I Nicolas, Bishop of Myra and its diocese, shall with the unfailing grace of God, defend his faithful servants, comfort the widow and fatherless, and fulfill his will for this most blessed Church.

nicolas

Amen!

Place the mitre on your head to show your mastery of men.

Take the golden robe that covers you with Christ’s authority.

Wear the fine dalmatic woven with the cross of faith.

Bear the crozier as a staff and comfort to your flock.

Set the ring upon your hand in sacramental sign of wedlock with thy God! Serve the Faith and spurn his enemies.

with congregation

All people that on earth do dwell, Sing to the Lord with cheerful voice.

Him serve with fear, His praise forth tell, Come ye before Him and rejoice.

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O enter then His gates with praise, Approach with joy His Courts unto, Praise, laud and bless His name always, For it is seemly so to do.

For why? The Lord our God is good.

His mercy is forever sure; His truth at all times firmly stood, And shall from age to age endure. Amen.

VI. Nicolas from Prison Persecution sprang upon our Church And stilled its voice.

Eight barren years it stifled under Roman rule: And I lay bound, condemned to celebrate My lonely sacrament with prison bread, While wolves ran loose among my flock.

nicolas

O man! The world is set for you as for a king!

Paradise is yours in loveliness.

The stars shine down for you, for you the angels sing, Yet you prefer your wilderness.

You hug the rack of self, Embrace the lash of sin, Pour your treasures out to bribe distress.

You build your temples fair without and foul within: You cultivate your wilderness.

Yet Christ is yours. Yours!

For you He lived and died.

God in mercy gave His son to bless you all, To bring you life, And Him you crucified To desecrate your wilderness.

Turn away from sin! Ah! Bow down your hard and stubborn hearts!

Confess, yourselves to Him in penitence And humbly vow your lives to Him, to holiness.

VII. Nicolas and the Pickled Boys Famine tracks us down the lanes, Hunger holds our horses’ reins, Winter heaps the roads with snow.

O we have far to go.

Starving beggars howl their cry, Snarl to see us spurring by, Times are bad and travel slow.

O we have far to go.

We mourn our boys, our missing sons, We sorrow for three little ones.

Timothy, Mark and John are gone!

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Landlord, take this piece of gold!

Bring us food before the cold.

Makes our pangs of hunger grow.

O we have far to go.

Day by day we seek to find Some trace of them but oh! Unkind!

Timothy, Mark and John are gone!

Let us share this dish of meat!

Come, my friends, sit down and eat!

Join us, Bishop, for we know That you have far to go!

Mary meek and Mother mild Who lost thy Jesus as a child, Our Timothy, Mark and John are gone!

Come, your Grace, don’t eat so slow!

Take some meat.

O do not taste!

O do not feed on sin!

But haste to save three souls in need!

The mothers’ cry Is sad and weak, Within these walls they lie Whom mothers sadly seek.

Timothy, Mark, and John, Put your fleshly garments on!

Come from dark oblivion, Come!

nicolas

See! See three boys spring back to life, Who slaughtered by the butcher’s knife, Lay salted down!

And entering, Hand in hand they stand and sing— Alleluia to their King!

VIII. His Piety and Marvellous Works For forty years our Nicolas, Our Prince of men, our shepherd and Our gentle guide, walked by our side.

We turned to him at birth and death, In time of famine and distress, In all our grief, to bring relief.

He led us from the valleys to The pleasant hills of grace.

He fought to fold us in from mortal sin.

O! He was prodigal of love!

A spendthrift in devotion to us all, And blessed as he caressed.

We keep his memory alive In legends that our children and Their children’s children treasure still.

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A captive at the heathen court Wept sorely all alone.

“O Nicolas is here, my son!

And he will bring you home!”

“Fill, fill my sack with corn,” he said, “We die from lack of food!”

And from that single sack He fed a hungry multitude.

Three daughters of a nobleman Were doomed to shameful sin, Till our good Bishop ransomed them By throwing purses in.

The gates were barred, the black flag flew, Three men knelt by the block But Nicolas burst in like flame, And stayed the axe’s shock!

“O help us, good Nicolas!

Our ship is full of foam!”

He walked across the waves to them And led them safely home.

He sat among the Bishops who Were summoned to Nicaea: Then rising with the wrath of God Boxed Arius’s ear!

He threatened Constantine the Great With bell and book and ban, Till Constantine confessed his sins Like any common man!

Let the legends that we tell, Praise him with our prayers as well.

We keep his memory alive In legends that our children and Their children’s children treasure still.

IX. The Death of Nicolas Death, I hear thy summons and I come In haste, for my short life is done; And O! my soul is faint with love For Him who waits for me above.

nicolas

Lord, now lettest thou they servant depart in peace, according to thy word.

For mine eyes have seen thy salvation Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people.

Lord, I come to life, To final birth I leave the misery of earth, For light, by thy eternal grace, Where I shall greet Thee face to face.

nicolas

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To be a light to lighten the Gentiles and to be the glory of thy people Israel.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.

Christ, receive my soul with tenderness, For in my last of life I bless Thy name, Who lived and died for me, And dying yield my soul to Thee.

nicolas

As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen!

with congregation

God moves in a mysterious way His wonders to perform; He plants His footsteps in the sea, And rides upon the storm.

Deep in unfathomable mines Of never failing skill He treasures up his bright designs, And works His sovereign will.

Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take, The clouds ye so much dread Are big with mercy, and shall break In blessings on your head. Amen!

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Ken Lam Artistic Director

Ken is Music Director of the Charleston Symphony Orchestra (SC), Music Director of Illinois Symphony Orchestra, and Resident Conductor of the Brevard Music Center in North Carolina. He is also Artistic Director of Hong Kong Voices.

In 2011 Ken won the Memphis Symphony Orchestra International Conducting Competition and was a featured conductor in the League of American Orchestra’s 2009 Bruno Walter National Conductors Preview with the Nashville Symphony. He made his US professional debut with the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center in June 2008 as one of four conductors selected by Leonard Slatkin. In recent seasons he led performances with the symphony orchestras of Cincinnati and Cincinnati Pops, Baltimore, Detroit, Memphis, Hawaii, Brevard and Meridian, as well as the Hong Kong Sinfonietta, Hong Kong Philharmonic, Guiyang Symphony and the Taipei Symphony Orchestra.

In opera, he directed numerous productions of the Janiec Opera Company at Brevard and was Assistant Conductor at Cincinnati Opera, Baltimore Lyric Opera and at the Castleton Festival. In recent seasons, he led critically acclaimed productions at the Spoleto Festival USA, Lincoln Center Festival and at the Luminato Festival in Canada. His run of Massenet’s Manon at Peabody Conservatory was hailed by the Baltimore Sun as a top ten classical event in the Washington D.C./Baltimore area in 2010.

Ken studied conducting with Gustav Meier and Markand Thakar at Peabody Conservatory. David Zinman and Murry Sidlin at the American Academy of Conducting at Aspen and Leonard Slatkin at the National Conducting Institute. He read economics at St. John’s College, Cambridge University and was an attorney specializing in international finance for ten years before becoming a conductor.

Ken is the 2015 recipient of the John Hopkins University Alumni Association Global Achievement Award, given to individuals who exemplify the Johns Hopkins tradition of excellence and have brought credit to the University and their profession in the international arena.

Grace Chiang Principal Conductor

Grace Chiang graduated from the Music Department, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, studying voice with Chan Siu-Kwan. Upon graduation, she was awarded the Hong Kong Jockey Club Music Scholarship to read for a Master’s degree in Music, majoring in Historical Musicology at Royal Holloway, University of London, where she continued her vocal studies with baritone Christian Immler. An active performer, Grace’s interests extend to contemporary music, often performing works by Hong Kong composers; she collaborated with the Chinese Music Virtuosi in premiering Chan HingYan’s Schmetterlingsträumen Lieder at the Musicarama 2010, and appeared with the Hong Kong New Music Ensemble in performing works by Lam Bun-Ching at the 2012 Macau International Music Festival.

Grace took part in conducting masterclasses and workshops of maestros Stephen Layton, Rolf Beck, James Jordan and William Weinert. Since 2011, she returned to serve at her alma mater, and led the girls’ choir to win Gold Medals at the 2012 Cincinnati, USA and the 2014 Riga, Latvia World Choir Games, as well as the Grand Prix Champion and Special Conductor Prize at the 3rd Singapore International Choral Festival in 2016. Her choral experience has also taken her to perform in Austria, United Kingdom, and Mainland China. Grace conducts Hong Kong Voices among various choral ensembles, and recently appeared in performances such as Brahms’s A German Requiem, Mozart’s Vesperae solennes de confessore, and J. S. Bach’s Magnificat BWV 243.

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Justin Li began his vocal training in Hong Kong with tenor David Quah and continued later in London under the tutelage of mezzo-soprano Catrin Johnsson and David Harper. He obtained his Licentiate Diploma in Recital in Voice with distinction from the Trinity College, London. He was the winner of the UK Spring Grove Music Festival Young Voices Category in 2006, the Oratorio and Art Song competitions in the 61st Hong Kong Schools Music Festival in 2007 and was awarded the Miss Barbara Fei Vocal Scholarship Open Class and the Harry Ore Memorial Prize. He also won the Art Song category of the 4th Hong Kong Youth Singing Festival.

He frequently performed with Hong Kong Voices and his repertoire includes Saint-Saëns’ Oratorio de Noël, Hadyn’s Thereisenmesse, Lotti’s Missa Sapientiae, Rossini’s Petite messe solennelle, Bach’s Christmas Oratorio and St. John Passion, where he made his debut as the evangelist in 2014. He has also worked with Die Konzertisten and SingFest Choral Academy, appearing as the guest soloist in Bach’s cantata Ich hatte viel Bekümmernis conducted

by Dr. William Weinert, Bach’s St. John Passion conducted

by Prof. John Butt, and Monteverdi’s Vespro della Beata Vergine conducted by Wolfgang Katschner in 2017.

Hong Kong violinist Daniel Chan started piano lessons at the age of four and violin lessons with Ngai Ho-chau at the age of nine. Whilst still a student, Chan won all the major violin prizes at the Hong Kong Schools Music Festival, including the top prize for solo violin—the Commercial Radio Prize at the age of fifteen. Upon obtaining a Bachelor’s Degree in Music from the New South Wales (now Sydney) Conservatorium of Music in 1991, Chan joined the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra. During his tenure at the orchestra, he was invited to be guest co-concertmaster of the Asian Friendly Concert in Fukuoka, Japan in 1996. Chan is also a violin tutor at various schools in Hong Kong, devising more effective methods of violin teaching for children.

As leader and soloist of the Hong Kong Chamber Orchestra from 2004–2007, Chan was appointed the concertmaster of the production of Phantom of the Opera (2006) in Hong Kong. Chan has also led other local orchestras, including the Hong Kong Voices Orchestra, the Hong Kong Medical Association Orchestra and the Friends of Learners Orchestra.

Violinist Siu-Hay Yip graduated from the Australian National University School of Music in 2004 and later furthered his studies at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in 2009. Yip has extensive orchestral experience. He has been a full time member with the Hong Kong Sinfonietta since 2005 and over the years, he has played with orchestras such as the Canberra Symphony Orchestra, the Sydney Symphony Sinfonia, the Macao Orchestra and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. An avid viola player, Yip is one of the founding members of VIO.L4.SING, a newly established viola quartet in Hong Kong.

Hong Kong violinist Edwin Cheng has recently received the Master of Music degree from the University of

Houston Moores School of Music, and will soon begin as a candidate for the Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the University of Oklahoma School of Music and become a member of the school’s Crouse String Quartet. In Hong Kong, Cheng has performed with the Hong Kong New Music Ensemble, and served as the concertmaster in the Pro Arte Orchestra of Hong Kong and CUHK Student Orchestra. His primary teachers include Joseph Kam, Aimee Sung, and Kirsten Yon. Upon returning from the UK in 1998, Otto Kwan has actively participated in many orchestras and ensembles in Hong Kong. He performs as a violin/viola player with the HK Philharmonic Orchestra, HK Sinfonietta, Pan Asia Orchestra, Global Symphony Orchestra, Gustav Mahler Orchestra, Hong Kong Strings Orchestra, SAR Philharmonic Orchestra, Hong Kong Chamber Orchestra, New Philharmonia of Hong Kong, Ponte Orchestra, Learners Orchestra, Hong Kong Festival Orchestra, City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Medical Association Orchestra, China Hong Kong Youth Symphony Orchestra and Hong Kong Symphonia. Recently, he regularly plays with the Macao Orchestra. Otto also enjoys working with local Chinese instrumentalists and Cantonese pop artists including Eason Chan, Jacky Cheung, Miriam Yeung, Sammi Cheng and Ekin Cheng. He looks forward to tonight’s concert, making music with old and new friends.

Elaine Lui started her violin lesson at the age of twelve.

She graduated from the Music Department of the Hong Kong Baptist University, majoring in Violin Performance and Pedagogy and obtained the Licentiate of the Royal School of Music (LRSM). Elaine has a wide performing experience. She was appointed as a soloist for different orchestras, including Millennium Youth Orchestra, Baptist University Symphony Orchestra, and Shatin Philharmonic Orchestra. She is now a violinist of Hong Kong Chamber Orchestra, Hong Kong Six Art Orchestra, Learners Orchestra and an active freelance player in various orchestras. Besides performing, she is also a violin tutor and orchestral conductor in several primary and secondary schools, which has led to several interschool competition wins under her baton.

Kevin Jim was a scholarship student at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Preparatory Division, where he studied with Susan Bates. He was the principal violist with the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra.

While pursuing his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in civil and environmental engineering at the University of California at Berkeley and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Kevin continued his viola studies with Basil Vendryes, Gina Feinauer, Paul Yarbrough and Rudolf Haken. He has participated in the Mendocino Music Festival, Aria International Music Academy, Quartet Program, Summer Music West, and St. Lawrence String Quartet Seminar. Kevin spent three years working in Hong Kong, during which time he performed with the Hong Kong Chamber Orchestra, the City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong, and the Hong Kong

Sinfonietta. He currently resides in Oakland, California, and enjoys performing chamber music throughout the San Francisco Bay Area.

Raymond Han is an electrical engineer who has played viola all his life. He is a former member of St. John’s Cathedral Choir and currently a member of various amateur orchestras in Hong Kong.

Cellist David Wong has performed in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, France, Italy, Japan, Lithuania, Poland, Uruguay, South Korea, United Kingdom, United States, as well as in Hong Kong, Taiwan and Mainland China. In summer 2014, he was invited to perform at Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the largest arts festival in the world. In 2015, the dance film Rite of City II: Present featured his performance of Bach Cello Suites in Florence, Italy.

Cecilia Chan is currently working as a freelance cellist with the Hong Kong Sinfonietta having recently graduated from the Royal College of Music, London in July 2018 with a Master of Performance degree under the tutelage of Amanda Truelove. She was an RCM Scholar generously supported by the Elizabeth Mary Morgan Award and the St. Marylebone Foundation Award. A keen orchestral musician, Cecilia has worked alongside renowned conductors such as Vladimir Ashkenazy, Sir Roger Norrington, Alexander Liebreich, Thierry Fischer, Diego Masson, Vassily Sinaisky, John Wilson and Nicholas Collon, in major concert venues around the world including the Royal Festival Hall and Royal Albert Hall in London and the Musikverein in Vienna.

Born in Hong Kong, Michael Chan completed his musical training with Eddie Zong in the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts and Prof. Benedikt Hübner in the Hochschule für Musik Carl Maria von Weber Dresden, Germany. He was selected to join the Asian Youth Orchestra as principal double bassist to tour around Asia before joining the National Youth Orchestra of the Netherlands and Pablo Casals Chamber Festival in France. He later played professionally as a tutti member of the Magdeburgische Philharmonie, as well as substitute of the Dresdner Philharmonie and guest player of numerous professional orchestras in Germany.

Recently, Chan appears often as principal double bassist of the Gustav Mahler Orchestra, and is a freelance player of the Hong Kong Sinfonietta since 2010.

Pianist Stephen Wong studied at the Royal College of Music, UK and obtained Master of Music at McGill University, Canada. He has performed extensively in Canada, the United States, Italy, Taiwan including Rome Chamber Music Festival and Aspen Music Festival.

A much sought-after artist in Hong Kong, he has frequently recorded for Radio 4 Hong Kong, performed at Hong Kong Virtuosi Series presented by Leisure and Cultural Services Department and Music Alive at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. Stephen also teaches at music faculty of The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, Hong Kong Baptist University and

Hong Kong Education University. In April 2019, he was invited to adjudicate for Quebec Music Competition and giving masterclass at Lambda School of Music and Fine Arts in Montreal, Canada.

A native of Hong Kong, Verna Yeung has served as a staff accompanist at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (HKAPA) since 1996. In addition to chamber performances broadcast on Radio Television Hong Kong, she has performed with a number of choral and instrumental groups including Hong Kong Voices, the Eastern Wind Ensemble and the Good Hope Singers.

She has also performed with professional dancers under the Hong Kong Ballet Group. Verna graduated with distinction in piano performance from both the Manhattan School of Music and the HKAPA. Her teachers included Phillip Kawin, Tam Ka Kit and Monique Duphil.

Siu-Wai Ng was a finalist in the Calgary International Organ Competition in Canada and the International Gottfried-Silbermann Organ Competition in Freiberg, Germany. As a soloist, Siu-Wai has given recitals in the United Kingdom at notable venues such as St. Paul’s Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, Southwark Cathedral, and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Internationally she has performed in Germany, Australia, Denmark, Canada, Hong Kong and mainland China. Siu-Wai has collaborated with Hong Kong Voices since its establishment in 2000. Siu-Wai holds an M.A. in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from Oxford University. While there she studied the organ with David Goode and David Sanger. Currently based in London, Siu-Wai works at an international asset management firm in parallel to her musical pursuits.

Akihiro Muramoto, Principal Timpani of the Hong Kong Sinfonietta, was born in Kyoto in Japan. He started his percussion lessons at the age of seven with his father, who was Principal Percussion of the Kyoto Symphony Orchestra. He later entered the Osaka College of Music for further studies in percussion performance. He toured extensively in Europe, America and Asia in 1993 and 1995 with the Asian Youth Orchestra, and played in the Pacific Music Festival Orchestra with players of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra in Sapporo in 1996.

He joined the Orchestra Osaka Symphoniker in 1997 and came to Hong Kong and joined the Hong Kong Sinfonietta in September 2003.

Currently percussionist of Hong Kong Sinfonietta, Rieko Koyama has performed across Asia and North America.

She holds degrees from Indiana University and New England Conservatory, where her teachers included Gerald Carlyss, Anthony Cirone and Frank Epstein.

Koyama was percussionist of Hyogo Performing Arts Center, and has performed under Valery Gergiev and Riccardo Muti’s batons at Pacific Music Festival and Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music in Santa Cruz, California. In the coming year, she will be performing percussion chamber music with friends from around Japan.

Hong Kong Voices is a chamber choir established in 2000.

Aspired to bring choral music closer to the Hong Kong people, we cultivate the ability of music appreciation among our singers, and offer our audience an artistic experience that both delights and inspires.

ARTISTIC DIRECTOR Ken Lam PRINCIPAL CONDUCTOR Grace Chiang CHAIRPERSON Linda Chan VICE-CHAIRPERSON Tony Ling GENERAL SECRETARY Winnie Choi FINANCIAL SECRETARY Benjamin Ng Website: www.hkvoices.org Facebook: fb.com/hkvoices/ Email: choir@hkvoices.org Whatsapp: +852 5509 9455 Instagram: @hkvoices

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Our repertoire spans from the Renaissance to the modern era, including acclaimed works such as Bach’s St. John Passion, Mozart’s Vesperae Solennes de Confessore and Brahms’s A German Requiem. We often introduce some lesser-known choral masterpieces to the audience, most notably we gave the Hong Kong premiere of Schoenberg’s Friede auf Erden in 2005.

We also infuse our programme with works by Asian and Hong Kong contemporaries as a tribute to our unique cultural heritage.

We have collaborated with many leading local artists as well as young and rising musicians and vocalists. We perform regularly with our professional instrumental partners and had joined the Hong Kong Sinfonietta in performances of Haydn’s Little Organ Mass and Fauré’s Requiem. We are also involved in cross-media projects such as Samson Young’s music theatre Electric Requiem—God Save the Queen (2009), and Muted Situations #5: Muted Chorus (2016) that appeared in his first Europe solo exhibition at Kunsthalle Düsseldorf. We believe that music lives beyond the concert hall: from 2010 onwards all our live concerts have been captured by Claying’s Studio and are archived on the Internet for educational purpose.

Ken Lam, currently Music Director of Charleston Symphony Orchestra and Illinois Symphony Orchestra, has been our Artistic Director since 2001.

Grace Chiang, award-winning Hong Kong choral conductor and soprano, is appointed as Principal Conductor of the choir in 2015.

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