Foreword
Dominic Lam, SingFest Music DirectorIt has been a tough year for Hong Kongers. We have experienced disappointment, struggles and hopelessness in the first stage of 2022. Now with the year closing, we are still trying hard to recover from the pandemic under lots of uncertainties, but with persistence and dignity.
2022 is the 10th anniversary of SingFest, and for sure it is an unforgettable year. The year started with the suspension of “Brahms in Black Box - ” in January due to COVID. We then overcame numerous challenges that arose with our “Germany Tour 2022 ” in April (a special shoutout to our mighty SingFest adminis trative colleagues who devoted themselves wholeheartedly during the whole tour, not to mention the time difference between Hong Kong and Germany). After a long wait of nearly a year and finally having the chance to meet Hong Kong audience again in theatre , 2 out of 3 performances of the "Buxtehude in Black Box: ” in July were rescheduled due to typhoon. All that being said, we are always grateful for the unwavering support from our audience, fueling us with positive energy to never give up.
The theme of our concert tonight, , translates as “My Hope, My Joy”. It also echoes to the title of our originally-planned choral theatre performance in Janu ary, , which translate as “My Song, My Light”. Music always brings light to our hearts, and despite all the hardships and frustration we face in life, may the light keep glowing and bring hope and joy to us all.
Many pieces and composers in our programme tonight may be unfamiliar to you (and to be honest, even to our team at first!). To explore something unfamiliar requires lots of courage, but I am truly thankful that in choral music, we could go through this process as a team. By studying these “hidden gems”together, we share our lives during the process. Tonight, we share what we have with you, and we invite you to embrace the light through music. With the Christmas season approaching, we wish you feel the warmth of Christmas with our reper toire choice tonight.
The motet, , by J. S. Bach (don’t mix up with J. C. Bach!) in tonight’s programme, is a piece that is paramount to the growth of SingFest. We have performed it various times in concert setting, and we even tried stag ing it as a performance of “choral theatre”. The discovery of new elements every time we revisit the music is a testa ment to how we experience hope and joy by witnessing our growth as a team and family.
Thank you all for coming to the concert, and let us embark upon this journey of hope and joy.
The mission of SingFest, a charitable organisation, is to provide the highest quality of perfor mances and innovative educational opportunities that connect local singers, instrumental ists, audiences and donors. Since 2012, SingFest has presented a series of choral-related programmes and projects, including the “BACH 330” project (2014-15), “Bach im Theater” (2016), the “Choral Polygon” project (2017) and the “choral:Images” project (2018-19). Sing Fest also performed Bach’s Christmas Oratorio at the Thüringer Bachwochen in Germany (2015). In 2021, SingFest launched its “Choral Black Box” series of theatre productions com bining vocal music, choral music, movement and theatrical elements. The rst production in the series was “Thunder Bay” (July 2021), and the second was “Brahms in Black Box - Meine Lieder, mein Licht” (online, January 2022). Proactive in promoting choral music with high-quality performances, SingFest strives to pursue the nest artistic standards, not only in music but also in a broader theatrical context.
▍Dominic Lam | Music Director
Dominic is an active choral musician in Hong Kong. He is currently the music director of SingFest and has led the group in various choral theatre performances that combine music and theatrical elements. With reper toire ranging from Baroque period to contemporary times, these performances aim to introduce great choral classics to audiences in an innovative approach.
Dominic is an alumnus of The Hong Kong Children’s Choir (HKCC) under the tutelage of Ms Kathy Fok. He is currently a conductor-pianist of HKCC, and has toured with the group around the globe performing in concerts and leading open rehearsals.
Dominic was a part-time lecturer in the Department of Music of the Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) and the conductor of the HKBU Choir in 2017-2021.
Dominic holds a Master of Music degree in Choral Conducting from Westminster Choir College, USA and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Music from the Chinese University of Hong Kong. His major mentors include Dr. James Jordan, Dr. Joe Miller and Dr. Amanda Quist in conducting; Ms. Chan Yuk-bing and Dr. Mary Wu in piano; Dr. Christopher Arneson and Mr. Apollo Wong in voice; Ms. Wong Kin-yu in organ.
▍Law Tsz-ying | Soprano Tsz-ying earned a B.A. in Music (First Class Honours) from Hong Kong Baptist University, then went on to gain a Master’s of Music (Vocal Performance) from Royal Holloway, University of London, with distinc tion. During her time as a choral scholar with The Choir of Royal Holloway, Tsz-ying performed for Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and other members of the British royal family at Buckingham Palace and the Royal Albert Hall, and in a concert marking the 800th anniversary of the Magna Carta.
▍Lam Kwok-ho | Bass Kwok-ho has performed as a soloist in opera productions by Opera Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (HKAPA). His operatic credits include Sciarrone in , Somnus in , Marco and the title role of , Lindorf/ Coppélius/ Dr. Miracle/ Daperdutto in , Leporello in , Gug lielmo in , Escamillo in . As a concert soloist, he has performed Beethoven’s and Bach’s under the baton of Helmuth Rilling. He participated in the premieres of Chan Hing-yan’s chamber opera and Daniel Lo’s at Hong Kong Arts Festival.
He obtained his Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. With support of Cecil Leong Scholarship, Michael Rippon Memorial Scholarship and Fung Kit Ling Scholarship, he received his Advanced Diploma and Master of Music degree from the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts under the tutelage of renowned soprano Prof. Nancy Yuen. He has participated in masterclasses by Nelly Miricioiu, Renée Fleming, Eric Halfvarson, Thomas Quastho , Dennis O’Neill, Rudolf Piernay, Wolfgang Brendel and Helen Donath He is currently a voice instructor at the HKAPA’s Junior Music Programme.
▍Gary Tong | Organ
As one of the most active organists in Hong Kong, Gary completed his secondary school studies at St. Paul’s Co-educational College. He com pleted his Master of Music Degree in organ performance from the University of Alberta, Canada, majoring in Organ Performance and minoring in Choral Conducting. Gary was the semi- nalist of the Royal Bank Calgary International Organ Festival and Competition in 2002, and the Second-prize Winner of the Royal Canadian College of Organists National Playing Competition in 2003.
He now serves as the Organist at the Methodist International Church, Hong Kong. He is also the organ tutor at various local churches and