HKW

Yan Huichang is a Chinese music conductor renowned worldwide. In June 1997, he was engaged as the Music Director of the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra and now the Artistic Director and Principal Conductor for Life of the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra. In 1987, he was conferred the title of National Class One Conductor at the First Professional Accreditation of China and has received numerous accolades, including the ‘Cultural Medallion (Music)’ from Singapore and the Silver Bauhinia Star (SBS) from the Hong Kong SAR Government.

He holds professorships at multiple institutions and honorary positions in orchestras. He founded the Hong Kong International Conducting Competition for Chinese Music, among other achievements. Yan Huichang has led the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra to set many milestones in the development of Chinese music, promoting commissioned works and spearheading instrumental reforms.

Having studied under renowned masters, after graduating, he took up the position of Principal Conductor of the China National Orchestra. He frequently serves as a guest conductor for Western symphony orchestras. He is also an active composer, and his works have repeatedly won national awards.

Kim Suin is a Korean traditional musician recognised for his wide-ranging musical world that seamlessly bridges tradition and modernity. A graduate of the Department of Korean Music at Chung-Ang University, he demonstrated his excellence as a traditional vocalist by winning the Grand Prise at the 30th Im Bang-ul Gugak Competition.

Specialising in Gayageum Byeongchang (singing while playing the gayageum), Kim continues the lineage of authentic Korean traditional music while exploring new artistic possibilities through collaborations across genres. In 2023, he gained national attention as a member of the crossover group Crezl on JTBC’s Phantom Singer 4, where he delivered genre-blending performances that fused Korean traditional music, classical, and pop. The group’s third-place finish significantly raised his public profile.

With delicate sensitivity, refined vocal expression, and a commanding stage presence, Kim was named to Forbes Korea’s “30 Under 30” list in 2024, solidifying his status as a rising star in Korean traditional music.

Currently a member of the National Changgeuk Company of Korea, Kim Suin is dedicated to preserving the essence of pansori while infusing it with a contemporary sensibility. Through his creative and boundary-crossing endeavours, he continues to promote the beauty of tradition and pave the way for the popularisation and globalisation of Korean music.

Park Joonho is a Korean organist whose musical journey began with piano in childhood and transitioned to organ performance through the Preparatory School of the Korea National University of Arts (KNUA). While in high school, he was selected as a gifted music student at KNUA and entered the undergraduate program in Korean traditional music, where he studied under Professor Ja-Kyung Oh. He later pursued advanced studies in Europe, training under Professor Jon Laukvik at the State University of Music and Performing Arts Stuttgart, Germany, and under Professor Michel Bouvard at the Conservatoire de Toulouse in France.

Park gained international recognition early in his career. He won First Prize and the Special Bach Award at the International Organ Competition in Graz, Austria (2006); Second Prize and the Mozart Special Prize at the St. Maurice International Organ Competition in Switzerland (2007); and Third Prize and the Audience Prize at the Tokyo-Musashino International Organ Competition in Japan (2008). These achievements, notably made before he had studied abroad, were highlighted in national media such as KBS News.

His continued success includes First Prize at the prestigious International Organ Competitions in Nuremberg, Germany (2009), and Dublin, Ireland (2011); as well as Second Prize at the Chartres Competition in France (2012) and the Arp Schnitger International Organ Competition in Bremen, Germany (2014).

Park has performed at many of the world’s foremost venues and festivals, including Westminster Cathedral and Westminster Abbey in London, the St. Albans International Organ Festival, the Ansbach Bach Festival and Konstantin Basilica in Trier, Marktkirche in Halle, and Stiftskirche in Stuttgart. His performances have also extended to Spain's Quincena Musical and Madrid’s Auditorio Nacional, as well as major venues throughout Japan including Tokyo Opera City, Musashino Civic Cultural Hall, University of Tokyo, Yokohama Minato Mirai Hall, NHK Hall in Nagoya, Saitama’s Lilia Hall, and concert halls in Kobe, Himeji, Mito, and Shizuoka.

In the United States, Park served as Professor of Organ at the University of Texas at Austin and as organist at Redeemer Presbyterian Church. He was also invited to Yale University as a lecturer on Asian organ music. He currently teaches as an adjunct professor at both the Korea National University of Arts and Hanyang University.

Since 2019, he has been a featured artist in Organ Odyssey, a concert series curated by LOTTE Concert Hall in Seoul, dedicated to expanding public appreciation of organ music. Park has also appeared as a soloist and guest performer with the Incheon and Seongnam Philharmonic Orchestras, and has collaborated with leading choral ensembles including Seoul, Incheon, Bucheon, and Daejeon City Choirs in their subscription concerts.

His performances have been praised in the international press and featured in Korean media such as KBS Music Room and SBS Cultural Walk. Through concert stages and broadcasts alike, Park Joonho continues to deepen public engagement with the rich tradition of organ music.

Principal Sheng of the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra (HKCO), Chen joined the HKCO in 2011 and has been serving in current position since 2016. A native of Taichung, Taiwan, Chen was a multiple winner of sheng solo in music competitions in Taiwan. He later graduated, respectively, from NTUA with a sheng major and the College of Human Ecology of the Shih Chien University in Taipei with a piano major.

Chen has curated multiple sheng ensemble concert programmes for the HKCO and premiered several original compositions. Notably, he was invited to perform the sheng part in Sheng and Organ Concerto “Reeds” at the inauguration ceremony of Taiwan’s National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts. Additionally, he has performed this piece with HKCO at concert such as the “Made in Taiwan” concert during Taiwan Month, as well as on international tours across Switzerland, Belgium, Hungary, Germany, Singapore, and Beijing

In 2022, Chen was commissioned by the NCO to compose the zhongruan concerto Tai Chi as the compulsory work for Final in the NCO Music Competition 2023 ‘Rising Star of Zhongruan’.

Founded in 2016 with the aim of expanding the cultural and artistic landscape of Incheon, the Wizard Children’s Choir has since established itself as one of South Korea’s leading children’s performance groups. Through a wide range of performances both at home and abroad, the choir continues to touch audiences with beautiful music and moving stage presence, contributing significantly to the promotion and development of children’s music culture.

Wizard Children’s Choir has achieved remarkable results in prestigious national competitions, including the Grand Prize at the 20th Incheon 119 Firefighting Song Contest, the Grand Prize at the Seorak Musan Cultural Festival Children’s Choir Competition, and the Excellence Award at the 23rd National Firefighting Song Contest. The choir made international headlines when it became the only Korean team to win a Gold Medal in the Children’s Choir Open Competition at the 12th World Choir Games in Gangneung, earning a place in the Champions Competition. In 2024, they went on to win a Silver Medal at the Champions Competition of the 13th World Choir Games held in New Zealand, further elevating the status of Korean choral music on the global stage.

Recognised for their musical talent and capability, Wizard Children’s Choir has collaborated with leading Korean musicians on various performances and official album recordings. The choir has also been featured in major national events such as the Memorial Day Ceremony, Liberation Day Celebration, March 1st Independence Movement Commemoration, and Police Day Ceremony. Their versatile performance history includes appearances on KBS programs like Who’s the Best?, Korean Festival, Netflix drama The Whirlwind, and Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 3 for children’s choir, all of which showcase their expanding musical spectrum.

As a pioneering force in children’s music, Wizard Children’s Choir continues to grow with the ambition of becoming an even more beautiful and resonant musical group, further solidifying its position as Korea’s representative children’s performance ensemble.