Composer Spotlight- Hui Tak-Cheung

Get to Know...Hui Tak-Cheung

Hui Tak-Cheung was a finalist in the newly composed category in 2015 for his solo work A Gleam Again, for solo flute doubling on singing bowl. A Gleam Again, under its final title, In Between II-Lu Chai, was premiered by its commissioner Chen-Yu Wu on July 16, 2015 at the Themes Star Theatre in Shanghai. Lu Chai is the second work in his In Between series. In Between II-Lu Chai has not yet been premiered in the United States. FNMC members, maybe one of you would like to give the American Premiere?!
 
Q&A with Tak…
 What about new music for the flute appeals to you?
Color. Like ink wash painting, a single black stroke can has a whole spectrum of color within, ranged from white, to gray.
 
Who is/are your favorite “new music” composer/s and why?
Too many to name one. Sciarrino comes to my mind at this moment (probably because I am listening to it right now).
 
Describe your musical background and current activities.
I am a composer. I love flute. I really love flute.
 
More About Tak…
 
HUI, Tak-Cheung is a Hong Kong-born composer. Over the course of his career, Hui has been awarded numerous prizes including the Atlas Ensemble Composition Competition 2014, Sound Icon BU/SI  Composition Competition 2015 and Inter-Sections Fellowship with commission prize. His recent collaborations include 10/10 Ensemble at the Huddersfield Cotemporary Music Festival, Nieuw Ensemble at the Muziekgebouw aan’t IJ’s An Evening of Today and Looptail Ensemble at the Gaudeamus Muziekweeks. He was also the residence composer of the Ligeti Academy by Asko Schoenberg in 2011 and European Composers’ Professional Development Programme by HCMF in 2012.
 
Hui started self-learning guitar and played in a rock band before he started his formal education of music at Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts and completed his masters’ degree in Composition at Conservatorium van Amsterdam under the supervision of Richard Ayres, Willem Jeths, and Wim Henderickx. During his academic years, he was awarded the Heng Seng Bank Scholarship and The Lions Music Foundation Scholarship. Currently, he was given a fellowship from Boston University Center for New Music to pursue a Doctoral degree under the supervision of Alex Mincek and Joshua Fineberg.
 
Hui’s compositions range from a variety of solo instrumental music to orchestral works, small and large ensemble music for western or traditional music, as well as multi-media work and Chinese Opera arrangement. His works have been published by Huddersfield Contemporary Record and Hove Record.
 
Learn more at www.huitakcheung.com
 
More works for flute by Hui Tak Cheung…
 
Lu Chai
Instrumentation: flute
Commissioned by flutist Chen-Yu Wu
 
In Betweeen II
Instrumentation: flute and video
Commissioned by World  within Gallery
 
Cracks between the reflections
Instrumentation: 2 fl, 2 ob, clarinets, perc, hp, pf, 2 vn, va, vc, db
Commissioned by the Nieuw Ensemble
 
Frozen In
Instrumentation: Shakuhachi, flute, alto sax, cello, double bass
 
As a fallen Leaf, on a waving stream
Instrumentation: flute, oboe, clarinets, guitar, mandolin, harp, piano, percussion, violin, viola, cello, contrabass
Composed for the Nieuw Ensemble
 
Tale of an old picture
Instrumentation: flute, clarinet, piano, percussion, violin, cello
Commissioned by Looptail
 
Way to the other Shore
Instrumentation: woodwind quartet, brass trio, piano, and string quartet
Composed for the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival
 
Magnified II
Instrumentation: pipa, sheng, zheng, flute, alto saxophone, and horn
Commissioned by the New Wind traditional music ensemble
 
The Mist inside
Instrumentation: recorder, flute, oboe, 2 clarients, bass clarinet, alto sax, horn, 2 violins, cello, harp, piano
Composed for the Ligeti Academy
 
Urban Hakka
Instrumentation: violin, flute, oboe, clarinet piano, percussion
Commissioned by the KHAPA Contemporary music ensemble
 
Magnified
Instrumentation: violin, contrabass, flute, clarinet, alto saxophone, piano
 
The Mist
Instrumentation: harp, vibraphone, alto flute, bass clarinet
 

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