TUTORS
Leung Kin Fung conductor / violin |
Leung enjoys a world-class reputation, as demonstrated by his frequent performances in Italy, Belgium, Russia, Hong Kong, China, Taiwan, Korea, other Asian cities and many American cities, as well as regular concerto performances with orchestras. Leung hasrepresented Hong Kong in many international music events. Early in 1986 he represented Hong Kong at the International Youth Music Festival in Aberdeen, Scotland, where he was the concertmaster of both the philharmonic and chamber orchestras. In 1994, he was invited to participate in a chamber music concert tour in Europe with the renowned pianist Fu Ts'ong. Serving as a cultural ambassador, Leung was nominated to represent Taiwan to join the Bangkok Symphony Orchestra at the anniversary celebrations of the ascension of the King of Thailand from 1994 to 1996. Besides the invitations by the Taiwan Straits Foundation to tour Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou for cultural exchange and performances in 1996, he was invited to perform on a tour of a number of cities on the West Coast of the USA in 1997. In 1999, he was selected by the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in the USA to present a recital at the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., as well as to perform the Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto there with the Sino-America Music Foundation Symphony Orchestra. Leung has been invited each year beginning with the 2000 season to represent Hong Kong in the Super World Orchestra held in Tokyo, which is comprised of concertmasters and principals from the world’s leading orchestras. Leung was invited as the guest concertmaster for the Hamburg Symphony Orchestra in Germany, and the Macau Symphony Orchestra in Macau, 2006. Serving as a cultural ambassador, Leung was nominated to represent Taiwan to join the Bangkok Symphony Orchestra at the anniversary celebrations of the ascension of the King of Thailand from 1994 to 1996. Besides the invitations by the Taiwan Straits Foundation to tour Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou for cultural exchange and performances in 1996, he was invited to perform on a tour of a number of cities on the West Coast of the USA in 1997. In 1999, he was selected by the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in the USA to present a recital at the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., as well as to perform the Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto there with the Sino-America Music Foundation Symphony Orchestra. Leung has been invited each year beginning with the 2000 season to represent Hong Kong in the Super World Orchestra held in Tokyo, which is comprised of concertmasters and principals from the world’s leading orchestras. Leung was invited as the guest concertmaster for the Hamburg Symphony Orchestra in Germany, and the Macau Symphony Orchestra in Macau, 2006. Recently, Leung was invited to be the soloist and perform with Maestro Yu Lung and the Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra in its concert tour in New Zealand. The concerts took place in Auckland and Wellington, among which one was selected as one of the highlight programs of the New Zealand-China Trade EXPO, August 2005. In the concerts, Leung performed the renowned Chinese violin concerto "Butterfly Lovers" which was remarked as the first performance of this great Chinese piece in New Zealand. Leung has also distinguished himself in the recording world with his solo album “Violin Encores” recorded and released by the Hugo Production Company in Hong Kong, the Violin Concerto No.1 produced with composer Mr. Guan Nai-Zhong and the Kaohsiung City Chinese Orchestra, as well as the violin concerto "Legend of Deer's Turn-about" with conductor Yeh Tsung and the Hong Kong Sinfonietta. In the Chamber Music genre, Leung founded the "Taipei Fine Arts Trio" in 1994, which has its first album released in 1996. In 1997, he was invited to record a CD of great piano trio music by using a Stradivarius violin belonging to the collection of the Chi Mei Foundation of Arts. In 1999, at the invitation and sponsorship of the SinoPac Bank, Leung produced the "Salute 2000" DVD and CD, featuring the famous piano trio in performances ranging from classical to modern pieces. In June 2001, the Radio Hong Kong invited Leung to be its Artist-in-Residence and to record the complete Beethoven Violin Sonatas. Since 1989, Leung has held many important posts, including membership of the violin faculty at the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music in New York from 1989 to 1992, where he had served in 1990 as its Director of Chamber Music. From 1993 to 1999, he acted as the Associate Concertmaster for the National Symphony Orchestra of Taiwan and joined the faculty of the National Institute for the Arts and the Music Department of Fu Jen Catholic University. Since 2000, Leung has been the First Associate Concertmaster of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra. He has also served on the faculty of The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts and The Chinese University of Hong Kong. Besides acting as the First Associate Concertmaster of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra. Leung had acted as the Artistic Director of Music Chamber, a multi-media music centre in Hong Kong from 2003 to 2007. In addition to organizing and participating in numerous music activities held by Music Chamber, he organized a series of concerts during and after the outbreak of SARS. At a time when all cultural activities in Hong Kong were at a standstill because of the public health emergency, he took the initiative to organize eight "Brighten Hong Kong Campaign" concerts with the purpose of rebuilding the confidence of Hong Kong citizens and foreign travelers. Leung later held a "Triumph Over Darkness" concert to celebrate the end of the SARS threat. Moreover, Leung has been involved in the Music Chamber production of many DVDs, including the Christmas night 2003 "Four Seasons" concert featuring the Macao Youth Symphony Orchestra and the Hong Kong Schools Music Festival demonstration DVDs. In May 2005, Leung founded Hong Kong Pure Strings (HKPS), a string ensemble of top string musicians from all over the world where Leung serves as the Artistic Director. HKPS gave its successful premiere concert at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre on June 13, 2005, plus other successful project and concerts, such as Musicarama 2005, HKPS & Berliner Philharmoniker Musicians Joint Concert and HKPS & Hamburg Symphoniker Musicians Joint Concert. Leung Kin Fung was born in Guangzhou, China. He began studying violin at the age of five under the guidance of his father. He was admitted by the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts due to his outstanding achievement. In 1986, he was awarded a full scholarship to study at the Eastman School of Music in the USA under Zvi Zeitlin, Albert Markov and Emanuel Vardi. He later obtained both his Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees of Music from the Manhattan School of Music. As a result of his wining the "Irving Ruckens Award", Leung continued his studies at the Juilliard School, where he worked with renowned teachers Dorothy DeLay and Karen Tuttle. Leung Kin Fung performs on a Santus Seraphin violin made in 1730.
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Leung Kin Fung was the award of the "Ten Outstanding Young Persons" in Hong Kong in 2002, one of the many awards the violinist has received since coming to Hong Kong in 1979. Leung was the first Hong Kong musician to win the first prize at the "1992 Young Artist Competition" in New York while studying there on full scholarship at the Juilliard School as the winner of the "Irving Ruckens Award". He also had previously won a significant award for his virtuosity on the viola, the second prize at "The 19th William Primrose International Viola Competition" in 1991. Other awards included the "Mary Owen Borden Memorial Foundation Award" in 1990, the "Grand Prize of the Hong Kong Schools Music Festival" and the "Hong Kong Commercial Radio Prize" in 1986. He was listed in the 'Who's Who in the HKSAR" published by Sing Tao Publishing Ltd in 2004.