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Artistic Consultants

Professor Michael Ma

Dip (Curtis), Grad(New School of Music, Philadelphia), Professor (Fu Jen Catholic University of Taiwan), Head of APA Strings (School of Music)


Born in Vienna of Chinese parents, Michael Ma was taught the violin initially by his father before being accepted at age 14 to the Curtis Institute and the New School of Music, Philadelphia, to study under Ivan Galamian and Adolph Brodsky. Upon graduating, he began performing with the Concerto Soloists of Philadelphia and founded the New Art String Quartet which toured throughout Europe, United States and the Middle East.

He has appeared frequently as soloist, and held the position of concertmaster with many orchestras including the Oklahoma Symphony Orchestra, the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, the Santa Fe Opera Orchestra, the Mainly Mozart Festival, San Diego, and the New Mexico Symphony Orchestra. Prior to his appointment as Head of Strings at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts in 1996, he was Professor of Violin at the University of Oklahoma.


Professor Ray Wang

Dip(Curtis), Professor (Fu Jen Catholic University of Taiwan)

Artistic Consultant


Ray Wang, who is currently serving as Head of Junior Music Department and Senior Lecturer (Strings) at the HKAPA joined the Academy in 1994. He has performed throughout the musical centers and festivals in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macau. His performances have taken him also to Chicago, Cremona, Florence, London, Luxembourg, New York, Saarbrucken, Segovia and Vancouver.

He is an active chamber musician, and is a founding member of the Hong Kong Virtuosi, Canzone Trio and New Art String Quartet in Hong Kong; which received support from the Composers and Authors Society of Hong Kong Music Fund and Hong Kong Arts Development Council.

He was previously a music faculty member of the Baptist University and Chinese University of Hong Kong; other teaching activities included Queensland Conservatorium of Music in Australia, Fu Jen Catholic University of Taiwan and Wuhan Conservatory, Xinghai Conservatory, Central Conservatory of Music in China.

His students have enjoyed a wide range of successful careers in music, and have won top prizes in such cello competitions as the 1994 International Heran Violoncello Competition, the 2001 Hong Kong Competition for Young Asian Musicians, the 2002 International Tchaikovsky Competition for Young Musicians as well as the National Cello Competition of China in 1997, 2000 and 2004.




Dr. David Chung

Artistic Consultant


David Chung performs extensively on a variety of historic and modern keyboard instruments to critical acclaim. His concert activities have taken him to many cities across Europe, North America and Asia. He was educated at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, reading music and French, and Cambridge University, where he completed his doctoral dissertation on 17th-century French keyboard music. He also holds the Concert Recital Diploma (Premier Prix) from the London Guildhall School of Music and Drama. His scholarly contributions include a critical edition of keyboard arrangements of Jean-Baptiste Lully’s orchestral music (UT Orpheus, 2004) and articles in such journals as Early Music, Early Keyboard Journal, Journal of Seventeenth-Century Music and Music and Letters. His recordings range across French harpsichord music and stylus phantasticus works by Bach and his contemporaries. Chung is currently Associate Professor of Music at Hong Kong Baptist University.



Guest Conductors

Dr. Chun Chim Leung

Guest Conductor and Soloist


David (Chun Chim) Leung is active and versatile in all aspects of performance as violin soloist, recitalist, chamber musician, concertmaster and orchestral conductor. Dr. Leung is currently visiting assistant professor of violin at the Florida State University and the associate concertmaster of Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra in Florida. He also served on the string and conducting faculty of the Roberts Wesleyan College in Rochester, New York and the State University of New York at Buffalo.

A recipient of numerous awards and prizes, David Leung has collaborated with many internationally renowned artists such as Irvine Arditti, Paul Badura-Skoda, Malcolm Bilson, Anthony Camden, Christoph Campestrini, Andrés Cárdenes, Steven Doane, Hilary Hahn, Warren Jones, Mikhail Kopelman, Joseph Silverstein and Alice Waten. David Leung has performed extensively in the United States, Canada, Japan, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, the United Kingdom, Austria, Italy and France.

An advocate of chamber music and contemporary music, David Leung is the co-founder of Felix Piano Trio, Phoenix Trio and Helios String Quartet. In 2009 David Leung made his recital debut at the Weill Recital Hall in Carnegie Hall in New York, performing works by contemporary Chinese composers such as Chen Yi and Bright Shen.

A native of Hong Kong, David Leung began his violin studies at the age of six and made his concerto debut at ten. He completed his undergraduate studies with first-class honors under the tutorledge of Michael Ma and Lo Chu-Tung at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts. He holds a doctorate degree in violin performance and orchestral conducting from the Eastman School of Music, where he studied with Mikhail Kopelman, Neil Varon and Brad Lubman. He also holds a Master’s degree in violin performance and the prestigious performer’s certificate from Eastman.


Rod Yu

Assistant Conductor and Pianist


Yu graduated from the Hong Kong Baptist University, majoring in piano performance. He is very active as a Chamber musician as a piano accompaniment, viola performance, strings coaching and conducting. He is currently the conductor of STFA Cheng Yu Tung Secondary School String Orchestra. He was the assistant conductor of the St. Stephen Girl Primary School String Orchestra and the MYO.

Director and Chief Conductor

Ray Tsoi

Director and Chief Conductor


After Tsoi graduated from the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (HKAPA), he furthered his studies in the USA where he obtained his Master degrees in Performance for both Violin and Viola from the Oklahoma University. Tsoi studied violin and viola with many great teachers such as Joseph Fuchs, Michael Ma, Fan Ting, Wayne Crouse and studied conductorship under Adam F.Brennan.

He won many awards including the Concerto Competition in Oklahoma University and the Sutton Chamber Music Award. In 1994, he was awarded “Outstanding Musicianship and Performance” by the Channing Classics Musical Society.

Tsoi was the first Asian invited by the “Black Incorporation” (funded by the Oklahoma Arts Council) in 1994 to present “The Asian Arts Experience”. In the same year, he was invited by the Debut String Orchestra (SYSO) as a string conductor. He formed the Hong Kong Chamber Soloist in 1996 and was invited by Radio 4 to present a serial (or series) of chamber music concerts.

As a conductor, Tsoi once lead the HKAPA String Chamber, String Orchestras at St Paul’s Co-ed Primary School and Maryknoll Convent School (Primary section). He was also Principal Conductor at the Metropolitan youth Orchestra. As a violinist and violist, he had given recitals and performed with many Orchestras in North America, Europe and Asia.

Tsoi is currently the director and chief conductor of the Hong Kong Music Academy. He teaches at the HKAPA and is Adjunct Lecturer at the Hong Kong Baptist University.

Our Music Programmesss

HKMA Music Discovery

Course will commence with sufficient enrolment

This is a 6 to 12-month group course intended for young children with little music experience. The course aims to introduce them to music, become interested in music and to discover the magic it brings from an early age. Groups will range from 4 to 6 students in each class. Students who demonstrate competence will be selected to progress to the Music Foundation Course, as well as experience the joy of playing in a larger group with the Bright Beginners Chamber.

Students may bring their own instruments or they can hire instrument from the Academy.

HKMA Music Foundation Course

For students with ABRSM grades 0-2 or equivalent

This is a 2-year course designed for those students who can demonstrate their musical aptitude and suitability for their chosen instrument. The course aims to help students establish a solid foundation for them to continue to improve their music mastery. Student's participation and progress will be closely monitored and they are encouraged to join the Aural and Theory classes.
Students may bring their own instruments or they can hire instrument from the Academy.

HKMA Music Consolidation Course

For students with ABRSM grades 3-5 or equivalent

This course is for students who have attained ABRSM grade 3 or above who wish to continue to consolidate their musical competence and develop their skills to an even higher level. Students are encouraged to join the Aural and Theory class and are expected to join the HKMA Symphony Orchestra at the same time.

HKMA Advanced Music Course

For students with ABRSM grade 6+ or equivalent

This is an advanced course with an aim to prepare students who intend to study music at tertiary level and are expected to focus in their chosen major study.

The curriculum of the course includes:

Individual lessons with coaches
Group training in General Musicianship
Orchestral activities

The course is designed to further students’ knowledge in aural training and music theory and provide them with a solid preparation for tertiary studies in music and their subsequent careers as professional musicians.

Bright Beginners Chamber

HKMA’s new music programme “Bright Beginners Chamber” is a special orchestra designed for kids who have little or no experience playing together as a group with their own instruments.

The BBC aims to create a fun and sociable atmosphere that encourages kids to learn and make music as a group. The programme will teach them simple musical terms that are very important for early age learners. During rehearsals, we have coaches who practice with the kids so they will not become lost in music. They will learn classical music by famous composers such as Bach, Mozart and Beethoven etc. On the other hand, they will also have the opportunity to play modern pieces such as the songs you hear in Disney movies. It is important to give children an opportunity to perform in their early ages to build up confidence and self-esteem to play in front of people. The HKMA takes part in many performances every year at various occasions such as the annual concert, performance at the airport, charity concert.

HKMA Symphony Orchestra

The HKMA Symphony Orchestra caters for orchestral instrument players with a minimum of ABRSM Grade 3 (or equivalent) level. We intend to start with simple music where students can learn the proper manner of playing in an orchestra, as well as basic skills such as reading the conductor baton and orchestral vocabularies. Our students will also learn to appreciate the importance of accuracy of dynamic, phrasing and intonation in a team play environment. Throughout the training, aural imagination, knowledge of composers and team spirit can be enhanced.

HKMA String Orchestra

The HKMA String Orchestra is for players with a minimum of ABRSM Grade 7 (or equivalent) level. As players are more experienced, more sophisticated pieces would be introduced. Music would be selected from a wide range of repertoire and style from baroque to contemporary music. During training, students can build up good musical communication with each other, learn to apply their knowledge as well as develop their creativity. Besides our regular concerts, the HKMA String Orchestra will have additional performance opportunities for charity and non-profit organizations.

HKMA Children Choir

The HKMA Children Choir is designed for young singers. Students will receive lessons on vocal music, developing their pitch range, learn music notations as well as working with conductors. They will learn to sing a variety of music ranging from sacred and secular to contemporary. Students may participate in Academy concerts and different public performance.