Echoes of the City incorporates a wide range of ethnic instruments from different regions, including percussion instruments from Africa and South America, in addition to the dynamic versatility of the Chinese pipa and the rustic charm of the Japanese shakuhachi. Through the harmonious integration of sounds from various regions, this concert showcases the unique culture and historical background of Hong Kong.
The entire programme is composed and arranged by members of the Run-around Ensemble, guiding the audience to settle gradually and find peace of mind, with the plucking strings of the pipa initiating this musical journey. The repertoire features creative and evocative sonic combinations, such as steel tongue drum music by the Ensemble’s music director Margie Tong and alternate tuning for the pipa by co-music director Mavis Lam. In other words, Echoes of the City provides a platform where performers share their stage experiences and life journeys, intermingling musical exploration of sound with personal emotions.
Lam Tsan-tong, Mavis
Pipa
Lam Tsan-tong helped found the Wuji Ensemble in 2003 and is currently its music manager. A graduate of the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts majoring in Chinese music, Lam is a seasoned pipa and ruan soloist, having collaborated with choreographers, theatre directors and various arts groups both in live performances and musical improvisation. Recent performances included Finland’s Kumho Summer Festival 2016, Hong Kong Dance Company’s Reveries of the Red Chamber and Vipassana, Jiangsu Province Performing Arts Company Opera and Dance Theatre’s Xiangjun-Dream, Wuji Ensemble’s Boundless Groove and A Sonic Journey in Nature, and the multi-media music theatre work To Someone Alike. Apart from performing, Lam is also an educator and frequent pipa recording artist for television. Most recently, she is involved in music meditation, using music from the heart to help audiences find inner peace.
Margie Tong
Percussion
A graduate of the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (HKAPA) and the Royal College of Music, Margie Tong has received international recognition as a performer and scholar. Tong has performed in a wide range of musicals, theatre productions, arts festivals and pop concerts around the world. Apart from teaching, she frequently organises music clinics and workshops and serves on competition juries across Asia. Since 2017, Tong has visited various cities in Brazil and Peru to continue her studies in Latin percussion. She is former President of the Percussive Arts Society (Hong Kong Chapter), founder of Margie Tong’s Student Percussion Ensemble and Run-around Ensemble. She currently teaches at the HKAPA and is proudly endorsed by Tycoon Percussion.
Sunny Yeung
shakuhachi
Sunny Yeung is an architect, a non-practising barrister, an arbitrator and a mediator.
Before picking up the shakuhachi, Sunny was a principal flautist with various amateur orchestras in Hong Kong. He was a champion of the concerto class competition in the Hong Kong Schools Music Festival and holds a diploma in Flute Performance from the Trinity College of Music.
Sunny studied shakuhachi in Australia with Dai Shihan (Grand Master) Dr. Riley Lee for four years, completing the entire repertoire of the Chikuho-ryu school. With the blessing of Dr. Lee, Sunny furthered his study of the Honkyoku's Watashimido lineage in Japan with its leading exponents, Kaysuya Yokoyama and Tajima Tadashi.
While in Australia, Sunny performed and presented workshops at various concert halls and universities as well as the Sydney Opera House.
Since returning to Hong Kong, Sunny has performed regularly, collaborating with such local composers as Peter Millivard, Michael Lai, Tomy Wai and Jun Kung. He was featured in four CDs (Happy Valley, Hong Kong Dub Station, Electric Road, and Return to the Dub Station) released by Drum Music in Hong Kong. He was also featured in Volume 8 of the Café del Mar series. In 2021, he performed in the premiere performance of Dr. Mui Kwong-chiu’s Crane Suite in Five Movements for Solo Shakuhachi at the City Hall Concert Hall.
Rodney Ma
Video Design
Rodney Ma served as the resident video designer at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts from 2013 to 2023. With more than 20 years of experience in art, design, and production, Rodney Ma has demonstrated his valuable expertise and knowledge across a range of artistic projects. In 2010, he founded ariff Production, where he currently holds the position of director.
- Approximately 60 minutes in duration.
- You are recommended to arrive 15 minutes before the event starts. No admission for latecomers.
- Programmes are subject to change without prior notice. HKPAX reserves the right to make the final decision regarding the arrangements.
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