Leung Kin-fung

Leung Kin-fung was the awardee of the “Ten Outstanding Young Persons” in Hong Kong in 2002. 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. He was commended for making outstanding achievements in the promotion of arts and culture, under the Secretary for Home Affairs’ Commendation Scheme 2005, Hong Kong.

Leung enjoys a world-class reputation, as demonstrated by his frequent worldwide performances, as well as regular concerto performances with orchestras. Leung has represented Hong Kong in many international music events. 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 US in 1997. In 1999, he was selected by the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in the US 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.

Since 1989, Leung has held many important posts, including the faculty of string at the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music in New York from 1989 to 1992, where he had served as its Director of Chamber Music in 1990. From 1993 to 1999, he acted as the Associate Concertmaster for the National Symphony Orchestra of Taiwan and joined the faculty of the National University 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. He has also served on the faculty of the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts and The Chinese University of Hong Kong. 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 & Berlin Philharmonic Musicians Joint Concert and HKPS & Hamburg Symphoniker Musicians Joint Concert.

Leung has also distinguished himself in the recording world, recorded and released by the Hugo Production Company exclusively in Hong Kong. Among them including his solo album Violin Encores, 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 Sonatas for violin and piano. In 2007, HKPS released its first CD Popsinera with great reviews. The CD was awarded “The 10 Hottest CD of year 2008” and “ The Best Light Music Album of year 2008” by the Canton Radio, China. In 2009, HKPS released its second album Surprise-Happy Birthday. It was awarded “ The best top ten CD of the year 2009” in China. In the same year, Leung also recorded the Complete 21 Hungarian Dances by J. Brahms, collaborated with the renowned pianist Nancy Loo.

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 1984. In 1986, he was awarded a full scholarship to study at the Eastman School of Music and later in Manhattan School of Music in the US under Zvi Zeitlin, Albert Markov and Emanuel Vardi. 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.