Chinese Plucked String Tutors

Crystal Chan, an acclaimed young guzheng performer, possesses extensive teaching experience. She earned her Bachelor's degree in Guzheng Performance from the Department of Traditional Music at Harbin Conservatory of Music, followed by a Master's degree in Guzheng from the same institution, under the mentorship of Professor Wang Yizhuo, a postgraduate alumnus of the Central Conservatory of Music and current faculty member in the Department of Traditional Music at Harbin Conservatory of Music. During her academic tenure, she received multiple prestigious scholarships and was awarded the Gold Prize in the Professional Category at the 2018 Guoyin Cup Asian Finals of Traditional Instrument Competition. She has frequently participated in various government-sponsored cultural events hosted by universities and collaborated with orchestras in performances across Beijing, Shanghai, Macau, Shenzhen, and other cities. Notable accolades include the First Prize in the Professional Category at the 15th Singapore-Zhongxin International Music Competition in 2021 and the Gold Award in the Professional Category of the 2021 Asia-Pacific International Instrumental Open Competition. Chen has also successfully held several solo recitals to widespread acclaim. With substantial experience in pedagogy, competition, and evaluation, she adopts a patient and responsible teaching approach, emphasizing fundamental skills training and tailoring instruction to individual student aptitudes. She designs customized lesson plans to maximize knowledge absorption within limited timeframes while fostering students' musical appreciation and engagement through an inspiring and enjoyable learning environment that highlights the allure of the guzheng.

Cecilia Chan began learning the guzheng at the age of 6 under Miss Wong Yanyi and her mother, Ms. Du Jielian. She obtained the Performance Diploma in guzheng from the Central Conservatory of Music. During her university studies, she majored in guzheng under the tutelage of Ms. Wan Xing. She graduated with First Class Honours in the Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Creative Arts and Culture and a Bachelor of Education (Hons) in Music from the Education University of Hong Kong. Currently, she is a registered music teacher for primary and secondary schools.

Chan has won championships in several international Chinese music contests. During her first academic year, she was selected as a Student Pro Artist by EdUHK MUSES and organized the concerts “Zheng Encounter” and “Journey of Zheng” with her tutor. In the following year, she received a scholarship from the President’s Commendation Scheme (Arts & Culture). She held two concerts on the same day, titled "Zhi — Zheng x Lighting x Emotional Research,” as her final year project, earning widespread acclaim from the audience.

Praised for a voice of "deliciously deep and rich," (Birmingham Post), Hong Kong baritone Michael Chun Ting Lam is a wide-ranging opera and concert soloist who has performed in Hong Kong, Vietnam, Singapore, the Philippines, the United Kingdom, Italy, France, Germany, Austria and Hungary, as well as other European countries. Passionate about opera, Michael has sung more than 50 operatic roles and performed for many opera companies and festivals, including Opera Hong Kong, Musica Viva, Hong Kong Arts Festival, Silent Opera, Winslow Hall Opera, OperaUpClose, Passaggio Oper, Opéra de Baugé, Hanoi Opera House, Orchestra of the Music Makers Singapore, Lyric Opera of the Philippines and more. His operatic roles include the title roles of Macbeth, Don Pasquale, Giulio Cesare, and Il barbiere di Siviglia, covering a range from the Baroque period to modern times, featuring works in different styles by Handel, Mozart, Bel canto, Wagner, Verdi, Puccini, and Verismo. He has performed as the baritone soloist in Opera Galas, including singing the role of Konfuzius in Gustav Mak's Die Legende von Konfuzius(world premiere) with the Budapest MÁV Symphony Orchestra in the Golden Hall of the Musikverein in Vienna. Other concert engagements include Mendelssohn's Elijah, Haydn's Nelson Mass, J.S. Bach's Magnificat in D Major, Felix Mendelssohn's Die erste Walpurgisnacht, Handel's Messiah, Faure's Requiem, Brahms's Ein deutsches Requiem, and Beethoven's Symphony No. 9, etc. He has also been giving solo recitals regularly, including Rugby Festival of Culture 2019 and Hong Kong Leisure and Cultural Services Department's “Our Music Talents” series 2022.

Michael trained at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, Royal Birmingham Conservatoire and Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music, Hungary, receiving his Bachelor of Music and Master of Music in Vocal Performance. He was a recipient of numerous scholarships, including Opera Hong Kong K Wah International Vocal Scholarship, Foundation for the Arts and Music in Asia Limited (FAMA) Vocal Scholarships and the Bernard van Zuiden Music Fund, etc. He was a first-prize winner of numerous international singing competitions, including Hong Kong International Music Festival Vocal Competition, Grand Prize Virtuoso, The Ashleyan Opera Prize, The North International Music Competition, International Music Competition "Таланты XXI века", Quebec International Music Competition, IYMC Classical Music International Competition, King's Peak International Music Competition, Odin International Music Competition, Swiss International Music Competition, Danubia Talents Liszt International Music Competition and International Vocal Competition "The Song", to name a few. In 2017, he was awarded the St Clare Barfield Memorial Bowl for Operatic Distinction from Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. He has been given the Gil Rodriguez Scholarship Award from Opéra de Baugé for his outstanding contribution to the 2019 Operatic Season. He was also awarded the Platinum and Unique Personality Special prizes from the World Artistry Music Award.

Besides performing as a singer, Michael frequently appears as a Zhongruanist. He was the leader and the principal Zhongruanist of Ng Wah Chinese Orchestra and, a Ruanist of Hong Kong City Chinese Orchestra, Hong Kong Bright East Chinese Orchestra and Sonata Elite Chamber Orchestra. In addition to participating in large-scale concerts held in concert halls, such as "A Concert of Popular Chinese Music" and "A Concert of Guided History", Michael has also actively participated in chamber performances in various community events, dinners, and cocktail parties. In 2020, he has been involved in the project "It Gets Lighter From Here", organized by Birmingham Opera Company and Culture Central. He has also participated in the world premiere of Anna Vienna Ho’s The Monk of the River as part of the Tête à Tête: The Opera Festival 2021. He was the first-prize winner of the International Art Festival & Contest "Talents of Europe" 2021.