Michael Lam
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.