Chan Ming-chi

Chan Ming-chi is a composer born and raised in Hong Kong, dedicated for many years to ethnic orchestral music, as well as the interaction of ethnic instrumental music with visual imagery and movement, and the creation, research, and teaching of sound design. In the early 1990s, he was awarded scholarships from the Ministry of Education of Japan and Rotary Club to study East Asian ethnic instruments and modern music composition at Tokyo University of the Arts and Elizabeth University of Music. He received his doctoral degree in composition in 1998 and became the first postdoctoral researcher in ethnic orchestral music arrangement and composition at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music in 2007.

Chan’s musical context demonstrates his diverse reflections and integrations concerning the attributes of sound, space-time effects, dramatic thinking and the philosophical aspects of Eastern culture. He has received numerous accolades, including the Award for Stage Arts from the Agency for Cultural Affairs of Japan, the Commendation of the International Music Council of UNESCO, the 14th and 17th National Music Composition Excellence Award (Choral and Chamber Music), and the First International Internet Music Competition Award (Electronic Music). In 2018, he was honored as Artist of the Year (Music) by the Hong Kong Arts Development Council. 

Chan had positions including Resident Composer and Researcher at Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra, and Professor at Shanghai Conservatory of Music. Chan is currently Master’s Supervisor (Composition/Electronic Music), Distinguished Professor at Macau University of Science and Technology’s Faculty of Humanities and Arts, Professor at the Department of Composition of Xinghai Conservatory of Music, Visiting Professor at the School of Sound, and Visual and Lighting for the Film and Television Industry. He is also a council member of the Sound Working Committee of the China Film Association.

Chan’s recent participation and leadership in national and provincial research projects include studies on ‘The Application and Practice of Living Heritage Transmission and Cross-border Innovation in the Context of Soundscapes of Intangible Cultural Heritage’. His publications include Research on Nanyue Music and Soundscapes, Applied Research on Soundscapes, and Under the Light and Shadow—Studies on Film Sound scapes. His recent works encompass large-scale stage projects supported by the China National Arts Fund, such as the Chinese orchestral suites The Predestined Love for Guangxi, The Predestined Love for the Greater Bay, Trail of the Blue Gragon, and the chamber work Guan zizai-Dunhuang.