EVENTS
HKU Doming Lam Composition Prize
Adopting the creed of “searching for roots in tradition and finding ways in the avant-garde,” Dr. Doming Lam (1926-2023) was a maverick pioneer and one of the few among his generation of Chinese musicians to be featured in the authoritative New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians. Embraced as the “Father of Hong Kong New Music,” Lam's daring vision revolutionized the musical landscape throughout the vibrant decades spanning the 1970s to the mid-1990s. His relentless advocacy and groundbreaking compositions like Autumn Execution and Insect World propelled Hong Kong composers onto the global stage, bridging Eastern and Western musical realms.
HKU Music is fortunate to have crossed paths with such a visionary figure. Dr. Lam taught at the Music Department and served as its Composer-in-Residence from 1986 to 1994. During his tenure on the Pokfulam campus, he taught composition and offered a course entitled “Music and Society.” As with his many other efforts in championing “new music,” Dr. Lam strived to make modern music and the act of composing accessible and relevant to as wide and diverse an audience as possible. As a popular and highly respected teacher, Dr. Lam was bestowed a “Best Teaching Award” by the then Student Union in 1991.
At the 2002 edition of the ISCM World Music Days in Hong Kong, Dr. Lam was honoured as one of the eight “Signature Composers.” Seizing this opportunity, he returned to Hong Kong from Canada and generously donated over 30 manuscripts to HKU’s Music Library, marking the beginning of a cherished collection. In 2023, Miss Kathy Lam, Dr. Lam's daughter, completed this legacy by donating her father's archive to HKU’s Special Collection. Additionally, Miss Lam established the HKU Doming Lam Composition Prize to pay tribute to her father and to support young composers.
The HKU Doming Lam Composition Prize is an annual nomination-based contest aimed at recognising the University's emerging composition talents. The contest provides a platform where the nominated students will not only have the opportunity to create a new work that is workshopped and premiered in a public showcase, they will also receive mentorship and guidance from both faculty members of the Music Department and guest musicians. At the heart of the contest is the goal of creating a repertoire of HKU chamber choral music. Every year, prize recipients will compose a short new work for the HKU Chamber Singers, with a rotating roster of local guest ensembles supplementing the instrumentation. Visiting guest ensembles will also provide a series of educational workshops to both the composer and instrumentalist student demographic.
The contest not only foster closer collaborative synergy between the different groups within HKU Music's performance course curriculum, but also functions as a focal point of convergence, uniting student composers, performers and theorists under one roof in investigating the intricate processes of musical creativity and interpretation.
- A cash prize of HKD20,000, to be divided between a maximum of two nominated prize recipients.*
- The opportunity to compose a piece (between five to six minutes in duration) for chamber chorus and instruments.
- Mentorship and supervision throughout the composition period, by faculty members of the Music Department and Mr. Caleb Woo (director of HKU Chamber Singers).
- The opportunity to have the composition workshopped (in sketch and work-in-progress form) throughout the academic year.
- Premiere of the work at the Music Department’s Loke Yew Hall Performance Showcase event in April.
- Documentation of the premiere, recorded and mastered by Mr. Chris Tam, sound engineer of the HKU Electroacoustic Studio.
* The decision of the panel is final, with no possibility of appeal after the announcement.
- Applicant need not be majoring or minoring in music, but must be a full-time current student at the University.
- Applicants should submit a portfolio consisting of:
a. Two original compositions, each no less than five minutes in duration; these compositions must be original works, meaning that arrangements or transcriptions of existing works by other composers will not be accepted; it is preferable, though not essential, that at least one of the two compositions submitted demonstrate the applicant’s vocal writing abilities; the submitted scores must also be in digital format (.pdf); while manuscripts are not excluded, they must be clearly legible.
b. Recordings of the submitted original compositions; while MIDI renderings of the compositions are acceptable, it is highly preferable that recordings of the works performed by live musicians are used wherever possible.
c. A written proposal of no more than 500 words, outlining the concepts for the prospective new piece.
d. Prize recipients will also commit to attending – as much as is possible – all rehearsals, performances and ancillary events (public discussions, talks, etc.) tied to the creation of the new work throughout the year. This is to be negotiated and agreed upon between the prize recipients and the Music Department after the announcement of winners.
e. Prize recipients also pledge to work closely with the supervising mentors in refining and revising their works, as well as factoring in constructive comments and critiques offered by guest musicians and other student performers.
f. Prize recipients of the 2024/25 edition will only be eligible to reapply for the prize in the 2026/27 cycle of the contest (after a one year ‘cool-down’ period).
g. Outstanding student(s) from Performance Study's Conducting Workshop may, at the discretion of course instructor, have the opportunity to rehearse and perform the prize-winners’ works.
This timeline serves as a reference only; the Music Department reserves the right to make any changes without prior notice.
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20254 August
Announcement of the contest -
6 October
Deadline for submission13 October
Announcement of prize recipient(s)November-December
Mentorship phase 1: ongoing supervision of composition and visits at HKU Percussion Ensemble / HKU Chamber Singers rehearsals2026February
Mentorship phase 2: Reading of work(s)-in-progress by HKU Chamber Singers & The Up:Strike ProjectMarch
Submission of full score and parts; final rehearsalsApril
Première of new work(s) at HKU Music Department Performance Showcase Event, at Loke Yew Hall
- Submission of application materials should be uploaded to a Microsoft OneDrive folder that is permanently accessible for adjudication purposes.
- All materials should be uploaded within one master folder, named after the application. Please stylise it in the following format:
[Surname, First name, Year of study] (e.g. CHAN, Tai-man, Y2)
- Within the master folder, each of the two submitted compositions must be deposited within their separate folders, named after the works they host.
- Each composition folder must contain the full score of the work (.pdf), the recording of the work (.mp3), and a 500-word proposal for the prospective new work (.pdf).
- An email containing the link to the submission materials must be sent to Mr. Angus Lee at angusLyw@hku.hk, with the email subject being 'HKU Doming Lam Composition Prize 2025 application.'
- All submissions must be sent no later than 5:00pm, 6 October, 2025. Late submissions will not be considered.
For further enquiries, please contact Mr. Angus Lee at anguslyw@hku.hk.
Undergraduate students Mr. Charles LEE Gai-ho and Mr. Jonathan FRICHOT are the prize laureates of the inaugural edition of the HKU Doming Lam Composition Prize. Their two new compositions — Memories of the Past at Red Cliff and One Voice respectively — were premièred in April 2025 by the HKU Chamber Singers and NOĒMA.
Charles LEE
Memories of the Past at Red Cliff
for mixed choir and tamtam
Laureate's comments:
"Memories of the Past at Red Cliff was my initial foray into the world of choral composition. Working closely with the HKU Chamber Singers at close quarters throughout the year has been crucial not only to the development of the piece, but also to refining my craft asa composer and catalysing my growth as a musician. I am deeply grateful to Ms. Kathy Lam, whose donation made the Prize possible. I am equally indebted to my mentors: Mr. Caleb Woo and Mr. Sanders Lau, who played crucial roles in resolving technical and practical issues arising in rehearsals; Professor Chan and Mr. Angus Lee, who guided me through the early stages of this work’s conception. Their support was everything."
Memories of the Past at Red Cliff
for mixed choir and tamtam
Laureate's comments:
"Memories of the Past at Red Cliff was my initial foray into the world of choral composition. Working closely with the HKU Chamber Singers at close quarters throughout the year has been crucial not only to the development of the piece, but also to refining my craft asa composer and catalysing my growth as a musician. I am deeply grateful to Ms. Kathy Lam, whose donation made the Prize possible. I am equally indebted to my mentors: Mr. Caleb Woo and Mr. Sanders Lau, who played crucial roles in resolving technical and practical issues arising in rehearsals; Professor Chan and Mr. Angus Lee, who guided me through the early stages of this work’s conception. Their support was everything."
Jonathan FRICHOT
One Voice
for 32-part mixed choir
Laureate's comments:
"The HKU Doming Lam Composition Prize afforded me the unique chance to explore and develop the conceptual side of my compositional endeavours. Having previously only composed in a tonally-oriented musical language, my journey in enriching my expressive palette with ‘contemporary’ elements has been challenging but ultimately extremely rewarding. The creation of One Voice [...] pushed me in discovering what my ‘voice’ could become while simultaneously honouring what it is and was. Working with a live ensemble and attending rehearsals, and being part of the process to continually shape the piece even after its nominal ‘completion’ on paper is a potent reminder how music-making is an organic and living process."
One Voice
for 32-part mixed choir
Laureate's comments:
"The HKU Doming Lam Composition Prize afforded me the unique chance to explore and develop the conceptual side of my compositional endeavours. Having previously only composed in a tonally-oriented musical language, my journey in enriching my expressive palette with ‘contemporary’ elements has been challenging but ultimately extremely rewarding. The creation of One Voice [...] pushed me in discovering what my ‘voice’ could become while simultaneously honouring what it is and was. Working with a live ensemble and attending rehearsals, and being part of the process to continually shape the piece even after its nominal ‘completion’ on paper is a potent reminder how music-making is an organic and living process."
