Patrick Chiu

Patrick Chiu is a choral artist born in Hong Kong. During his period of residence in Vienna, he has participated in various local professional performances and received tuition from professors at the Vienna Conservatory. He received his Master's degree in choral conducting at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. During his stay in Europe and the United States, he has worked with and studied under world-renowned maestros including Helmuth Rilling, James Levine and Harry Christophers.

Patrick is currently the Artistic Director of Hong Kong's first professional a cappella theatre company, the Yat Po Singers, and the award-winning Hong Kong Melody Makers. He also serves as the founding music director of the newly-established Hong Kong Oratorio Society Cantata Singers and a member of the renowned a cappella group, the Gay Singers. He teaches the Master's programme in his alma mater, the music department of the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Patrick is also a council member of the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra and an examiner of the Arts Development Council.

Being appointed as the Youth Committee member of the International Federation of Choral Music (IFCM), Patrick frequently attends world choral conferences as a representative of the Asian region. In 2008, he has been appointed as an organizing committee member of the World Youth Choir.

HolicK

HolicK is a newly formed all-male a cappella group in Hong Kong. This 5-men vocal band was established in the summer of 2010. They aim at bringing a breath of fresh air to the local pop A cappella scene. The singers were part of the Yat Po Singers, which performed in a locally produced show "Rock Hard", and this A cappella theatre performance had its most recent run in Shanghai. The name "HolicK" got its inspiration from their Chinese group name 礫, aptly combining the meanings of "ROCK" 石 and "MUSIC" 樂 (also meaning "FUN").

HKFYG Hong Kong Melody Makers

The HKFYG Hong Kong Melody Makers is a youth choir established in 2004 by The Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups with sponsorship from The Dragon Foundation. Its aims are to reflect Hong Kong's vivacity and give voice to the city's cosmopolitan spirit. Choir members are dynamic young people with outstanding artistic talent who are guided by Mr. Patrick Chiu, the group's Artistic Director. Their shared passion for music can benefit the entire community and enrich Hong Kong's cultural life by promoting choral and a cappella music. The choir won a Gold Medal in the Chamber Mixed Choir (Champions Competition) category in the 6th World Choir Games. Also, their vocal bands won the "Golden Harmony Award" (first place), the "Best Vocal" award and the award for "Best Arrangement" at the 3rd Asian Youth a cappella Singing Competition in South Korea. They have been invited to represent Hong Kong to perform overseas in places including Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, China, Taiwan, Macau, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Canberra and Auckland.

Yat Po Singers

Yat Po Singers is the first professional a cappella choral theatre company in Hong Kong which focuses on developing original theatrical works. From April 2012, Yat Po Singers receives Springboard Grant from the Home Affair Bureau's ACDFS. Such facilitation of the Company's innovative ideas on new theatre productions, audience expansion, arts education and capacity development is, at the same time, a promise and commitment to the enhancement of the arts in Hong Kong at large.

The three Associate Artistic Directors, composer Ng Cheuk Yin, choral director Patrick Chiu, stage director/designer Yuri Ng, and administrator (honorary) Kathleen Ng, form a solid team. The Company's artistic mission is to promote the a cappella art form in Hong Kong, especially among young people, through original work by local artists that demonstrate the innovative interaction of music and theatre.

'Rock Hard', the first original a cappella theatre production created by the company in 2008, was received with both popular and critical acclaim. In 2009, the work received the Golden Sail Music Award in the "Best Serious Music Composition" category from CASH (The Composers and Authors Society of Hong Kong). The rerun of 'Rock Hard' was the closing event of The Hong Kong 2010 International A Cappella Festival, and the work was also selected to represent Hong Kong as the opening event of the Hong Kong cultural programmes at the Shanghai Expo 2010. Yat Po Singers also performed tour version of 'Rock Hard' and host workshops at the Macau Arts Festival, Hong Kong ArtisTree and Shantou University in 2012, and will continue running a virtual training room on a trial basis.

Peter Huang (Singapore)

Peter Huang is a singer, songwriter, vocal percussionist/beatboxer, arranger and recording engineer. He was signed as an exclusive recording artiste with Skyhigh Entertainment in Taipei, Taiwan. Besides doing his own songwriting and music production, he was also assistant producer, engineer and vocal instructor and has lent his voice and music arrangements to various artistes within the same label. He worked as a studio engineer/ producer/ arranger/ teacher at Atticgroove Music, before moving to Boston where he got a scholarship in the highly esteemed Berklee School of Music.

He released a 6-track solo EP in 2006 entitled "My Guiding Light". Peter founded the vocal band MICappella in 2009. They have recently achieved 1st runners-up position in the Sing-off China. They had represented Singapore to perform in Taiwan twice, Hong Kong, Austria and Malaysia. The band has also released 2 EPs, and performed for the President and the Singapore Youth Olympics.

Apart from performing with MICappella, Peter now owns his own vocal recording studio which focuses primarily on recording a cappella and solo vocal tracks, while providing arrangements, vocal lessons and organises musical events such as the AKA A Cappella Series.

Kaichiro Kitamura (Japan)

Kaichiro Kitamura is famous as vocal percussionist in Japan. He is a former member of TRY-TONE, he started doing vocal percussion as a child. He can make sounds that sound just like real drumming while breathing in and out. This kind of sound is unique and can accompany both instrumental as well as choral groups. He held a vocal drumming workshop for singers at the Taiwan Choral ensemble Festival, 2007 / 2008, and in South Korea he has held numerous workshops for students during over 30 visits. He is also invited as a guest performer for recordings and at concerts. Now he works with some great musicians such as Yoshihiko Naya(pf), Makoto Kuriya(of), Noriko Satomi (vln), Geila Zilkha (vo), Ayumu Yahaba(vo) and Yonwoo Kim (a South Korean folk singer). He is also now trying out vocal percussion in jazz.

And in 2009 and 2010, he was invited to 'Hong Kong A cappella festival' as the master and the guest performer. Now he is elected as Japanese Representative of 'Vocal Asia' -Asian vocal music network in Taiwan.

R.X (HK)

R.X is a famous beatbox artist in Asia. He was invited to Japan TBS Television, to participate in a Japanese singing contest with a Hong Kong artist Jonathan Wong. They eventually broke the four-winning streak in Japan and got the glory for Hong Kong. TBS Television has named R.X "The Man of a Thousand Voices". They were interviewed by the local media and received excellent comments from the media.

R.X is often invited as a concert performing guest, and has participated in many promotional events and commercials for different brands across different countries such as Hong Kong, Macau, Malaysia and Japan. The media from Hong Kong and mainland China has called him "The Leader of Hong Kong Beatbox".