Sync 5

Ensemble Group

“Sync 5”, is a music ensemble formed by 5 Hong Kong young musicians from the 00 generation. Members include Steffi Leung (Chromatic Harmonica), David Tong (Melodica/ Recorder), Erica Wong (Cello), Eddie Kung (Zhongruan) and Benjamin Tong (Erhu). We are delighted to have Hippocrates Cheng as our composer in residence. With our collision of young energy, we hope to sync Hongkongers with our music. 

Our name in Chinese stands for “Our Voices”, and it has a similar pronunciation with “Five”. Sync 5 focuses on performing new original music, arrangement of musical classics, and multimedia works. We hope to provide a space for people to experience, enjoy, and reflect.

The Orch Academy

Presenter

The Conservatory of Music, founded by musicians, early childhood teachers and experienced social worker, is located in Tai Po and Prince Edward. It is mainly engaged in local music talent education and training. It also organizes various types of concerts every year to promote and educate audiences. Former cooperation institutions include Tung Wah group of Hospitals, The Boys' and Girls' Clubs Association of Hong Kong, Kadoorie Farm and Orbis etc. The Orch Academy is currently music partner with Trinity HK Music Centre.

Hippocrates cheng

Composer in Residence

Born in Hong Kong, Hippocrates Cheng started his musical journey by performing piano, violin and clarinet in choir and ensembles. Cheng pursued his Bachelor of Music in composition at the Hong Kong Baptist University, under the guidance of  Dr. Christopher Coleman and Prof. Christopher Keyes. In 2018, with the Hong Kong Jockey Club Music and Dance Fund's support, he finished his master's degree in Music Composition at The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (HKAPA) with distinction. His composition teachers included Prof. Clarence Mak and Dr. Cheung Pui Shan.

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Cheng is currently a third-year doctoral student at Jacobs School of Music of Indiana University (IUJSOM), majoring in Composition and minoring in Ethnomusicology and Music Theory. His composition teachers include Prof. Don Freund, Prof. Eugene O’Brien, Prof. David Dzubay and Dr. Travers. He is an associate instructor in music theory at IUJSOM. Recently, he received two IU scholarships: 2021-22 Irving & Leno Lo Scholarship and 2020-21 Won-Joon Yoon Scholarship. 

Cheng was the artistic director and composer of the first HKAPA Academy Festival: School of Music multimedia production, 'The Cityscape.' 'The Cityscape' also won the School of Music prize for 'The best interdisciplinary project 2016-2017'. In 2018, he became the artistic director and composer of the 'The Cityscape II,' which includes three events: 'The City Art Exhibition,' a collaborative artwork showcase by Academy student artists and Hong Kong artists; 'The CITYsoundSCAPE,' a sound, visual and space experience; 'The Cityscape II,' a music-drama multimedia performance.

Except for composing and teaching, he is an active overtone singer and pianist of contemporary classical music.  He is a pianist  and overtone singer (RTHK Young Music Makers 2017). He is the founder, artistic director, and composer of 'The Cross-Cultural Music Collective (CCMC), which encourages local art creation and organizes concerts and performance workshops in Hong Kong and the United States. 

He is currently working on his virtual pandemic opera, "In the midst of…", a multimedia production contributed by collaborative efforts of poets, singers, multimedia artists, visual artists, and musicians worldwide.

Steffi Leung

Chromatic Harmonica

Born in 2002, Steffi, Leung Tsz Ching is a Year 2 student studying Film and TV Concentration at the Hong Kong Baptist University and is a member of the Adventure Harmonica Band. She has been learning the chromatic harmonica with Mr. Leung Man Hin since primary two and got the chance to learn from Mr. Yasuo Watani, a renowned chromatic harmonica player from Japan since 2016.

Leung has received over 20 local music awards. She has been participating in different categories of harmonica solo and duet competitions of the Hong Kong Schools Music Festival and has won a total of 8 prizes and scholarships. Including the 3rd place in the 71st Hong Kong Schools Music Festival “Parsons Music Scholarship for Wind, Brass and Percussion Instruments” category, she is also the first harmonica player receiving a prize in this category. In international competitions, Leung has received 13 awards, including from the World Harmonica Festival (WHF), Asia Pacific Harmonica Festival, Seoul International Harmonica Festival (SIHF) and Taiwan Harmonica Music Competition (THMC). Leung came second in the Duo (Youth) category in the WHF 2017 and was the champion of both Solo and Duet (Middle and High School) category in the 5th SIHF.

Other than participating in local and international music competitions, Leung has been nominated by the school to join the Student of the Year Awards 2018 held by South China Morning Post and The Hong Kong Jockey Club, she was selected to be the shortlisted candidates of the “Performing Artist” category. Moreover, she was chosen by RTHK 4 to be one of the “Young Music Makers 2019”, she has shown her passion for music and devotion to the community through multiple platforms. Leung has also been interviewed by the radio and music magazines and has participated in TV drama soundtrack production.

david tong

Melodica/ Recorder

19-year-old Tong Shee Yiu is a graduate from Queen’s College, and is currently studying Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBChB) at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, with the support of Home Affairs Bureau’s full scholarship. He is a multi-instrumentalist, proficient in recorder, chromatic harmonica and melodica. He plays the recorder and melodica in the ensemble, Sync 5.

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Tong has learnt the recorder for twelve years, is an apprentice of Mr. Erikson Ting and Mr. Henry Ho, and has won championships in all recorder solo and ensemble events in the 71st Hong Kong Schools Music Festival. The recorder quartet that he was a part of has won championship and silver award in Hsinchu International Recorder Competition and Japan Recorder Contest respectively. He also studied the melodica by himself for nine years, has formed the first melodica team in his Alma Mater, led the team to win championship in two consecutive years of the Hong Kong Schools Music Festival melodica ensemble event, and has been invited to perform by organizations such as Tom Lee and Harbour City. He is now a radio host at the Radio Television Hong Kong, introduces various extra-curricular activities of secondary schools and universities in the radio programme, Made in Campus.

Erica Wong

Cello

From an early age, Erica Wong began studying cello under the tutelage of Juanita Wong and was a student under the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts Junior Music Programme. She is now studying for a Bachelor of Music (Honours) Degree, majoring in cello under Professor Ray Wang at the HKAPA. 

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Erica is proactive in performing, having played in masterclasses hosted by distinguished cellists Professor David Strange and Trey Lee. She is also an active player in orchestras, and was appointed principal of the HKAPA Junior Symphony Orchestra and the Hong Kong Youth Philharmonia. She won the Diocesan Girls’ School Concerto Competition in 2018 and performed as a soloist with the school’s symphony orchestra. She has participated in many music camps and festivals in the past, including the 2019 Pacific Cello Orchestra and Hong Kong Music Summer Orchestra. She participated as an orchestra member under Marin Alsop’s baton at the 47th Hong Kong Arts Festival. 

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Erica has also achieved distinction in LTCL in 2017 and received several awards in the Hong Kong Schools Music Festival, including prizes in both the Cello Solo and Cello Sonata categories.

Eddie Kung

Zhongruan

Born in Hong Kong, Kung Ka Ho began studying Zhongruan since 2013 under Sébastien Lai. He also benefitted from the coaching of  Zhongruan soloist and composer Liuxing and Zhongruan soloist Dabby Pan. Kung is currently studying Bachelor of Music (Honours) Degree at The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, majoring in Ruan with Sébastien Lai, minoring in Yueqin with professor Lui Kwan-On.

Kung had his first public solo performance in 2016. He enrolled in Junior Music Programme of HKAPA in the same year. After a year of study, He was selected by The Department of Chinese Music as a soloist to record for the junior showcase album and to perform on Junior Music Programme Orientation Ceremony. Kung was also chosen by RTHK 4 to be one of the ‘Young Music Makers 2019’, he shared his music and thoughts through TV and radio broadcast. He received the Cecil Leong Scholarship and enrolled in HKAPA in 2019.

Kung won the Gold award in 3rd Nanyang International Music Competition, the First Runner-up in the 69th Hong Kong Schools Music Festival Zhongruan Solo Advanced class and is one of the finalists of the 70th Hong Kong Schools Music Festival RTHK Radio 4 Chinese Instruments Scholarship.

He is currently the member of Sync 5, The Hong Kong Young Chinese Orchestra, Tuen Mun Youth Chinese Orchestra and Hong Kong Juvenile and Youth Chinese Classical Orchestra.

Benjamin Tong

Erhu

Born in 2002, Tong Wang Him Benjamin, graduated from La Salle College, formerly the Captain and Concertmaster of La Salle College Chinese Orchestra. He is now studying in the University of Hong Kong with full-scholarship offered. He learns playing erhu with Mr. Tian Zai Li, Professor of the Central Conservatory of Music and Ms. Jessie Hou, a renowned Erhu performer. He achieved distinction in diploma of Erhu Examination in 2017.

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Tong is an awardee of the Grantham Music Award, the RTHK Radio 4 Chinese Instrumental Scholarship Final Champion, and La Salle College's LSCOBA Scholarship (for music and visual arts) and Subject Prizes (Music & Chinese).

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Tong also has received the Final Champion Award, Gold Award, and Best Performance Award in the China-UK International Music Festival, the Gold Award in the Japan International Music Competition, the Gold Award in the International Chinese Music Festival, and the Gold award in the youth solo performance category in the Singapore International Music Competition. Further, Tong is selected by the Hong Kong Schools Music and Speech Association to receive training in the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing.

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Being the Captain and Concertmaster of La Salle College's Chinese Orchestra, Tong and the Orchestra broke many records in competitions, including receiving the Gold Award in the Hong Kong Youth Music Interflows for 12 consecutive years and being the  Champion in the Chinese Orchestra (senior division) category in the Hong Kong Music Festivals for 5 consecutive years.

Eilly Li

Graphic Designer in Residence

Born in Hong Kong in 2002, Eilly, Li Hoi Yee graduated from Heep Yunn School in 2020 and is now studying Bachelor of Arts in the Fine Arts Department of the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Her work ranges from digital photography, film photography, drawings, mixed media, etc. Her work is mainly in black-and-white monotone and simplicity. With various symbols utilised and her meticulous observation, Eilly aims to link up reality and imagination with her artwork, also reflecting on relationships between people and the surroundings. 

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In the year 2017-2018, Eilly participated in the Arts Ambassadors-in-School Scheme. She partook in the exhibition [To Kwa Wan Zine Paper] in the Cattle Depot Artist Village. In the same year, she joined the “Through Our Eyes (TOE) Photography Education Programme” operated by Kaitak, Centre for Research and Development of the Academy of Visual Arts at Hong Kong Baptist University. A public exhibition was held at ACO and Heep Yunn School with the theme [她, ella, elle, hon, lei, она, she, sie, 그녀는, 彼女]. 

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In the year 2021, she participated in The Art Of CUHK 2021 exhibition. Her work “As Far As Near” was chosen to be displayed and awarded the Gaylord Chan  Painting Award 2021.