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Born in Hong Kong in 1979, Fung Lam studied composition in England with Martin Butler, Michael Finnissy and Michael Zev Gordon. He was awarded a master’s degree in composition by the University of Southampton in 2002, and has recently completed his doctoral studies at the University of Sussex.
Fung Lam has emerged as one of Hong Kong’s foremost composers in recent years, with significant commissions from international organisations. Blending superb craftsmanship with a poetic sensibility, his music is elegant, understated and highly lyrical. While his musical output ranges widely from original concert and multi-media works to collaborations with various artists, orchestral music is at the core of his career. His orchestral compositions have received performances by some of the most prestigious orchestras around the world. His first work for symphony orchestra, Illumination, was premièred by the BBC Philharmonic in 2005 and was broadcast on BBC Radio 3. The composition received further performances by both the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra and Hong Kong Sinfonietta.
In 2007, at the age of 27, Fung Lam made history by becoming the first Hong Kong composer and the youngest Chinese composer ever commissioned by the BBC. The resultant work, Unlocking, was premièred by the BBC Concert Orchestra the following year and subsequently broadcast on BBC Radio 3’s Discovering Music programme dedicated to his music. Its Asian première was presented by the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra in 2011. His second BBC commission soon followed in 2008 where he was commissioned alongside other musicians such as the British pop group Pet Shop Boys to write a short orchestral piece for the BBC Concert Orchestra, to be performed at the South Bank Centre in London.
In 2009, Yong was premièred by the London Symphony Orchestra. Its Asian première took place a year later at the Asian Music Festival 2010, performed by the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of the composer himself. His most recent orchestral work, Rong, was commissioned and premièred by the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra under Edo de Waart at the World Expo in Shanghai in September 2010. Future projects include his third orchestral commission from the BBC to be premièred in summer 2012.
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