Members 隊員介紹

Dr. Ho is the Consultant and Chief of the Division of Hand and Microsurgery, Department of Orthopaedic & Traumatology, Prince of Wales Hospital. He is also an Honorary Clinical Professor of the Faculty of Medicine and Honorary Tutor of the Department of Music, the Chinese University of Hong Kong. He has been the President of the Hong Kong Society for Surgery of the Hand in 2008-2010. Ho is the founding President of the Hong Kong Harmonica Association in 2002-2009. He also established the world renowned King’s Harmonica Quintet with buddies in 1987 and won a total of two champions, two first- runners up and two second-runners up titles in the two World Harmonica Championships in 1995 and 1997. He appeared numerous times on concert stages both locally including the Hong Kong Arts Festival in 2000 and 2010, and internationally in over 30 cities of America, Europe and throughout Asia. In 2002, he performed James Moody’s “Little Suite” as soloist with the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra under the Baton of Samuel Wong. Over the last 8 years, he and the Quintet had multiple collaborations with major professional orchestras in Hong Kong, including Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra, City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong and Hong Kong Sinfonietta. Lately in 2012, he was invited to perform at the 25th anniversary concert series of the Norwegian Harmonica Organization in Norway duo with his son Leo and the Norwegian harmonica legend Sigmund Groven. He has been the adjudicator and guest performer for the biennial Asia Pacific Harmonica Festivals since 1996. He appeared in the 2005 World Harmonica Championship in Germany as the first ever Hong Kong jury member as well as conductor for the Hong Kong Harmonica Association Harmonica Orchestra in the Gala concert. His outstanding conductorship was being appraised as “Zubin Mehta of the Harmonica”. As recognition to his accomplishment of excellence in duo profession, he received the “Ten Outstanding Young Persons of Hong Kong Award” in 2002 and the Chief Executive’s Commendation for Community Service by the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in 2007.

Ho's email address is pcho@khq.hk.

Chan was a founding member of the King’s Harmonica Quintet. In the year of 1995 when the Quintet debuted overseas in Yokohama, Chan partnered with LOK Ying-kei, another member of the Quintet, to play duo in the World Harmonica Festival Competition and got the first runner-up. Two years later, in which the Quintet won the World Harmonica Championship in Germany, Chan partnered with HO Pak-cheong, to play duo and got the first runner-up in the Open category of the Competition.

Chan plays the second treble harmonica part in the Quintet since it was founded and has been regarded as the best candidate for serving this position because of his balanced technique and musical style.

Chan is a versatile music performer. Besides being a proficient harmonica player, he also has a keen interest on the recorder. He had participated in the overseas master courses of several recorder maestros including Paul Leenhouts, Matthias Maute, Bart Spanhove and Han Tol. Locally, he is an active teacher and ensemble performer.

Besides, Chan is a remarkable flautist. He started to learn the flute and performed since secondary school years. He has been teaching the instrument in secondary schools, and frequently plays the flute and piccolo in harmonica orchestras.

Chan is now a member of the director board of the Hong Kong Harmonica Association and the principal flautist and piccoloist of the subsidiary Harmonica Orchestra.

Chan's email address is kennethchan@khq.hk.

Lau was a founding member of the King's Harmonica Quintet. His role as the third harmonica in the Quintet is pivotal to its remarkable ensemble effect. In the score re-arranged from string quartets, he has to play the parts of violin, viola or cello to achieve the best musical effects. He has thus developed a high degree of sensitivity to such a dynamic role and a wide spectrum of musical expression and tone color.

He was the Vice President (Festival Planning) of 5th Asia Pacific Harmonica Festival 2004 in Hong Kong Organizing Committee, serving a vital role in its much acclaimed success. He has also been serving the directorship for Hong Kong Harmonica Association since its establishment in 2002. He is the principal tenor player in the Hong Kong Harmonica Association Harmonica Orchestra.

With his information technology background, he contributes to the publicity of the Quintet by setting up and maintaining a website for the Quintet on the Internet at his leisure.

Lau's email address is cblau@khq.hk.

During his school time in the 1980s, Lok won numerous prizes (including 4 times of champion and 2 times of 1st runner-up at different classes of solos and duets). In the 1990s, he did well in different ranges of harmonicas and was winners in different categories of the World Harmonica Festivals (including champion at Quintet, 1st runner-up at duet and 2nd runner-up at trio). Since 2000s, he appears as soloists in Australia, Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong. Apart from being tenor player of the Quintet, he plays in tenor, bass and alto pipe sections of the Hong Kong Harmonica Association Orchestra. With proficiency in treble, tenor and bass harmonica playing, he devotes his time in the furtherance of breathing and playing excellence. Since late 1990s, he serves as judge in international and local harmonica festivals and competitions. While serving as international endorser for the Hohner Company, he enjoys as collector of most chromatic harmonica models around the world. Since 1990s, he takes on the valuable role of “Hong Kong Harmonica Music Ambassador”, connecting to most corners of the world around harmonica music making movements. Lok was Vice President (Finance & Secretariat) of the Organizing Committee in the “Hong Kong Harmonica Festival 2003” and the “5th Asia Pacific Harmonica Festival 2004 in Hong Kong”. Since 2011, he serves as President of the Hong Kong Harmonica Association and is a director since its incorporation in 2002. As chartered accountant and secretary, Lok qualifies with fellow memberships in 7 Hong Kong and overseas professional institutes. He is now Chief Financial Officer of a multinational corporation for the region. He served also as President of the MBA Alumni Association of the Chinese University of Hong Kong with a membership size of close to 5,000 from 2005 to 2010 and as a member of the Advisory Board of the CUMBA Programme from 2005 to 2012.

Lok's email address is rockylok@khq.hk.

Johnny Kuan is the advisor of the Hong Kong Harmonica Association, conductor of the HKHA Harmonica Orchestra and the bass harmonica player of King’s Harmonica Quintet. His virtuosity has astonished harmonica players and audiences around the world. “The bass playing is outstandingly sensitive…” exclaimed Douglas Tate, the late British harmonica legend. Yasuharu Mano, President of Japan’s Tombo Musical Instrument Co. Ltd., also described him as the “best bass harmonica player”. As an experienced harmonica orchestra conductor, his interpretation of classical to contemporary pieces is always meticulous. Under his baton, he has premiered a numbers of large-scale original harmonica works by local composers such as Joshua Chan, Hui Cheung-wai, Chan Ka-fu and Mui Kwong-chiu. In the 1995 and 1997 World Harmonica Championships, he won a numbers of awards together with members of the King’s Harmonica Quintet. Since then, Kuan appears often in World Harmonica Festival and Asian Pacific Harmonica Festivals as adjudicator, guest performers and guest speakers. He was also invited by the Ministry of Education in Singapore as the adjudicator for the Central Judging of Singapore Youth Festival since 2008.

Kuan has dedicated much time in educating youngsters. Under his leadership and guidance, his students won numerous prizes in World Harmonica Festival, Asia-Pacific Harmonica Festivals and Hong Kong Schools’ Music Festivals.

Kuan is also devoted to sacred music service and church musician training. He is currently conductor of the Tsimtsatsui Swatow Christian Church Choir.

Kuan's email address is johnnykuan@khq.hk.

Last update: 28 November 2012