Hong Kong’s Sonic Identity

Overview

Researcher: Ng Kwun Ho Jerry

This research-based composition explores cross-cultural music through a new work for harp and tape. Centring the sonic identity of Hong Kong, the project explores how elements such as language and everyday soundscapes can be articulated through the timbral and spatial possibilities of the harp and fixed media. Working in close collaboration with a Hong Kong-based harpist, the study also examines co-creative processes: how two musicians, a composer and a performer, negotiate aesthetics, techniques and cultural meaning to shape a shared artistic voice. Methods include field recording, motif extraction from Cantonese phrases, urban sound textures, extended harp techniques and workshop sessions. Outcomes will include a full score, a recording and a research paper documenting methodology, collaboration models and insights on generating ‘the voice of Hong Kong’ through this instrumentation, with recommendations for future cross-cultural practice.

Image: Shin Mun river, Hong Kong, by Jerry Ng