Celebrating a low-key instrument

"Cellists have a reputation for being nice people because we often work for and with other musicians, such as in a string quartet or chamber music orchestra," says Ray Wang, head of the Department of Strings, School of Music at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (HKAPA). However, the cello can in fact do more than support other instruments, as demonstrated at the recently held Academy Cello Festival 2025, where the instrument took center stage, as part of seven concerts held over seven days.

The annual festival was started in 2022, at an uncertain time with the possibility of a pandemic-induced lockdown looming large. The initial plan was to make it an online concert, featuring students graduating that year. Ultimately, the HKAPA was able to host a live event, headlined by star alumnus Thomas Hung.

Students are heavily involved in putting the festival together as well as performing in it. Right from drawing up the program to designing booklets and posters, their marks are everywhere. "I like doing things bottom-up instead of top-down. Many people in the academy help out in the organization of the festival, but the majority of the tasks have to be performed by the students themselves," says Wang.

Erica Wong, a fifth-year cello student, has been a part of the festival since its first edition and headlined the opening concert of its last edition. She says, "I think the experience is quite enriching, because normally, even in orchestra projects, everything is already there while we just sit down and play. But for the festival, we're more hands-on. It is tiring, but also very eye-opening, and it's worth it in the end. We're learning other related skills such as music administration."

It is getting to work together with her classmates as well as her juniors in the department that Wong says she enjoys the most.

Ensemble from Xinghai

The collaborative aspect of the festival extends to the programming. For the Academy Cello Festival 2025, which ran from April 26 through May 2 and is part of the HKAPA's 40th anniversary celebration, the organizers chose to highlight ensemble work, with some of the pieces featuring as many as 16 cellists performing together. Teachers, students from the School of Music's Junior Music Program, and distinguished alumni such as Xiong Yin - who kicked off the festival with a solo recital - all played their parts.

A cello ensemble from the Xinghai Conservatory of Music captivated audiences with a program rooted in Chinese folk music, demonstrating the cultural richness and diversity of the instrument.

Wang says, "Music serves the community without boundaries. Students that come to perform with us will go back to their schools and share what we're doing here, while our students can see and experience what is happening at other institutions. And such sharing extends beyond the academic circle to the general public in the audience."

More diverse than meets the eye

This year's festival also included American jazz and French music.

"Many people say that the cello resembles the human voice the most, so in a way, I think it's the most expressive instrument," Wong says. "It has a very wide range, so we can go very low and very high. We can essentially do what the violin does, but we also have more depth and warmth."

Wang is proud that no music pieces were repeated in the four years of the festival.

"I have played cello basically my whole life, but I don't think I understand it completely. I try to appreciate the instrument whenever I have the chance, and this festival is a great opportunity for everyone to do that," he adds.