Music Director
Maestro John Kam Dip. Mus., BA (Hons), LTCL, FGA, DGA, GG
Profile
John Kam started playing guitar after his secondary education. He graduated from the Music Department of The Hong Kong Baptist University (major in Theory and Composition; Instruments: major in Cello and minor in Piano) and The Chinese University of Hong Kong respectively. He also obtained the LTCL qualification in guitar performance in Trinity College of Music, United Kingdom.
John always gives performance in Hong Kong and Macau respectively. He has appeared as soloist and played several guitar concertos with Pan Asia Symphony Orchestra. To bring up the young musicians, he formed The Hong Kong Guitar Ensemble in 1987; The Hong Kong Youth Guitar Ensemble in 1996; both The Hong Kong Guitar Trio and The Hong Kong Guitar Quartet in 1998; The Hong Kong Guitar Quintet in 2002 and The Hong Kong Guitar Symphony Orchestra in 2014. Since 1993, after his first guitar recital in The Hong Kong Cultural Centre, John dedicates most of his time to music, a labour of love and hopes to promote classic music to the general public as to ‘Music is for sharing’; ‘Interest long life and long life interest’.
John’s students have won numerous awards in The Hong Kong Schools Music Festival competitions; The Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music examinations and The Trinity College’s examinations. He conducts master-class and appears as jury in various competitions and graduated examinations held by The Hong Kong Red Cross; The Hong Kong Aircraft Engineering Company Limited; The Hong Kong Music Institute and The Hong Kong Institute of Education respectively. John devotes himself along with charity organizations to benefiting charities and people in need of help such as the ‘Lifeline Express’; offers ‘Industry Attachment places’ for the students and give help to the children for more than twenty families in Shamshuipo.
John is always busily engaged in arranging the courses and concerts for The Hong Kong Guitar Ensemble. He also appears as the Guest Guitar Tutor (first instrument) in the Department of Creative Arts and Physical Education of The Hong Kong Institute of Education’. These years, he successfully co-operate and hold different music exchange programs, master classes and concerts with musicians all over the world, including Australia, Brazil, Britain, China, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Holland, Iceland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Macau, Malaysia, Mexico, Norway, Singapore, Sweden and Vietnam.
Vision
In the past 20 years, fully dedicate to guitar teaching and promotion; found the Hong Kong Guitar Ensemble, The Hong Kong Youth Guitar Ensemble, Guitar Duet, The Hong Kong Guitar Trio, The Hong Kong Guitar Quartet and The Hong Kong Guitar Quintet. Although the progress is quite slow, most of the members can play on their own while the ensembles are gradually taking shape.
Kick-start promoting guitar solo concert in order to further foster the development of the classic guitar music, wishful thinking that would arouse more different kind of solo concerts appeared in Hong Kong, and ‘A cultural desert’ in Hong Kong is slowly fade out.
John Kam
09 Feb., 2006 in Centre
Public Reviews
‘playing are highly acclaimed and recommended.’ …
… Macau Daily News
‘locally trained & cultivated guitarist …… an exceptionally imaginative player’ …
… H.K.Economic Journal
‘his capacity to make powerful statement …… deeply moving the feelings’ …
… Wah Kiu Yat Po
‘dedicated, impassioned …… shaped with care & feeling’ …
… New Evening Post
‘proficient in picking & choosing music for performance…… being well versed in interpretation …… with excellent effect …… surely the organizer must have broad horizons & views in music’ …
… Zheng Shuo Sheng
‘……It ended up sounding surprisingly good, so full marks to the person who arranged it for guitar ensemble.’ …
…60moo (YouTube)
‘The best of the best for your wonderful activity.’ …
…G.Tremendo
‘Really great, great arranger Mr. Kam.’ …
…hensang (YouTube)
‘….. what a better world we would have if everybody would follow your example! And your aim to promote young guitarist, that I find absolutely priceless! ….. Keep up your great work, I take my hat off for you 🙂 ’ …
…Ögmundur Thor Johannesson
‘Maestro John, ….. the students greatly enjoyed listening to your ensemble’ …
…Joanne – UPM
‘Your ensemble performed impressively ….. Your conducting style was exciting to watch. You displayed a musical chemistry that united your ensemble to play cohesively together in the interpretation of the different styles and characteristics of each piece. The pieces were masterfully arranged to display the guitar techniques. All these combined together created a magical atmosphere which held the audience spellbound! Bravo, Maestro!’ …
…Siew Chin Hew
‘The performance of your ensemble was well balanced and well organized, and all the arrangement was beyond my expectation. I enjoyed every minute of the concert and I am very sure that all our students felt same way.’ …
…Akihito Fuse – ICOM
Students’ Voices
2011 Mar
- Student A: Rich knowledge of the instructor.
2010 Nov
- Student A: The course instructor is very professional; the organization of the course is good.
- Student B: The course is interesting and practical. It is not common to have similar courses outside.
2010 Jul
- Student A: In general, all are good.
2010 Mar
- Student A: May offer more courses for the youth in order to nurture more elites for the next generation.
2009 Jul
- Student A: It is helpful to the exam.
- Student B: The passing rate is high for the past students in the open exams. And even some of them have received merit prizes from Britain.
- Student C: The instructor is very familiar with the course content, listens to the comments from the intuition and reflects the students’ opinions by communicating with the Britain intuition. The tuition fee is reasonable and the instructor teaches in a way that is easily understandable.
2009 Mar
- Student A: The instructor could provide detail explanations to the contents.
2008 Jun
- Student A: The instructor has a higher possession of knowledge level than my requirement, and the organization of the course is very systematic.
2008 Mar
- Student A: The presentation of the instructor is good.
- Student B: The instructor has a great pedagogy.
- Student C: The instructor teaches well.
2007 Jun
- Student A: The instructor teaches well.
- Student B: The experienced instructor could provide all rounded guidance in all aspects.
- Student C: The instructor is familiar with the curriculum.
- Student D: The instructor is responsible and punctual.
- Student E: The instructor has an in-depth understanding to the course and the field.
- Student F: The teaching method of the instructor is quite good.
2007 Mar
- Student A: The instructor is experienced and could provide sufficient information to students.
2006 Jun
- Student A: The instructions from the instructor are very clear.
- Student B: The instructor can explain fundamental knowledge that no matter the professionals or those who are interested in this field could understand and benefit from it.
- Student C: I am very pleased with the instructor and he is very nice.
- Student D: The instructor teaches in a thoughtful and clear way.
- Student E: The instructor has a thorough understanding of the course and is able to clear the doubts from the students immediately.
- Student F: The instructor has rich experience and a very good knowledge of the institute.
中文版本
音樂總監
甘兆棠 Dip. Mus., BA (Hons), LTCL, FGA, DGA, GG
甘兆棠早歲對音樂無大興趣，中學畢業後始修習古典結他，分別畢業於香港浸會大學 〔主修理論和作曲；樂器則主修大提琴和副修鋼琴〕 和香港中文大學的音樂系，並考取英國聖三一音樂學院的古典結他演奏文憑。
甘先生經常在香港及澳門兩地演出，並數度與泛亞交響樂團演出韋華第的結他協奏曲。為了讓年輕的音樂家有更多的演出經驗，甘先生分別於 1987 年成立香港結他合奏團、1996 年成立香港青年結他合奏團、1998年分別成立香港結他三重奏和香港結他四重奏、2002年成立香港結他五重奏；並於2014 年成立香港結他交響樂團。自1993 年於香港文化中心作首次個人演奏會後，甘兆棠先生便將大部份時間致力於推廣古典音樂；作為一種無償的奉獻，望能達至 「獨樂樂不如眾樂樂」，「終身興趣，樂趣無窮」 的階段。
甘兆棠先生的學生在香港校際音樂比賽、英國皇家音樂學院和聖三一學院音樂考試中分別取得很好的成績和授予很多獎項。他更舉辦大師班和為多項比賽和結他畢業試作評分，如紅十字會、香港飛機工程有限公司、香港音樂專科學校和香港教育學院等。甘先生日常亦有與公益慈善事務團體合作而為有需要的人伸出援手，如‘健康快車’、為學生提供‘實習’職位和為深水埗二十多個家庭的小孩提供幫助等。
甘兆棠先生現忙於香港結他合奏團的音樂教育工作及為樂團和各器樂合奏編曲；並為香港教育學院體藝學系客席結他導師（主修）。近年，甘先生成功與來自世界各地的音樂教育家、演奏家及辦學團體合作，舉行大小不同的音樂交流計劃、大師班及演奏會；其中包括有澳洲、巴西、英國、中國、捷克、芬蘭、法國、德國、荷蘭、冰島、意大利、日本、韓國、澳門、馬來西亞、墨西哥、挪威、新加坡、瑞典和越南等。
大眾迥響
「演奏受歡迎」 …
… 澳門日報
「土生土長的結他演奏家……令聽眾耳目一新」 …
… 信報
「充份發揮結他的感染力……令人聽來陶醉」 …
… 華僑日報
「專注地將每個音符都輔予生命」 …
… 新晚報
「演奏的選材很有經驗…有很好的音樂安排…效果也非常好…組織者肯定是位音樂上很有見識的」 …
… 鄭石生
「……整體聽來十分有效果，編曲應給予滿分。」 …
…60moo (YouTube)
「所舉辦的精彩活動可謂佳中之佳。」 …
…G.Tremendo
「真的太棒了，……甘先生的編曲太好了，」 …
…hensang (YouTube)
「….. 若所有人均能仿傚此楷模，世界定必更美好。而推廣年輕結他演奏家的方針更為無價 ….. 在此向你致敬 」 …
…Ögmundur Thor Johannesson
「大師 ….. 學生都非常享受合奏團之演出。」 …
…Joanne – UPM
「你的音樂感，演繹手法和合奏團整體相互的合作性，在你的指揮下演繹出每首樂曲的風格和獨特的色彩。再加上每首作品都展現出精心和獨特的結他技巧，整體結合營造和交織出美妙的音樂，深深攝住在場的觀眾。大師，演出十分精彩！」 …
…Siew Chin Hew
「合奏團在表演中各聲部拿捏得很好，取得很好的平衡。樂曲的先後亦安排有序，所有編曲亦超乎我預期想像。演奏會中我每一分鐘享受著美妙的音樂，肯定所有學生也有相同的感覺。」 …
…Akihito Fuse – ICOM