Sanders Lau 劉卓熙

Resident Conductor

Sanders Lau is a multifaceted choral musician and a much sought-after conductor. He is Resident Conductor of Die Konzertisten (DK), one of Hong Kong’s foremost chamber choirs. Under his preparation, DK has performed with internationally distinguished conductors including Jonathan Cohen, Stephen Layton, and John Butt on masterpieces such as Bach’s Mass in B minor and St John Passion, Handel’s Messiah and Israel in Egypt, and Mozart’s Requiem. He frequently conducts DK in performances ranging from the standard repertoire to premieres of new works, most recently Yin Ng’s Choral Suite ‘This Victoria Has No Secrets’. 

With a specialised interest in ‘historically informed performances’ of Baroque music, Sanders has conducted Bach’s cantatas and selections of Handel’s oratorios with DK and its orchestra. Such performances aim to adhere to the style, aesthetic principles, and musical technique of the era in which the music was originally conceived. This December, Sanders will lead the annual HKU ‘Messiah Sing-Along’ concert.

Sanders has conducted choirs from Diocesan Boys' School, St Paul’s College, and Sacred Heart Canossian College, capturing top prizes both local and abroad, including two Gold Medals at the European Choir Games Grand Prix of Nations, and the title of Best Junior Choir of the Year in Hong Kong Schools’ Music Festival. He was previously a part-time lecturer at Macao Polytechnic Institute. Sanders has given lectures, workshops, and pre-concert talks for many organisations, including the Hong Kong Arts Festival, and Macau International Choral Festival.

Sanders graduated from Eastman School of Music and The Chinese University of Hong Kong. His primary mentors were William Weinert, Brad Lubman, Paul O’Dette, Felix Yeung, and Esmond Lim. He has also learnt from Helmuth Rilling, Simon Carrington, Peter Harvey, and Ivars Taurins among others.

Outside of the classical music scene, Sanders is known for his work with Chan Fai Young x Women’s Choir (陳輝陽 x 女聲合唱). Sanders sings baritone with the a cappella group ‘jmJazz’, which has won a Gold Medal at the World Contemporary A Cappella Competition in Taiwan. He was the producer of Greenpeace HK’s ‘燕尾蝶’ music video.

Sanders was awarded Second Prize at the Hong Kong Choral Conducting Competition 2019. 

劉卓熙為本港的優秀室樂合唱團 Die Konzertisten （DK）之駐團指揮。在他指導下，DK 多次與國際知名指揮家合作，包括高恩（巴赫《B小調彌撒曲》、韓德爾《彌賽亞》及《以色列人在埃及》、韋華第《榮歸主頌》）、畢特（巴赫《聖約翰受難曲》）、萊頓（莫扎特《安魂曲》）、薩格士譚（華格納《使徒的愛筵》）及陳雲紅等。 

劉氏為香港少數研習鑑古演奏（Historically Informed Performance）的指揮，醉心演出17及18世紀音樂，並多次指揮DK及旗下古樂團 Cammer Musicus演出巴赫的清唱劇。「鑑古演奏」旨在透過採用樂曲所屬時期的演奏風格、美學原則及技法，呈現出貼近樂曲原貌的演出。

劉氏經常為不同機構主講講座、音樂會導賞及工作坊，包括香港藝術節、澳門國際合唱節、誠品書店、香港聖公會、基督教青年會等。他現為拔萃男書院及聖保羅書院的合唱團導師，並曾帶領拔萃男書院男童聲合唱團，於第69屆香港學校音樂節中獲年度最佳中學初級組合唱隊（第一組別）殊榮。過去數年，他於澳門理工學院音樂系擔任兼任講師，任教指揮、音樂歷史及早期音樂。

劉氏畢業於美國伊斯曼音樂學院，考獲指揮碩士學位，期間隨 William Weinert 及 Brad Lubman 習指揮，以及隨 Paul O’Dette 研習鑑古演奏法。他也曾受教於萊頓、利靈、Nicolas Fink、Simon Carrington、Peter Harvey、Ivars Taurins等人。負笈美國前，劉氏於香港中文大學獲得音樂學士學位，期間隨兩位恩師林思漢和楊欣諾習合唱指揮。

古典音樂以外，劉氏自2016年起擔任《陳輝陽 x 女聲合唱》作品音樂會指揮，以合唱方式重新演繹香港著名流作曲家陳輝陽的經典名作。兩場音樂會《少女的祈禱》及《上一次流淚》均大獲好評。音樂會曲目獲灌錄成唱片推出，專輯《少女的祈禱》更獲頒2017年華語金曲獎「年度最佳合輯」。此外，劉氏為無伴奏組合「做乜Jazz」的成員，組合早前於台灣國際重唱藝術節世界盃現代阿卡貝拉大賽中奪得金牌。去年暑假，他為「綠色和平」監製「郊響樂《燕尾蝶》」合唱版音樂影片，大獲好評。

Learn more about Sanders Lau on his website.

Banner and profile photos by Yatho - Photography and Music.