Elena Chiu 趙學文
Pianist, Organist & Composer
Dr. Elena Chiu is an award-winning pianist-composer who specialises in choral music and orchestral music. She writes extensively for the organ and other keyboard instruments. Aside from being a composer, she also enjoys her career as a collaborative performing artist.
Elena’s performance was praised as ‘a compelling recital by a real musician’ by Doulas Finch. Elena was awarded the championship of Italy (Treviso) International Contemporary Music Competition in 2012 with her work ‘Tango’. During her time in London, she worked for the Children’s International Voices of Enfield and their patron John Rutter. She was then composer-in-residence of Dixie State University in Utah for the Cello Festival.
Graduated from the Royal Academy of Music, Elena received both her Master of Music in piano performance and LRAM with distinction. She subsequently pursued composition research under the tutelage of Professor Victor Chan at the Chinese University of Hong Kong and was awarded Doctor of Music. During her studies, Elena received numerous awards, including the Composers and Authors Society Hong Kong Scholarship, King’s College London Hong Kong Foundation Scholarship, RAM Second-Study Scholarship, RAM Foundation Award, Christian Carpenter Recital Prize and David Gwilt Composition Prize.
Over the past decade, Elena’s works have been featured in well-known international festivals and conferences, including 30th Anniversary Rieger Organ Concert of the Hong Kong Cultural Centre, the Royal Academy of Music Summer Piano Festival, Hong Kong Arts Festival, Musicarama and the Asian Composers' League Conference and Festival, amongst others. In addition, her notable commissions include collaborations with the Hong Kong Oratorio Society, Die Konzertisten, Ponte Singers and Orchestra, Taipei Chamber Singers, Anonymous Quartet, Phoenix Quartet, Hong Kong Strings Orchestra, St. John's Cathedral Choir and Hong Kong Hymn Society.
趙學文博士 —— 新一代鋼琴家兼作曲家,擅長於創作合唱以及樂團音樂。趙氏除了編寫眾多管風琴及鍵盤樂器作品,亦是一為專業鋼琴演奏家。
英國著名作曲家暨鋼琴家杜格拉斯‧菲泉稱許趙氏為「真正的音樂家」,盛讚其獨奏會「引人入勝」。在2012年,趙氏之作品《探戈》榮獲意大利當代音樂國際作曲比賽冠軍。在英國深造時,趙氏擔任倫敦國際兒童合唱團的音樂陪訓工作,並與其贊助人約翰‧魯特合作。及後趙氏亦獲邀出任美國迪克西州立大學大提琴節駐校作曲家。
趙氏以優異成績畢業於英國皇家音樂學院,取得鋼琴演奏碩士及LRAM文憑,及後於香港中文大學完成音樂作曲博士研究,師隨陳偉光教授。在學期間,趙氏獲頒多個獎學金,包括香港作曲家及作詞家聯會奬學金,倫敦國王學院香港基金獎學金,皇家音樂學院第二學位獎學金,皇家音樂學院基金會,獎克莉斯蒂安‧卡本達獨奏會獎以及紀‧大衛作曲獎 。
趙氏多次於本地和國際平台發表著作,包括香港文化中心三十周年誌慶萊格管風琴音樂會、英國皇家音樂學院夏季鋼琴節、亞洲作曲家聯盟會議及音樂節、香港藝術節及音樂新文化等。 另其作品亦曾獲多個著名本地及海外音樂團體委約及演出,包括香港聖樂團、Die Konzertisten 、Ponte Singers and Orchestra、台北室內合唱團、無名四重奏、鳳凰四重奏、香港弦樂團、聖約翰座堂詩班及香港聖詩會等。