Man-Ching Donald Yu

Man-Ching Donald Yu, Hong Kong born Chinese composer, 2012

Yu Man Ching (Chinese: 余文正) is a Hong Kong born Chinese contemporary classical music composer^[1] who frequently and actively premieres his own works as a pianist in public locally and internationally. Being a prolific composer, since early age he has composed over hundreds original works, and the stylistic traits of his recent works are characterized by the intermingling of the expressive and lyrical language of atonality, stylistic diatonicism with new tonality, and Chinese color while sometimes blending with micro-polyphonic musical materials.^[2]

Life and career

Born in 1980, Yu started learning piano, theory, conducting and composition at an early age in Hong Kong while at the age of 16, he made his debut twice as a piano soloist with Pan Asia Symphony Orchestra as well as also earned a L.R.S.M. in piano performance from the Royal Schools of Music. In 2004 he earned a Bachelor of Music degree in piano performance and composition from Baylor University. In 2007 he continued his composition study under a scholarship at the International Summer Academy of the Universität Mozarteum Salzburg in Europe where he earned a Diploma as well as attended the Internationale Ferienkurse für Neue Musik at Darmstadt. Later in 2010 he earned his Ph.D. degree in composition and music theory at Hong Kong Baptist University under Christopher Keyes with the music theory thesis titled “The Pitch-class Formation of Joseph Schwantner's Distant Runes and Incantations", and its main analytical methodology is set theory.^[3]

Yu is quite prolific and has composed over hundreds scores and his compositional oeuvre ranges from instrumental, vocal and chamber works to opera, choral and symphonic works. Since the age of 18, he already started premiering his own music as a pianist internationally. Most of the pieces have been frequently and actively performed internationally at various events, festivals, and conferences throughout the United States, South America, Australia, Asia, and Europe including the recent 17th International Festival of Modern Art: Two Days and Two Nights of New Music at the Odessa Philharmonic Theater (the Ukrainian Section of the International Society of Contemporary Music)^[4]. His doctorate music theory thesis was selected and published at the 9th international Music Theory and Analysis Conference in Serbia in 2011. In 2010 Yu also received international acclaims with the performances of his First Symphony which was premiered by the Lugansk Academic Philharmonic Orchestra at the Lugansk Philharmonic Hall under the baton of Serjij Chernyk.^[5] and his Apocalypse for orchestra was premiered by the Chernivtsi Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra at the Chernivtsi Philharmonic Hall under the baton of Josyp Sozansky. Yu has also received commissions and/or performances from the Opera Hong Kong Chorus, the Choral Fellows of the Harvard University Choir, MusicOrba Duo (France), Duo46(U.S.), Onondaga Civic Symphony Orchestra (U.S.), Equinox Trio (Malta), Hong Kong Youth Choir, and Hong Kong Chamber Orchestra, among others. Yu's music has been published by Edizioni Sconfinarte in Italy and Zimbel Press in Massachusetts. His music recordings are released by Zimbel Records.

As a conductor, Yu has been conducting his own works in public and in 2012 Yu is the founder and artistic director of the Hong Kong Amadeus Chamber Orchestra^[6], appearing as a principal conductor for presenting educational concert in public.

Starting from 2012 fall Yu serves as a faculty lecturer at the Department of Cultural and Creative Arts of the Hong Kong Institute of Education.

Works

• Cantabile" for violin (1999)
• Sonata No.1 "Grand Concert Fantasy" for piano (1999)
• String Quartet in Eb (1999)
• Brilliant Humorous Waltz for piano (2000)
• Concerto for horn and orchestra (2000)
• “Zwei Rosen” for baritone and piano (2000)
• Dialogue for two violins (2000)
• Song without Words for piano (2000)
• Sonata No.2 "Humoresque" for piano (2000)
• "Ode On Nature" for soprano and piano (2001)
• Five Japanese Lyrics for soprano and piano (2001)
• Concert Rhapsody for violin and piano (2001)
• Autumn Elegy for violin and piano (2001)
• Four Souvenirs for wind quintet (2001)
• Fuga for string quartet (2001)
• Five Miniatures for piano (2001)
• Sonata No.3 "Aggressive" for piano (2001)
• Choral: Recalling for brass quintet (2002)
• Black Hole for orchestra (2002)
• Essay for orchestra (2002)
• Dreamscapes for orchestra (2002)
• The Lonely Heart of the Cosmos for string orchestra (2002)
• Rhapsody for piano and orchestra (2002)
• String Quartet No.2 "Apparition" (2002)
• Sonnet No.104 for mezzo-Soprano and piano (2002)
• Two Dramatic Art Songs for soprano and piano(2002)
• Quartet No.1 "Four Seasonal Sketches" for strings (2002)
• Sonata No.4 "Chaos" for piano (2002)
• Rhapsodic Sonata for flute and piano (2003)
• Sonata No.5 "Ionization" for piano (2003)
• Hell and Heaven for piano (2003)
• Ten Variations on a Chinese Folk Song "Home-sickness" for piano (2003)
• Dark Rhapsody for cello and piano (2003)
• Fantasy on "The Lady of Shalott for piano (2003)
• Toccata for piano (2003)
• Mesto Fugue for chamber string orchestra (2003)
• Illusion for oboe and piano (2003)
• Two Pieces for clarinet solo (2004)
• Uncertainty for piano (2004)
• Duet "Argument" for violin and cello (2004)
• Vier Kleine Klavier Stuecke for piano (2004)
• Brass Quartet "Solemn Elegy" (2005)
• Dialogue for oboe and clarinet (2005)
• Caprice for viola solo (2002)
• Fanfare for brass quintet or orchestra (2005)
• Three Movements for string orchestra (2005)
• Ode for flute solo (2005)
• Shivering for double bass solo (2005)
• Psalm No. 63 for chorus SSA and piano (2005)
• Recalling from Dream for trumpet and piano (2005)
• Imaginary Conversation for violin and piano (2005)
• Lyric Sketch No. 1-3: The Art of Fugue for four instruments (2005)
• Romantic light piece for violin and piano (2006)
• Romantic Light piece No. 2 for cello and piano (2006)
• Etude "Birds" for piano (2006)
• "Zwei Lyrisches Intermezzo" for soprano and piano (2006)
• "Incidental Music for Chinese Dramas" for piano (2006)
• Toccata fantastique for organ (2006)
• Meditation for organ (2006)
• Mystical Aria for organ (2006)
• Anthem 'Our Father' for a cappella SATB (2006)
• Concert Overture "Hong Kong Night Scene's Sketch for orchestra (2006)
• Film Score "When Spring Again" (2006)
• Preludes No. 1-12 for organ (2006)
• Frankenstein for organ and cello (2006)
• The Persistence of Memory for orchestra (2006)
• "Echo" for solo oboe or solo flute (2006)
• Reflections for Trombone Choir (2006)
• In Memoriam J.S. Bach for harpsichord (2006)
• A Concert Aria "To be or not to be for baritone and piano (2006)
• Autumn Elegy II for violin, guitar and piano (2001)
• Two Chinese Poems by Ya Hsien for piano and baritone (2007)
• Explosion for piano (2007)
• O Virtus Sapientiae for SATB A Cappella (2007)
• Organic Synthesis for piano (2007)
• The Morning for soprano and piano (2007)
• Collect Beads Of Night for soprano and piano (2007)
• With a Flower for soprano and piano (2007)
• A Polish Poem: Everything for soprano and piano (2007)
• Imaginary Conversation II for cello and piano (2007)
• Organ Concerto: Nebula for organ and chamber orchestra (2007)
• Three Characteristic Pieces for 4-hands piano duet (2007)
• The Refraction of Shadow for trombone and piano (2007)
• I used up this body for soprano and piano (2007)
• Starlight for soprano and piano (2007)
• Xin Yu "The Deepest voice of My Heart" for baritone and piano (2007)
• qiu zhi shi luo "The Suffering in Autumn" for soprano and piano (2007)
• Wen Tian "Inquiring the Sky" for soprano and piano (2007)
• yang ming shan ye you "Wandering at the Yang Ming Mountain" for soprano and piano (2007)
• Yuan Yang Gan Jue "The Feeling of the Far Ocean" for baritone and piano (2007)
• Si Wang Hang Xing "The Voyage of Death" for baritone and piano (2007)
• De Ceng Yin "The Recitation of the Stratum" for baritone and piano (2007)
• Ge "Song" for baritone and piano (2007)
• Zao Chen "The Morning" for baritone and piano (2007)
• Hallucination for Piano (2008)
• Brilliant Variations and Fantasy on a Chinese folk tune "Qindao" for violin and piano (2008)
• Creation for tenor and piano (2008)
• Praying for tenor and piano (2008)
• Creation for tenor and piano (2008)
• The Shadow of Dream for tenor and piano (2008)
• Disintegration for piano and tape (2008)
• Three Bagatelles for violin and organ (2008)
• Requiem Aeternam for SATB mixed choir and piano (2008)
• Five Poems by Yosano Akiko" for soprano and piano (2008)
• Duo for cello and piano (2008)
• First Symphony for orchestra (2008)
• Psalm 23 for tenor, soprano and piano (2008)
• Octet for strings (2008)
• Oculus Non Vidit for SATB Mixed Choir (2008)
• Lamentation for cello and piano (2009)
• The Maximum Speed of Raphael's Madonna for flute and piano (2009)
• Apocalypse for orchestra (2009)
• Three Collection Lyrical Sensual Poems for mezzo-soprano and piano (2009)
• A Chamber Opera "the Death of the Hired Man" for tenor, mezzo-soprano and piano (2009)
• Requiem Mass for soprano, tenor, mezzo-soprano, bass solo, SATB mixed choir and piano (2009)
• Piano Trio No.1 "Moody Rain" for cello, flute and piano (2009)
• Primordial for piano quintet (2009)
• Nine Dragons for piano (2010)
• The Vermilion Bird for violin and piano (2010)
• Recede and Surge for clarinet and piano (2010)
• Two Sacred Songs for soprano and piano (2010)
• Revelation Fantasy for chamber organ (2010)
• Wind and Rain for erhu and piano (2010)
• Jubilee Song for orchestra (Arrangement)(2010)
• From the Depth for SATB mixed choir and chamber orchestra(2010)
• Chun(Spring) for erhu, xiao and qin(2010)
• Contemplation for piano(2010)
• Three Children Pieces for piano(2010)
• Fancy for solo violin/viola(2010)
• Secret for solo violin(2011)
• Breeze for solo flute(2011)
• Hymn of Praise for SSA choir and piano(2011)
• Drinking Alone Under the Moon for mezzo-soprano and piano(2011)
• Air for orchestra(2011)
• First Piano Concerto for piano and chamber orchestra(2011)
• Symphony no. 2 "World" for chorus, soloists and orchestra(2011)
• On Hearing a Monk from Shu Playing His Lute for Chinese ensemble(2011)
• Clouds in my Dream for piano and electronics(2011)
• Quantum Mysticism for piano(2011)
• On Phoenix Terrace for xiao and piano(2011)
• Bloom for Chinese dizi trio(2011)
• Sunset In my Homeland for violin, clarinet and piano(2011)
• Flaming Passion for flute, cello and piano(2012)
• E=MC2 for piano and electronics(2012)
• Fishing in Snow for trumpet and piano(2012)
• Sign of Spring for double bass and piano(2012)
• Emotional Waves for piano duo 4-hands(2012)
• Grass for mezzo-soprano, erhu and piano(2012)
• Three Tang Chinese Poems for a cappella mixed choir(2012)
• Blossoms for brass ensemble(2012)
• Two Hymns Arrangement: Jesus Loves Each Child, Gift of Love' for orchestra and chorus(2012)

Publications

• Breeze for flute (Italy: Edizioni Sconfinarte, New Music Without Borders series II)
• Secret for violin (Italy: Edizioni Sconfinarte, New Music Without Borders series I)
• Nocturnal Reflection for flute and piano (Wehr's Music House. WM No. 426)
• Nebula for organ and chamber orchestra (Wehr's Music House. WM No. 416)
• Octet for strings (Wehr's Music House. WM No. 417)
• Three Bagatelles for violin and organ (Wehr's Music House. WM No. 409)
• Duo for cello and piano (Wehr's Music House. WM No. 408)
• Requiem Aeternam for SATB choir and piano(Wehr's Music House. WM No. 403)
• Reflection for Trombone Choir(Wehr's Music House. WM No. 391)
• The Refraction of Shadow (Wehr's Music House. WM No. 397)
• Xin Yu for baritone and piano (The New World Book Center Company)
• Qiu Zhi Shi Luo for soprano and piano (The New World Book Center Company)
• Wen Tian for soprano and piano (The New World Book Center Company)
• Yang Ming Shan Ye You for soprano and piano (The New World Book Center Company)
• Yuan Yuang Gan Jue for baritone and piano (The New World Book Center Company)
• Si Wang Hang Xing for baritone and piano (The New World Book Center Company)
• De Ceng Yin for baritone and piano (The New World Book Center Company)
• Ge for baritone and piano (The New World Book Center Company)
• Zao Chen for baritone and piano (The New World Book Center Company)
• Three Organ Pieces: Meditation, Mystical Aria, Toccata Fantastique (Zimbel Press No. 80101246)
• Our Father "The Lord's Prayer" for SATB (Zimbel Press No. 80101263)
• O Virtus Sapientiae for SATB(Zimbel Press No. 80101264)
• Oculus non vidit for SATB(Zimbel Press No. 80101277)
• Recalling from Dream for trumpet and piano (Wehr's Music House. WM No. 345)
• Trombone Quartet "Solemn Elegy" (Wehr's Music House. WM No. 365)
• Horn Quartet "Solemn Elegy" (Wehr's Music House. WM No. 358)
• Psalm no. 23 for high voice and low voice(HK Church Music Service Limited)

Discography

• Sonata No. 1 "Grand Concert Fantasy" for piano (Zimbel Records No. 113)
• Sonata No. 2 "Humoresque" for piano (Zimbel Records No. 113)
• Sonata No. 4 "Chaos" for piano (Zimbel Records No. 113)
• Hell and Heaven for piano (Zimbel Records No. 113)
• Dark Rhapsody for cello and piano (Zimbel Records No. 113)
• Illusion for oboe and piano (Zimbel Records No. 113)
• Five Japanese Lyrics for soprano and piano (Zimbel Records No. 113)
• Uncertainty for piano (Zimbel Records No. 113)
• Fantasy on "The Lady of Shalott" for piano (Zimbel Records No. 113)
• Five Miniatures for piano (Zimbel Records No. 113)
• William Shakespeare's Sonnet No. 104 for piano (Zimbel Records No. 113)

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Man-Ching Donald Yu

• Yu page at Classical Composers Database
• Yu page at Classical Archives
• 2006 Hong Kong Baptist University's Electronic News(Chinese and English)
• 2010 Hong Kong Baptist University's Electronic News(Chinese and English)