Tam Chun Sum Kevin
Hong Kong-born composer, pianist and conductor, Tam Chun Sum Kevin is a member of the Composers and Authors Society of Hong Kong (CASH) and the Hong Kong Composers’ Guild (HKCG). Particularly inspired by Maurice Ravel and Claude Debussy, Tam’s music reconceptualises French Impressionism in a non-Western contemporary context and examines how sonic resonance generates sensory immediacy and affective states. Tam writes across genres, from contemporary classical to pop instrumental; his repertoire mainly focuses on contemporary concert music, particularly for piano.
Tam has a wide composition and performance footprint across the world, including Hong Kong, Shanghai, London, Birmingham, Derby, and Stratford-upon-Avon. He has collaborated with numerous professional musicians and ensembles; notable mentions include Darragh Morgan, Mary Dullea, Nigel Foster, Mary Wu Mei-loc, David Le Page, David Gordon, Dexter Drown, The Sitwell Singers, The Pro-Musica Society of Hong Kong, Hong Kong University Alumni Association Choir, CUHK Student Orchestra, CUHK Student Chorus and more; recently, his music has been featured in festivals such as Shakespeare in Music Festival, London Song Festival, CODA Festival and Birmingham New Music Festival.
As a multifaceted musician, Tam has won numerous awards both as a composer and pianist. With his piece “Take all my loves, my love, yea, take them all”(2025), written for Tenor and Piano, Tam was the joint winner of the Shakespeare in Song Composition Competition and the Fischer Fund Prize recipient in 2025, organised by the Royal Shakespeare Company and the London Song Festival. The piece was premiered on Shakespeare's birthday in Stratford-upon-Avon in April 2026 at the Shakespeare in Music Festival. Furthermore, his piece ‘Nostalgia (2025)’, written for viola and piano accompaniment, was judged by The Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM) and awarded the winning prize of the 2025 Tertis/Aronowitz Birmingham Viola Day Composition Competition at RBC, in collaboration with the British Viola Society. As a pianist, Tam received third prizes in the 66th and 68th Hong Kong Schools Music Festival Solo Piano categories, as well as being the champions of the 2013 and 2016 TomLee Music Piano Competitions.
Before pursuing his master's in the UK, Tam studied composition with Prof. Chan Kai-young and Prof. Lee Wan-ki Wendy at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK); he also took lessons with prominent Hong Kong composers, including Dr. Lo Hau-man, Dr. Chan Ka-hei Lesley, Dr. Ng Wah-hei, and Dr. Lee Kar-tai. Tam actively participated in various call-for-scores events at CUHK, including the CUHK Bauhinia Concert and the Ensemble-in-Residence programme. With experience in both choral and orchestral conducting under the tutelage of Hong Kong Sinfonietta associate conductor Ms. Ip Wing-wun Vivan, Tam often conducts his own works in concerts; he was the conductor of the CUHK Student Orchestra in 2025, conducting Prokofiev's Classical Symphony and Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto in the annual concert.
Tam received his early musical training and learnt music theory from Dr. Serina Tse. He was a recipient of the Tom Lee Music Foundation Scholarship in 2015, and his compositions have been actively self-performed in the Yamaha Junior Original Concerts and the Yamaha Junior Original Highlight Concerts (Hong Kong) from 2010 to 2016. Apart from composition, Tam is an experienced piano accompanist. As a Wah Yan College, Kowloon (WYK) graduate, Tam was a member of the piano accompaniment group and has numerous experiences accompanying voices and choirs. In 2017, he was awarded the Fr. Deignan, S.J. Award for outstanding performance in music. Tam has worked closely with the Pro-Musica Society of Hong Kong as a piano accompanist since 2022. In May 2025, Tam gave his debut performance in Shanghai, celebrating the 28th anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to Chinese sovereignty.
Tam is currently pursuing a Master of Music (MMus) degree in Composition at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire (RBC), under the tutelage of Prof. Joe Cutler, Dr. Ed Bennett and Howard Skempton. Tam graduated from The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music (First Class Honours), specialising in piano performance under the guidance of renowned pianist and Steinway artist Dr. Mary Wu Mei-loc.