Prof. Tak-Chiu WONG
Assistant Professor (Teaching)
Tak-Chiu WONG is serving as an Assistant Professor (Teaching) of Saxophone at the School of Music, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen. Born in Hong Kong (China), WONG is a renowned saxophonist and educator. He is the artistic director of Asia Pacific Saxophone Academy, an examiner of the Hong Kong Arts Development Council, a member of Pi Kappa Lambda, a prestigious national music honor society in the United States, an endorser of Selmer Paris saxophone and D'Addario reed.
WONG has garnered praise as an "outstanding performer" by RTHK Radio 4 Arts News and has been hailed as a "fantastic, excellent player" by renowned conductor Gerard Schwarz. Known for his captivating solo performances, WONG has been invited to showcase his talent across Asia, Europe, and the United States. Notable collaborations include appearances with esteemed ensembles such as the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, Hong Kong Sinfonietta, Hong Kong Band Directors Wind Orchestra, the Hong Kong New Music Ensemble, the NAFA New Music Ensemble, the BSRU Wind Symphony, the UW Symphony Orchestra, and the WVU Symphony Orchestra, among others.
WONG's passion lies in championing contemporary music and collaborating with living composers. He has been commissioned to premiere over 100 works. These include Chen Qigang's "Feu D'ombres", Chen Yi's "Chinese Folk Dance Suite", Pierre Boulez's "Dialogue de l'ombre Double", Jean-Philippe Vanbeselaere's "Tribute to Mister L.", Narong Prangcharoen's "Perpetual Motions", and Satoshi Yagisawa's "Saxophone Concertino". In a significant achievement, WONG and the Amigo Saxophone Quartet were awarded the prestigious Barlow Award in 2016, marking the first and only time a saxophone ensemble has received this distinction since the award's establishment in 1983.
While his performances are awe-inspiring, WONG's dedication to teaching is equally remarkable. He has served as a faculty of the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Baptist University, the University of Hong Kong, and the Education University of Hong Kong. WONG is the artistic director of the annual Asia Pacific Saxophone Academy in Thailand, where he strives to enhance education and foster communication among saxophonists from the Asia Pacific region. WONG has been invited to conduct masterclasses in Italy, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and China (including HKSAR and Macao SAR). Moreover, he has served as a jury member for international competitions held in Germany, Singapore, Thailand, and China.
After graduating from the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, WONG pursued studies in France and the United States, where he obtained a performance diploma from CRR de Cergy-Pontoise, a Master of Music from the University of Wyoming, and a Doctor of Musical Arts from West Virginia University. His mentors include Michael Campbell, Jean-Yves Fourmeau, Michael Ibrahim, Jennifer To, and Scott Turpen. Outside of the regular curriculum, he also had private study with Vincent David, Claude Delangle, Daniel Gauthier, Jean-Marie Londeix, and Otis Murphy.