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If there is such thing as a rock star of classical music in Hong Kong, Ng Cheuk-yin is it. Or perhaps that should be the classical star of Hong Kong rock. It’s difficult to place the 31-year-old composer, arranger, and performer, whose already considerable oeuvre includes works ranging from orchestral to electronic, from film soundtracks to musicals, and from choral works to pop songs.

“I want to write something really new and really contemporary and always about my culture and society,” says Ng. “I try my best to create my own style.”

Among his many career highlights, the Hong Kong Sinfonietta’s associate artist won the Hong Kong Theme Award at the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra International Competition for Chinese Orchestral Composition 2000, and his orchestral work The Static Days was selected and performed by the Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra in Slovenia at the International Society for Contemporary Music’s 2003 World Music Day.

Earlier this year, Ng, along with his band SIU2, erlaeased an album called Open Door, an excellent fusion work of classical-meets-rock, East-meets-West, and traditional-meets-modern, which beautifully captures the essence of the cacophonous chaos of the city we live in. It is perhaps as close to a musical representation of Hong Kong we could ever hope for. It’s also a good look inside its creator. “All the music I write is representing myself, my own feeling,” Ng says. “I think it’s young, and energetic.”

Youth and energy is exactly what the classical music world needs – we can count ourselves lucky to have it right here in Hong Kong.

Recommended listening: SIU2 – Open Door (2008)

Ng Cheuk-yin’s a cappella show Rock Hard plays on November 14 & 15 at City Hall as part of the New Vision Arts Festival.