Born and raised in Hong Kong, Adrian Wong is a composer whose music lives in his city’s dichotomies: where the tranquil ocean embraces crisscrossed neon frenzy; where ancient temples meet jagged glass and concrete; and where the exuberant, never-ending hustle and bustle lends itself to quiet, spacious introspection. What makes sense of Hong Kong’s paradoxes also serves as Adrian’s core philosophy—empathy, community, and connection.
From generation-defining issues like the climate crisis and industrial farming, to the smaller things in life like the lullabies his mother sang and the tastes and textures of his favorite desserts, Adrian draws inspiration from what makes us human.
Currently based in Philadelphia, Adrian’s music has straddled the Pacific Ocean and then some: it has seen performances from the bustling Hong Kong City Hall to the serene St. Martin-in-the-Fields in London’s Trafalgar Square; from Greece’s Ancient Theatre of Pythagorion to the repurposed Carriage House at Lake George in New York. His choral works have also been featured in the World Choir Games in Auckland and Gangneung and in concerts in London, Italy, Taiwan, Singapore, and Tokyo. The Diocesan Choral Society’s victory at the 2025 World Choral Championship, which featured Adrian’s piece 武藝 – Martial Arts as their commissioned centerpiece, was awarded as one of Radio Television Hong Kong’s Top 10 Music Headlines in 2025.
Highlights of the 2025-26 season include the premieres of How to Say Goodbye, a SATB choir and piano work commissioned by David Hahn, the Paul S. and Jean R. Amos Distinguished Chair in Music and Conductor of the Schwob Singers at Columbus State University; 尋情天花板, a 20-minute monodrama for tenor Stephen Ng and percussionist Matthew Lau; Look at Me, a new art song commissioned by NATS (National Association of Teachers of Singing); and performances in Paris, Cambridge, Montréal, Cincinnati, Boston, Chicago, and Hong Kong. Adrian’s upcoming projects for the 2026-27 season include pieces for Cong Quartet, the Mendelssohn Chorus of Philadelphia, Philadelphia Voices of Pride, Diocesan Choral Society, pianist Zac Leung, and a band consortium commission led by Prof. Courtney Snyder and the University of Michigan Concert Band.
Adrian’s past commissions include works for the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, Curtis Institute of Music, Samos Young Artists Festival, NOEMA, Young New Yorkers’ Chorus, Hong Kong Composers’ Guild, trumpeter James Vaughen (Principal Trumpet, Minnesota Orchestra), Evan Luca Gray (IOS, Zürich), countertenor Sam Higgins, pianist Zach Hoi Leong Cheong, Lati2de, Christ Church Georgetown, among others.
Adrian has collaborated with tenor Hongrui Ren; flutist Julin Cheung; and bassoonists Asha Kline, Kahlan Yenney, Luis Márquez Teruel, among others. His music has also been performed or recorded by ensembles such as St. Martin’s Voices, Stare at the Sun choir, NOTUS Contemporary Ensemble, Hong Kong Voices, Hong Kong Youth Choir, Illinois State University Madrigal Singers, Hemiola Choir (UK), The Mad Singers, Voices of Singapore Singers, Alarm Will Sound, h2 saxophone quartet, Hub New Music, Hong Kong New Music Ensemble, the Rhythm Method, Ninth Planet, Nu Quintet, and NOVA Ensemble; and musicians such as oboists Katherine Needleman and Philippe Tondre, bassoonist Daniel Matsukawa, and pianist Jihye Chang.
In recent years, Adrian has held fellowships from the Curtis Institute of Music and the Intimacy of Creativity at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. He has also received awards from the American Prize, the RED NOTE Composition Competition, Stare at the Sun choir, Juventas New Music Ensemble, Philadelphia Voices of Pride, the Hong Kong New Generation Composition Competition, the Brevard Music Center, Stare at the Sun Choir, Juventas New Music Ensemble, NATS (National Association of Teachers of Singing), BRACE New Music Choir, and Nu Quintet. A recent Curtis graduate, Adrian received the Provosts’ Award for Achievement in Career Studies, recognizing his teaching artist work at the George Washington Carver High School of Engineering and Science.
Besides his work as a composer and teaching artist, Adrian is the Coordinator for Community Partnerships at the Curtis Institute of Music and also serves on Curtis’ Musical Studies faculty. He maintains a small studio of private composition students of all ages. To inquire about lessons, click here.
Adrian received an M.M. in music composition from the Curtis Institute of Music as the Milton L. Rock Composition Fellow, studying with Amy Beth Kirsten, Jonathan Bailey Holland, Nick DiBerardino, Richard Danielpour, and Steven Mackey. Adrian received a B.M. in music composition with Highest Honors at the University of Michigan - Ann Arbor, studying with Bright Sheng and Kristin Kuster. Other non-composition teachers include Jonathan Coopersmith, Courtney Snyder, Adrian Slywotzky, Mark Stover, Julie Skadsem, Felix Shuen (all conducting); Keiko Sato and Matthew Bengtson (piano); and Mary Javian (social entrepreneurship).
Thanks to his Dad, Adrian has been playing football (soccer) since he was a toddler and is a (once) long-suffering supporter of Newcastle United. Other hobbies include surprising people with the amount of food he consumes and finding the best ramen in Philadelphia.
作曲家黃子峻 (Adrian Wong) 出生並成長於香港，而其音樂深深植根於這座城市的矛盾之中：寧靜的大海與交錯閃爍的霓虹喧囂並存；古老廟宇與尖銳的玻璃高樓及混凝土建築彼此交會；而那永不停歇、充滿生命力的繁忙節奏，同時孕育出安靜而遼闊的內在沉思。香港獨特悖論的元素之所以能夠共存，也成為Adrian的核心哲學——同理心、社群與連結。
從定義一整個世代的議題，如氣候危機與工業化畜牧，到生活中的細微片刻，例如母親吟唱的搖籃曲，以及他最喜愛甜點的味道與口感，Adrian的靈感始終來自於「人之所以為人」的本質。
Adrian目前定居於費城，而他的音樂跨越太平洋，遍及世界各地：香港大會堂、倫敦 Trafalgar Square 的聖馬丁教堂（St. Martin-in-the-Fields）、希臘的畢達哥拉斯古劇場（Ancient Theatre of Pythagorion）、紐約 Lake George 的 Carriage House等也能聽到他的足跡。其合唱作品亦曾於奧克蘭與江陵的世界合唱大賽，以及倫敦、義大利、台灣、新加坡與東京等地演出。拔萃詠歌團在 2025 世界合唱錦標賽中，以 Adrian 的委約創作《武藝》作為核心指定曲目奪冠，並被香港電台評選為 2025 年十大音樂新聞之一。
2025–26 樂季的重要作品包括：《How to Say Goodbye》首演——一首由 Columbus State University 的 Schwob Singers 指揮暨 Paul S. and Jean R. Amos Distinguished Chair in Music 的 David Hahn 委託創作、為合唱與鋼琴而寫的作品；《尋情天花板》——一部長達 20 分鐘、由男高音 Stephen Ng 與打擊樂家 Matthew Lau 演出的獨角音樂劇；以及由美國National Association of Teachers of Singing委託創作的新藝術歌曲《Look at Me》。此外，其作品亦將於巴黎、劍橋、蒙特婁、辛辛那提、波士、芝加哥與香港演出。
Adrian 於 2026–27 樂季的首演，包括為 Cong Quartet、Mendelssohn Chorus of Philadelphia、Philadelphia Voices of Pride、拔萃詠歌團、鋼琴家 Zac Leung 創作新作，以及由 Courtney Snyder 教授與 University of Michigan Concert Band 主導的聯合委託管樂作品。
Adrian 過去的委託創作合作對象包括香港管弦樂團、Curtis Institute of Music、Samos Young Artists Festival、NOEMA、Young New Yorkers’ Chorus、Hong Kong Composers’ Guild、小號演奏家 James Vaughen（Philadelphia Orchestra 首席小號）、Evan Luca Gray（IOS, Zürich）、假聲男高音 Sam Higgins、鋼琴家 Zach Hoi Leong Cheong、Lati2de 以及 Christ Church Georgetown 等。
他亦曾與男高音 Hongrui Ren、長笛演奏家 Julin Cheung，以及低音管演奏家 Asha Kline、Kahlan Yenney、Luis Márquez Teruel 等音樂家合作。其作品曾由 St. Martin’s Voices、Stare at the Sun choir、NOTUS Contemporary Ensemble、香港和聲、香港新青年合唱團、Illinois State University Madrigal Singers、英國 Hemiola Choir、The Mad Singers、Voices of Singapore Singers、Alarm Will Sound、h2 saxophone quartet、Hub New Music、香港創樂團、the Rhythm Method、Ninth Planet、Nu Quintet 與 NOVA Ensemble 等團體演出或錄製；合作音樂家還包括雙簧管演奏家 Katherine Needleman 與 Philippe Tondre、巴松管演奏家 Daniel Matsukawa，以及鋼琴家 Jihye Chang。
近年來，Adrian 曾獲 Curtis Institute of Music 與香港科技大學「Intimacy of Creativity」計畫的獎助與駐校機會。他亦獲得 American Prize、RED NOTE Composition Competition、Stare at the Sun choir、Juventas New Music Ensemble、Philadelphia Voices of Pride、Hong Kong New Generation Composition Competition、Brevard Music Center、NATS、BRACE New Music Choir 與 Nu Quintet 等機構與比賽的獎項與肯定。
作為 Curtis Institute of Music 的畢業生，Adrian 曾獲頒 Provosts’ Award for Achievement in Career Studies，以表彰其於 George Washington Carver High School of Engineering and Science 擔任教學藝術家的貢獻。
除了作曲與教學藝術工作外，Adrian 現亦擔任 Curtis Institute of Music 的 Community Partnerships Coordinator，並於 Curtis 的 Musical Studies faculty 任教。
Adrian 於 Curtis Institute of Music 取得音樂作曲碩士，並擔任 Milton L. Rock Composition Fellow，師從 Amy Beth Kirsten、Jonathan Bailey Holland、Nick DiBerardino、Richard Danielpour 與 Steven Mackey。他亦以最高榮譽自 University of Michigan – Ann Arbor 取得音樂作曲學士，師從 Bright Sheng 與 Kristin Kuster。其他非作曲領域的老師包括 Jonathan Coopersmith、Courtney Snyder、Adrian Slywotzky、Mark Stover、Julie Skadsem、Felix Shuen（指揮）；Keiko Sato 與 Matthew Bengtson（鋼琴）；以及 Mary Javian（社會創業）。
多虧父親的影響，Adrian 從幼年起便開始踢足球，並是英超球隊 紐卡素的「長期受苦型」球迷。其他興趣包括以驚人的食量讓身邊的人感到震撼，以及在費城尋找最好吃的拉麵。