OWEN HO is a composer and conductor. Described as “highly imaginative and interesting”, he is the first-prize winner of the AESS Song Writing Competition for Composers 2019 and a winner of the Arcubus Ensemble Call for Scores 2020. His interdisciplinary work, Romantic Remnants, has been commissioned by the Bloomsbury Festival 2020 (London) and funded by the Hong Kong Arts Development Council. Previously, he received honourable mention in the IOCSF Choral Composition Competition 2016 and was a finalist in the Hendrix College Candlelight Carol Competition 2016. Published by the UCLA Music Library, Goodmusic Publishing Ltd., and listed on the CoMA Library, his music has been performed across the UK, Europe, USA, and Hong Kong. With the support of MusicFest Bursary, he also participated in MusicFest Aberystwyth 2019. His current musical interest lies in the manifestations of romanticism in contemporary music.

 

Equally active as a conductor, Owen is the Artistic Director of Ensemble Matters, a London-based group committed to contemporary classical music and multidisciplinary collaborations. He also serves as the Music Director of the Goodensemble Orchestra, a cross-conservatoire orchestra in London with whom he presents 4 concerts per season. In 2019, he co-hosted the London Conductors’ Salon, where musician-conductors gathered to discuss scores and conducting matters. Previously, he was an Assistant Conductor of the Hong Kong Southern District Orchestra as well as a guest conductor on various other occasions.

 

Owen is currently a Doctor of Music (Composition) student at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama under the supervision of Julian Anderson. Previously, he graduated with a Master of Music (Composition) with Distinction from the Royal College of Music under the generous support of the Hong Kong Scholarship for Excellence Scheme. His principal teachers were Kenneth Hesketh (composition), Howard Williams (conducting), Michael Oliva (electroacoustic music), and Michael Ladouceur (film music). He obtained his Bachelor of Arts in Music with First Class Honours from the University of Hong Kong and is a recipient of numerous prizes and scholarships in recognition of his academic excellence, including the Foundation Scholarship for Outstanding Students, HKU Faculty of Arts Dean’s Honours List, Hong Kong Children’s Choir Scholarship, Bernard Van Zuiden Prize, Rayson Huang Scholarship in Music, Jao Yu Tsong Memorial Prize in Music, Run Run Shaw Scholarship, and Prof. Robert Lord Memorial Prize in Music.

 

Owen is also grateful to the financial support of Macfarlane Walker Trust 2020, Goodenough College Bursary 2019 - 2021, and GSMD Financial Award 2020.