Toolbox Percussion has been driving percussive arts programming in Hong Kong since 2012, curating ambitious music projects in innovative ways. Toolbox Percussion, as a creative incubator, works to make new music happen by commissioning, collaborating, professional training, performing, recording and touring contemporary performances. Believe in the beautiful concerted efforts of every young talent we involve. Toolbox continues to empower the audience to discover versatility in daily soundscapes by anchoring our work closely to the here and now of Hong Kong.
Over the past seasons, Toolbox Percussion toured to Asia Culture Center at Gwangju in South Korea and made its US debut at the San Francisco International Arts Festival. Other appearances included Shipyard 1862 Theatre in Shanghai, Jockey New Arts Power, and active involvement in audience development programmes co-presented by Leisure and Cultural Services Department, Hong Kong Arts Festival PLUS, and Taikwun.
Co-hosted with the Chinese Culture Center of San Francisco in 2019, works of Toolbox Percussion were showcased in an exhibition titled "A Double Listen" for the first time in the United States. This sound- based exhibition became an ongoing project as a core production series, a scalable rerun was held at H Queen's in June 2021, a site-specific edition for ArtisTree in August 2022, and the exhibition will be on tour at Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale in Summer 2023.
Toolbox Percussion is currently a three-year grantee of the Hong Kong Arts Development Council.
TOOLBOX PERCUSSION ARTISTS
LOUIS SIU
Louis decided to pursue a career in the art scene after spending a summer at Aspen with the support of the Asian Cultural Council fellowship during his undergraduate studies. He completed his BM at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and was a scholarship student at Central Saint Martins and received his MA - Arts and Cultural Enterprise in distinction. His passion for cultural advancement continued to grow through his performing and curating career. Before specializing in artistic planning, Louis was a Teaching Artist with the San Francisco Symphony and served as Principal Percussionist with the Macao Orchestra. His most recent engagement was Curator of Classical: NEXT - Hong Kong / TAKE OFF and Creator of Toolbox Manoeuvre - an interdisciplinary showcase at Jockey Club New Arts Power Festival. As Executive Artistic Director of Toolbox Percussion, Louis drives artistic projects, community programs, exchange tours, as well as TICA (Toolbox International Creative Academy), a festival focus on initiatives such as creativity, co-curation, and cultural diplomacy.
Hoi is a former percussionist of the Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra and a winner in Percussion (Advanced Level) at the 1998 Macao Young Musicians Competition. She studied percussion under Harmen Cnossen, former musician of the Macao Orchestra, and then studied at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (HKAPA) in 2004 under Alan Cumberland, Woo Shuk-fai, James Boznos and Shaun Tilburg, with a grant from the Macao Foundation. After receiving her Bachelor of Music at HKAPA, Hoi furthered her studies at Carnegie Mellon University in 2009, earning a Master Of Music while learning from the percussionists of Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. Hoi’s music festival experience includes participation in the Australian International Summer Orchestra Institute, Canton International Summer Music Academy and Texas Music Festival.
Since 2004 Hoi has been a guest musician of the Macao Orchestra, and has made frequent appearances as a freelancer in Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, Hong Kong Sinfonietta, Hangzhou Philharmonic Orchestra, Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra, and Macao Chinese Orchestra. She is a percussion instructor at Macau Baptist College, University of Macao, Macau Band Directors Association, and Macao Youth Symphony Orchestra, where she is a member of the Board of Directors. Hoi is also a supervisor of Macao Percussion Association.
Lei-lei Hoi
Abby CHAN
Abby Chan graduated from Royal Northern College of Music with Master of Performance (Distinction), Chan also holds a Bachelor of Arts in Music from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, under the tutorship of Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra percussionist Sophia Woo. Chan has participated in various music festivals such as the International Summer Academy of Mozarteum Salzburg and the International Katarzyna Mycka Marimba Academy.
Alvin Chan
CHAN Chun-San, Alvin studied in The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts where he holds a degree in Bachelor of Music (Honours) with first-class honour and a degree in Master of Music under the full scholarships of The Hong Kong Jockey Club Music and Dance Fund. During his study, he has also been awarded the SAR Philharmonic Scholarship and the Chan Ho Choi Enchanting Music Scholarship. His teachers are Dr Lung Heung-wing, James Boznos and Alan Cumberland. Alvin is an experienced performer in many kinds of music genres. He is the resident percussionist of Hong Kong Gaudeamus Dunhuang Ensemble since 2018 and has toured to Dunhuang and Quanzhou. In 2019, Alvin co-founded “Vertex Percussion Duo” and “M.A.R.B.L.E.S. Percussion”. Alvin is also a freelance player of Macau Orchestra, Hong Kong Sinfonietta and Philharmonia APA.
Bryony Che
Bryony Che Hiu Lam has been learning music from her parents since young. With full support from the HKSAR Government Scholarship, she completed Bachelor Degree of Music and is now pursuing Master Degree of Music at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts. She majors in Timpani and Orchestral Percussion under the tutelage of James Boznos and Aziz Barnard Luce, both Principals of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra. During her study, she won champion in the Marimba category and first runner up in the Timpani category at the 2018 IPEA competitions. In 2019, she attended the National Music Festival, Chestertown, MD and performed as soloist. Being awarded the Lady Fung Fellowship from the Asian Cultural Council and she attended the Aspen Summer Music Festival in 2022. She was one of the percussionists performing with the Up:Strike Project to premiere “HKACT! Act 10 - Daedalus Drones” by Ken Ueno at the NewVision Arts Festival 2021. She is also selected to be a player at The Orchestral Academy Hong Kong. She is a freelance player of Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, Inheritage Philharmonic, and Associate Artist of Toolbox Percussion.
Ivan Yeung
Ivan Yeung received his Bachelor Degree of Music in Education from the Hong Kong Institute of Education (now EdUHK), majoring in percussion performance and pedagogy under the guidance of Ms. Rebecca Ng. He also studied music composition, and was awarded several scholarships and prizes in composing competitions. Upon graduation, Yeung continued contributing as a percussionist in various ensembles, including Hong Kong Wind Philharmonia, Gustav Mahler Orchestra, Learners Orchestra, and Hong Kong Festival Orchestra. He was also one of the founding members of the 2-piano-2-percussion contemporary group Quarter.
Jacky Lam
LAM Tin-chun, Jacky is a graduate of Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Music degree at the Hong Kong Baptist University, where his major teachers included Choy Lap Tak and Sophia Woo. Jacky has participated in different ensembles. He had been appointed as the principal percussionist of Hong Kong Baptist University Symphony Orchestra. And he also was the percussionist of Pan Asia Symphony Orchestra, Global Symphony Orchestra, Festival Orchestra, Music Lab Orchestra, The SAR Philharmonic Orchestra, Hong Kong Baptist University Wind Symphony, Hong Kong Band Directors Wind Orchestra, Hong Kong Festival Wind Orchestra, Hong Kong Chamber Wind Philharmonia, Galaxy Wind Ensemble, Citywinds Ensemble, Hong Kong Bravissimo Wind Ensemble and Hong Kong Baptist University Percussion Ensemble etc.
Lauren Yuen
Lauren Yuen Man Lam is a percussionist and music educator based in Hong Kong. She performs music ranging from orchestral, contemporary, to jazz. She works as a freelance musician in Opera Hong Kong, Hong Kong Grand Opera, Hong Kong Strings, Hong Kong Oratorio Society and Gustav Mahler Orchestra. She joins Toolbox Percussion as Associate Artist in 2022. Lauren was awarded the “Best Soloist Award” as a jazz vibraphonist in Hong Kong Youth Jazz Collective. Her band was also awarded the “Best Band Performance Award”, for performing her arrangement of David Friedman’s “Texas Hoedown”. In 2018, she performed Edgar Varése’s “Ionisation” with percussionists of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra. Lauren received a Bachelor of Music (Honours) Degree at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts. She majored in Percussion and studied Percussion with Sophia Woo Shuk-Fai, and Timpani with James Boznos. She started learning jazz vibraphone under the tutelage of Chien Chien Lu in 2020, and has become the first Jazz Vibraphonist in Hong Kong.