Hon Ning Cheung - chromatic harmonica

Hon Ning Cheung (1998-) is a composer and chromatic harmonica player based in Luzern and Maastricht. Graduating from chemistry bachelor at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology in 2020, she transposed from science to music. After four years, she finished her composition bachelor at Conservatorium Maastricht(NL) with Vykintas Baltakas, and currently continuing this journey at Hochschule Luzern for composition with Dieter Ammann and orchestral conducting with Clemens Heil. As a chromatic harmonica player, she has been expanding harmonica's repertoires through exploring its timbral possibilities and varied instrumental combination. Passionate about uncertainty and fragility in musical creations, Hon Ning loves to explore different art forms while being exposed in various dimensions as a musician, to continue searching her expression.

In 2021, she founded the Nefelibata New Music Collective, which she directed, composed and performed regularly to explore new concert formats together with the musicians at Conservatorium Maastricht. Over the past three years, she has been curating annual concert episodes Last Minutes Alive with the collective musicians. As a harmonicist, she formed "Atemsäer Duo" with pianist Lilian Phan, and "Wolken Trio" with Phan and percussionist Colin Crandal in hopes of expanding contemporary harmonica repertories in chamber music and collaborating actively with living composers abroad. Hon Ning has premiered harmonica works by Oswald Huỳnh, Kyohei Sugihara, Riccardo Perugini, Mario Pallas, Andy Janssen, Tai Nakamura, and Ethan Blackburn. In 2023, together with Nefelibata Sinfonietta and conductor Txemi Etxebarria, she brought the Dutch premiere of the violin concerto Fantasia by Einojuhani Rautavaara with chromatic harmonica.

Events

  • Flow

    David Bohn

    David Bohn received degrees in composition from the University of Wisconsin, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and the University of Illinois. He currently resides in West Allis, Wisconsin, and is the music coordinator at Peace Methodist Church in Brookfield. He is the President of the Wisconsin Alliance for Composers.

    [no program note]

  • Playing with Modes

    Miriam Carpinetti

    Miriam Carpinetti is Brazilian, former president of the Brazilian Association of Organists, with a Pipe Organ master's dissertation (UNICAMP). She has compositions published by “The Orgelbüchlein Project” and in “The Oxford Book of Organ Music by Women Composers”. She also has compositions recorded by renowned performers in various countries.

    This composition for chromatic harmonica bursts with joy, exploring diverse scales and modes. Its playful nature is reflected in the fluid transitions across various metrics, creating a vibrant tapestry of sound. The piece invites performers and listeners on a journey of delight and spontaneity, celebrating the harmonica's expressive potential.

  • Rooted

    Brian Ellis

    Brian Ellis is a creative coder, composer, and multi-instrumentalist. His artistic drive lies in using code to democratize creative expression. He founded the Brooklyn Motion Capture Dance Ensemble to explore this concept through the medium of dance, writes participatory chamber music to explore it through concert music settings.

    Rooted music is grounded in aural sensibilities and pleasing sonic explorations, aiming to dive into differing characters, timbres, and presentations of the same pitched material. This does so by exploring within the confines of miniature a sonic world of creativity, memory, and expansive play.

  • At Night In A Dream I Am Suddenly Home Again...

    Barry Paul Horrell

    The working process of composition has recently seen me exploring the differentiation of touch - both within instrumentation & with vocal expression. I am inspired to expand on this in future pieces. I love to compose with language and texture as the structural fabric of my creativity, specifically how to express an honest human experience to convey the 'actual' rather than a mere 'theatre of caricature' which can often become a kind of Jeu Libre. This abstract can translate into beautiful subtle textures that really excite me as a composer.

    Whilst working on ideas for this piece; I was recovering from a cold & fever. During a particular wild dream state I suddenly saw the harmonica as a magic spell box. The box holds spells & wishes but not a kind of pandora box that's forbidden, but rather a collection of spells held in suspension or collection. So the idea to sing/ speak into the instrument to attach the spell. The Harmonica should be viewed as a kind of Thangka veil for the intentions. An opening of wild abandon to a casting of intent & home.

  • mono #16-24

    Naoki Kondo

    Naoki Kondo (b.1995) is composer who lives in Kobe, Japan. Studied composition at Soai University. Explore disappearing sounds and spaces.

    This piece is one of the “mono” series. “mono” series are focused on exploring fragile and monochromatic spaces and times through composing, performing and listening its sounds including silence. Also, this series are inspired by Japanese poetry, haiku and tanka.

  • Butterfly in the palm

    Sakiko Kosaka

    Her main activities are based on Japanese ancient traditional music theory Gagaku (雅楽) that has peculiar glissando, radiant mass and distinctive structure. Her pieces were performed in New York, Italy, Sweden, Germany, Switzerland, Hong-Kong, Korea, Japan et al. She is composition member of ensemble KOCHI.

    Put the butterfly on your palm. Does it fly away? No, it would continue to breathe softly, gently opening and closing the wings. The harmonica expresses the breathing of the creature with various techniques. The wings will glow even brighter – to the metallic sound of harmonica matching its beauty –

  • One Minute of 8s

    Per Lönnqvist

    Born in 1996, Per Lönnqvist is a Swedish composer specializing in concert music, video game soundtracks, and film scores. After an initial focus on video game music, he expanded his expertise to include contemporary music, studying at Gotlands Tonsättarskola and completing a bachelor's degree in composition at the Gothenburg Academy of Music and Drama. His studies also included an enriching exchange program at Aichi University of the Arts in Japan. Currently, Per is pursuing a master’s degree in composition at the Gothenburg Academy of Music and Drama.

    This short 1-minute piece revolves around the number eight in different aspects. It contains five parts divided as 4 + 2 + 8 + 2 + 4. Then, each part is divided differently according to the number eight. The piece is almost like a mirror but often in contrast to each other. The first 4 + 2 is reflected in the last 2 + 4, backwards and slightly altered. Not only the notes but also the tempo, dynamics, and feelings behind the notes. This one minute of music is captivating, questioning, and one large movement surrounding the number eight.

  • Melodika

    Leslie Melcher

    Melcher studied at Ecole Normale de Musique and the IRCAM, in Paris France. Upon receiving his Premier Prix in Musical Composition, Melcher’s work was published by Symphony Land (String Quartet Aurore and Brass Quintet Nome). He has received many commissions, worldwide, notably in New York City, USA, The Spirit of Our Time (a major Cantata), Mad.Brass for brass band and Monday Nights for Wind Orchestra. In Toronto, Canada, Alone, for mixed choir, and electronics, Dark Matter for live Flute and Fixed Media, TAOv29 for Soprano solo and Balinese digital Orchestra. NOTUS Publications published his 6 Mutations for Piano.

    The idea of "Melodika" starts of course, with the Blues. I had written a Blues piece a couple years ago and wanted to transmit the same energy and feel, but in a more radical contemporary style. I used a new chromatic figured bass to guide me in composing the new solo piece, a bass line that I discarded as I progressed in my writing, while weaving it back into the score for Harmonica solo in the making of “Melodika”.

  • Canoa Quebrada

    Vinícius Nascimento

    Vinícius Nascimento is a composer, guitarist and writer. He graduated in Composition from the Brazilian Conservatory of Music (CBM). He is currently studying a Bachelor's degree in Classical Guitar at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ). He has obtained placements in several competitions and composition calls.

    Canoa Quebrada is the name of a beautiful beach located in Northeast Brazil. This small piece was built from the Brazilian genre called Baião that emerged in the North and Northeast of Brazil.

  • Psiquis

    Sebastian Ernesto PAFUNDO

    Argentino docente compositor, improvisador, bajista e experimentador sonoro. Compuso obras acústicas, electroacústicas y mixtas tanto en Argentina como en el exterior para diferentes formaciones. Actualmente miembro de Sonoridades Alternativas (Musica contemporánea Argentina )y de H.Tio Trio free jazz experimental.

    Que hay en nuestra psiquis , puede estar sana o rota... como la percibimos desde nuestro centro ?, hay algo mas que nos dirige?

  • Drawing #2: chromatic harmonica

    Federico Pozzer

    Federico Pozzer is a Berlin-based composer and performer. He likes art, simplicity, and incidental events. As a musician, he is particularly interested in elements of surprise and in shaping performance contexts that allow the emergence of unexpected factors. His music has been performed in Cafe OTO (London), Splendor (Amsterdam), KM28 (Berlin), 21st Century Guitar (Lisbon), Constellation (Chicago), among others. His works appear on Another Timbre and Blickwinkel releases. He holds a PhD in music composition from the University of Leeds (UK).

    Drawing #2: chromatic harmonica is one of the first pieces of my series "Drawings". An original drawing of a harmonica on the stave has been erased through a chance procedure leaving just a few dots, lines, and brush strokes. The performer interprets what remains from the drawing as notes and sounds.

  • Emotions quest

    Comet Smith

    Comet Smith is a young composer from Omaha, Nebraska. Starting his compositional career in 2020, he has quickly become active as both a composer, and performer. His music is colorful and sporadic, blending traditional harmonies with contemporary techniques to create timeless pieces of music.

    an introspective guide to emotions and feelings. Listen to the swells, screams, and sweet sappy sounds of the harmonica as the performer bounces between angry, sad, confused, and sleepy. Emotions quest is a piece that winds and snakes around our feelings.

  • Some Kind of Fanfare

    Alexander Unseth

    Alexander is what some may call an unorthodox composer. Guided solely by his perfect pitch, Alexander taught himself how to compose starting at the age of 17. Since then, he has won international competitions in countries such as the USA, Canada, and England. He is the youngest featured artist on two international albums, Advent of the Symphonina and New Baroque - Sonatas (2025). He is a huge advocate for new music for amateur ensembles and has worked with schools and churches across Missouri to accomplish this goal. He is currently a business major at UMKC.

    Some Kind of Fanfare is a fanfare in certain regards. It has a rhythmic feel often heard in marches...but played on a harmonica. However, along with the triumphant sections, there are moments of flowing melancholy and nostalgia. It all culminates in a piercing note at the end of the register, similar to a trumpet blowing your ears out in classic fanfare fashion.

  • Homage to Charles Ives

    Willyn Whiting

    Willyn Whiting is a composer of acoustic, electronic and mixed music. His works have been performed/presented in Canada, the US, the UK, Germany, Italy and Taiwan. He is a graduate of the University of North Texas, University of Western Ontario and University of Toronto.

    This piece alternates between two very different ideas. One which focuses on the cultural significance of the harmonica another which draws attention to the human breath going in and out of the instrument.

  • Whiffle

    Blair Whittington

    Blair Whittington is a Los Angeles native and composer. He primarily composes chamber music, songs and electronic music. His music has been performed across the United States and Europe.

    I was fascinated by the idea of the 14 hole chromatic harmonica having the same range as the violin. I was also interested in what an expressive instrument it is. This piece contrasts expressive phrases with a staccato middle section with dyad punctuations.