葉惠康博士
Dr. Yip Wai-hong SBS MH
香港兒童交響樂團創團音樂總監 Founder & Music Director, Hong Kong Children's Symphony Orchestra
泛亞交響樂團創團音樂總監 Founding Music Director, Pan Asia Symphony Orchestra
香港專業管樂團創團音樂總監 Founding Music Director, Hong Kong Professional Winds
葉氏兒童合唱團創團音樂總監 Founding Music Director, Yip's Children's Choir
葉氏兒童音樂實踐中心創團音樂總監 Founding Music Director, Yip's Children's Choral & Performing Arts Centre
葉惠康博士致力兒童音樂教育工作五十多年，是一位卓越的音樂老師及作曲家，四十多年來為香港音樂教育界作出偉大貢獻，並成為香港音樂教育界的傳奇人物，地位舉足輕重。他早年肆業於北京燕京大學音樂系，畢業於中央音樂學院，主修理論作曲。1970年獲美國肯塔基州南方浸信會神學院碩士學位，1979年於美國德州西南浸信會神學院，取得音樂藝術博士學位。葉博士的作品有交響樂、器樂曲、合唱曲、清唱劇和民歌改編曲等。他與香港浸會大學淵源深遠，1963年至1992年於該校任教，1973年建立了音樂藝術學系，出任系主任二十年，其間出任文學院院長四年。1993年獲受任為該校校董。
葉博士對本港合唱音樂及交響樂的教育普及工作均貢獻良多，被稱為香港的「兒童合唱團之父」。1969年他首先創辦了香港兒童合唱團，又協助組織多個本地兒童合唱團，在領導香港兒童合唱團的十四年間，曾被國際音樂教育協會(ISME)連續三度邀請在1974、1976及1978年會議上作示範表演。葉博士於1983年創立了葉氏兒童合唱團。四十多年來每年率領出國組往海外巡回演出，包括歐洲、美洲、亞洲、澳洲、非洲，達三十多次，其中參加了很多國家的音樂節和文化交流活動，並曾於多個國際音樂會議演出，包括再度應國際音樂教育協會(ISME)邀請，先後於1988年澳洲舉行的第十八屆會議、以及1998年於南非舉行的第廿三屆會議作示範表演；1989年獲邀在全美國合唱指揮家聯會(ACDA)第三十屆會議上表演，受到四千位指揮熱烈的贊賞；1996年又應邀在全英國合唱指揮家聯會(ABCD)第十一屆會議示範葉氏兒童合唱訓練法及作閉幕演出。1982葉博士出任在本港舉行的國際兒童合唱節的藝術總監之後，就聯合了多國兒童合唱指揮，組織了國際兒童合唱及演藝協會(ISCCPA)並被選為主席，策劃和推動國際活動，影響廣闊深遠。1987年他被推舉為永遠名譽主席後，於1999年復出任主席至2002年，又再被邀為永遠名譽主席。2018年創立了亞太青年交響樂團聯盟，並於香港成功舉辦第一屆亞太青年交響樂團音樂節。
葉博士是一位有實效的音樂教育家，他緊密地領導他所創辨的葉氏兒童音樂實踐中心的同工們，不斷進行教學研究，他的「兒童音樂教育新概念和系統」廣為本港及海外音樂教育界所推崇。他曾被邀請到美國、俄羅斯、丹麥、巴西、新加坡、澳洲等地的音樂節作專題演講，題目包括「葉氏兒童音樂教育體系」、「如何組織兒童合唱團」、「合唱訓練法」、「變聲期的處理」、「應用電腦程序遊戲學習樂理基本知識」、「聽音訓練」等。 葉博士曾應邀在日本全國鋼琴比賽及美國《珍娜‧芭候雅》國際鋼琴比賽中擔任評判，並任後者的國際顧問。他又曾長時期在電視及電台推廣古典音樂、組織音樂節、舉辦音樂研討會、邀請海外各類演奏家或樂團到本港表演。
1976年葉博士創立了香港泛亞交響樂團，出任音樂總監及指揮，致力推廣古典音樂和中國管弦樂作品，更成功地舉行了很多教育性貿的音樂會，是開創管弦樂教育講座音樂會的先河，得到政府文化節目部的支持，他又曾應邀指揮上海芭蕾舞樂團、廣州交響樂團和三藩市室樂團演出。
而為了培養香港的兒童器樂好手，他更於1996年創辦香港兒童交響樂團，使兒童音樂教育的層面更為擴大。2013年又成立了香港專業管樂團。
多年來葉博士對音樂教育的貢獻，得到廣泛社會各界向他頒發不同的榮譽名銜，如美國 Fort Worth 市、達拉斯市及吐桑市的榮譽市民名銜；美國科羅拉多州Avon湖市頒授金鑰匙；美國肯塔基州頒授上將名銜；1990年香港教育家年獎；2003年度香港特別行政區頒授榮譽勳章。2006年香港浸會大學向葉博士頒授榮譽院士名銜。2008年榮獲英國威爾士座堂學校院士銜；葉博士對兒童音樂教育貢獻良多，並致力推動合唱音樂及管弦樂發展，表現傑出，於2011年獲頒授銅紫荊星章，並於2021年獲頒授銀紫荊星章。2013年獲頒萬寶龍國際藝術贊助大獎，2017年榮獲香港作曲家及作詞家協會 (C.A.S.H.) 頒發的音樂成就大獎，以表揚葉博士在音樂創作上對社會的貢獻。葉博士於2023年獲香港藝術發展局頒發終身成就獎，以表揚過去為香港音樂藝術發展的貢獻。
葉博士善於發掘才能超卓的兒童、少年，給予良好的環境和條件，加以鼓勵和培育。他歷年所建立的多個樂團 (合唱團、交響樂團)，就是這些超卓孩子孕育成長的地方。其中皎皎者有五位國際青年指揮家比賽冠軍 (葉詠詩、曾智斌丶蘇柏軒丶廖國敏及陳以琳)、一位世界知名小提琴演奏家 (李傳韻)、一批香港學界管弦樂和合唱的知名指揮，以及一批小提琴專業演奏者。
Dr. Yip Wai-hong's contribution to Hong Kong music education over the last four decades has become the stuff of legend. He is also an eminent composer and a music teacher himself. Dr. Yip entered Yen-Ching University, Beijing in China and later graduated from the Peking Central Conservatory of Music, majoring in music theory and composition. Afterwards he graduated with a Master of Church Music Degree in 1970 from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, Kentucky, USA. In 1979, Dr. Yip was conferred Doctor of Musical Arts Degree with Academic Achievement Award from the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, USA. His works include symphonic music, concerto, instrumental music, oratorio, choral music and arrangements of Chinese folk music. He had been the Head and Professor of the Music and Fine Arts Department, Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) for almost 30 years before his retirement in 1992. he has also been appointed as one of the Directors of the Board of Governors of the HKBU since 1993.
Dr. Yip Wai-hong’s contribution to Hong Kong music education over the last four decades has become the stuff of legend. He is also an eminent composer and a music teacher himself. Dr. Yip entered Yen-Ching University, Beijing in China and later graduated from the Peking Central Conservatory of Music, majoring in music theory and composition. Afterwards he graduated with a Master of Church Music Degree in 1970 from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, Kentucky, USA. In 1979, Dr. Yip was conferred Doctor of Musical Arts Degree with Academic Achievement Award from the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, USA. His works include symphonic music, concerto, instrumental music, oratorio, choral music and arrangements of Chinese folk music. He had been the Head and Professor of the Music and Fine Arts Department, Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) for almost 30 years before his retirement in 1992. He was also appointed as one of the Directors of the Board of Governors of the HKBU in 1993.
Dr. Yip is known as the “Father of Children’s Choir” in Hong Kong. He also helped establish many local choirs in Hong Kong throughout the years. Dr. Yip first founded the Hong Kong Children’s Choir (HKCC) in 1969, being its Music Director and Conductor until 1983. During those 14 years, Dr. Yip and his Choir had been invited three times in succession by the International Society for Music Education (ISME) to give concerts in their biannual conferences in 1974, 1976 and 1978. Dr Yip then founded the Yip’s Children’s Choir (YCC) in 1983. Under his leadership, YCC has given overseas concert performance every year all over the world including Europe, America, Asia, Australia and Africa. Dr. Yip was again invited by the ISME to lead YCC presenting concert in the 18th ISME Conference in Australia, 1988 and the 23rd ISME Conference in South Africa, 1998. Dr. Yip also demonstrated both his music education system and choral training method at the 1989 biennial conference of the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) in Kentucky, the U.S., as well as the 11th Association of British Choral Directors (ABCD) Conference in Oxford, the UK, in 1996. Dr. Yip’s presentation of the Yip’s Education System and Pedagogy aroused great interests at the conference. Dr. Yip had also given workshops in the First International Music Festival in Singapore, the International Festival of Children’s Choirs in Moscow, as well as lecturing in Brazil.
Following the 1982 International Children’s Choir Festival held in Hong Kong, Dr. Yip who was Artistic Director for the Festival, together with several choir directors from various countries, established the International Society of Children’s Choral & Performing Arts (ISCCPA) in Salt Lake City, Utah, in 1983. He was then elected Chairman of the Society. In August, 1987, Dr. Yip was appointed Permanent Honorary Chairman of the Society at the John F. Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. where the Society’s headquarter was located. He was re-elected as Chairman of the Society from 1999-2002 before re-appointed as Permanent Honorary Chairman afterwards. In 2018, he established the Asia-Pacific Youth Symphony Orcehstra Alliances, and held the 1st Asia-Pacific Youth Symphony Orchestra Festival in Hong Kong.
In 1976, Dr. Yip established the Pan Asia Symphony Orchestra for the purpose of promoting Chinese Orchestra music. His presentation of symphony concerts in the form of seminar was regarded as a pioneering move at that time. He had guest conducted the San Francisco Chamber Orchestra, the Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra, and the Shanghai Ballet Symphony Orchestra in 1982, 1984 and 1985 respectively. To take a furtherstep to nourish young talents in Hong Kong, Dr. Yip founded the Hong Kong Children’s Symphony Orchestra in 1996. In 2013, he established the Hong Kong Professional Winds.
Dr. Yip had worked on several pedagogical researches with his colleagues at the Yip’s Children’s Choral & Performing Arts Centre (YCCPAC) designing the Yip’s music education system for children which has widely been adopted by local music organizations in Hong Kong and overseas. He had been invited to various International seminars in the US. Russia, Denmark, Brazil, Singapore and Australia to present workshops about “Yip’s Pedagogy”, “How to Manage a Children’s Choir”, “Choral Training Methods”, “How to Treat Changing Voices”, “Application of Computer Musical Games” and “Aural Training”. Dr. Yip accepted invitation from the Piano Teachers National Association (PTNA) of Japan to serve as a member of jury in the 1987 PTNA National Piano Competition. Dr. Yip is a member of the International Advisory Board of the Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition US and server as a jury member of the 1988 Competition.
Due to his highly acclaimed accomplishments, Dr. Yip was conferred Honorary Fellowship of Hong Kong Baptist University. The honours and accolades bestowed upon him during his illustrious career include Honorary Citizenship of Fort Worth, Dallas and Tuscon; The Golden Key of Avon Lake, Florida; Colonel of the State of Kentucky, USA; and Hong Kong Art Educator of the Year (1990). In 2003, he was awarded the Medal of Honour of the Hong Kong Special Administration Region. Dr. Yip was made the Fellows of Wells Cathedral School, the United Kingdom in 2008. In 2011, Dr. Yip was awarded the Bronze Bauhinia Star (BBS) and Silver Bauhinia Star (SBS) in 2011 and 2021 respectively for his valuable contribution to children music education, as well as his dedication in promoting the development of choral and orchestral music. He was awarded 2013 Montblanc de la Culture Arts Patronage Award. In 2017, Dr. Yip was awarded the Hall of Fame Award from the Composers and Authors Society of Hong Kong (C.A.S.H.) for his dedication in music composition. In 2023, Dr Yip was awarded the Life Achievement Award from the Hong Kong Arts Development Council for his ongoing contribution of Hong Kong veteran arts partitioners whose craftsmanship and achievements are widely acknowledged by the arts communities.
Dr. Yip is renowned for exploring gifted young musicians, where he encourages and cultivates their calibre under an excellent environment. The talented children and teenagers develop in the numerous choirs as well as symphony orchestras founded by Dr Yip over the years. Some of the elites included Yip Wing-sie, Jimmy Chiang, Perry So, Liu Kuokman and Elim Chan, winners of international conducting competitions; Li Chuan-yun, world-class violin virtuoso; celebrated schools orchestral & choral conductors; and a group of prospering professional violinists.
