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https://scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/3013164/hong-kong-philharmonic-fires-programme-head-lam-fung-despite
Lifestyle/ Arts & Culture

Hong Kong Philharmonic fires programme head Lam Fung, despite pledge to work closer with local talents

  • The HK Phil did not offer reasons for the sudden dismissal of Lam, who received a “perfectly fine” appraisal in March and had had no warnings
  • His dismissal directly contradicts what music director Jaap van Zweden said last month about it being “very important” to work with local talent
Lam Fung, pictured here in 2014, became the HK Phil’s director of artistic planning in 2017. Photo: May Tse

The Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra has fired its programme head – a top home-grown composer from the city – just weeks after it pledged to collaborate more with local music talent.

Lam Fung, who became the orchestra’s director of artistic planning in 2017, was abruptly dismissed on May 22 despite having an unblemished record with the company.

His dismissal directly contradicts what HK Phil music director Jaap van Zweden said at the troupe’s new season launch in May about it being “very important” for his orchestra to work with local talent.

For 39-year-old Lam – whose resume includes three BBC commissions, one of which premiered at the BBC Proms in 2012, and two commissions for the HK Phil – the sacking was both “unreasonable and unusual”, he said.

“My last [job] appraisal was on March 19 and at the time, the then [HK Phil] chief executive Michael MacLeod gave me a perfectly fine appraisal, which was then countersigned by board chairman Y.S Liu on April 23,” Lam said.

“Just looking at that appraisal, there was absolutely no sign of any sort that would suggest my overall performance, over the past two years, was below par to such an extent that it would warrant this sudden termination of employment. Neither have I received any verbal or written warnings before that.”

Lam (right) with HK Phil music director Jaap van Zweden (centre) and Liu Yuen-sung, chairman of the board of governors of HK Phil. Photo: Keith Hiro/HK Phil
Lam (right) with HK Phil music director Jaap van Zweden (centre) and Liu Yuen-sung, chairman of the board of governors of HK Phil. Photo: Keith Hiro/HK Phil

The HK Phil did not offer reasons for Lam’s sudden dismissal, only saying in a statement that the orchestra “remains committed to the support and development of local talent, and welcomes different kinds of collaborations with Mr Fung Lam in the future.”

During his two-year tenure, Lam worked closely with van Zweden and MacLeod in planning programmes for the orchestra. He described the 2018-19 season as a “breakthrough” because it not only included the traditional classical concerts but also “new elements”. Such elements, he said, included last weekend’s collaboration with the Hong Kong Ballet, in which the HK Phil provided live accompaniment to the Rite of Spring triple-bill programme; and its partnership with the Hong Kong International Film Festival in March for a free concert that celebrated composer Michael Nyman’s 75th birthday.

Lam has also launched a new chamber music concert series at Tai Kwun, and a composer scheme with the Robert H.N. Ho Family Foundation that provides a much needed platform for emerging Hong Kong composers to showcase their works.

Lam Fung’s appointment as director of artistic planning was a great encouragement to the local music field … [his] departure seems to have left many scratching their heads Ted Lipman, chief executive, Robert H.N. Ho Family Foundation

The Robert H.N. Ho Family Foundation, a Hong Kong-based private philanthropic organisation, said it had supported the orchestra for many years to foster a distinctive repertoire that is representative of this city’s cultural roots.

“Since 2012, Maestro Jaap van Zweden has shared this vision with the foundation; a vision which in no small part has been realised by Lam Fung, both as a young composer commissioned with foundation support as well as the architect of the current local composers’ scheme,” says the foundation’s chief executive Ted Lipman.

“Lam Fung’s appointment as director of artistic planning was a great encouragement to the local music field. Of course as a funder, the foundation does not get involved in our grantees’ internal management, but Lam’s departure seems to have left many scratching their heads.”

The HK Phil – which received around HK$83 million (US$10.6 million) from the government in 2018-19, accounting for about half of the troupe’s total income – says it will start a global search for “the most suitable candidate” to replace Lam.