As an ardent advocate for choral education among the new generation in Hong Kong, Kelvin Lau is widely recognised for his work in promoting choral music and education. Over the years, he has been a driving force in the choral development of the school community in Hong Kong.
In 2011, Kelvin founded The Hong Kong Virtuoso Chorus (HKVC), a registered charitable organisation. Under his leadership, HKVC has not only won numerous awards in local and international competitions but has also garnered support from the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau, the Hong Kong Arts Development Council, and various foundations and corporations, actively fulfilling its social responsibility by promoting music education to the public through diverse activities. In 2018, under Kelvin’s leadership, HKVC established the highly acclaimed Hong Kong Inter-School Choral Festival (HKICF), and he has served as its Artistic Director since. Breaking traditional boundaries, the festival hosts competitions in the form of masterclasses, providing a novel interactive learning platform for primary and secondary students alongside comprehensive professional development support for music teachers. Over the past nine years, HKICF has seen participation from over 600 schools and more than 100,000 attendees, making it the city’s most participated choral event.
In recent years, Kelvin has focused on “training the trainers.” In the 2023–2024 academic year, he was invited by the Po Leung Kuk Committee of Promotion of Music Education and the TWGHs Kitty Woo Music Development Centre to host workshops for 40 primary schools under these two organisations, benefiting over 100 frontline music teachers. For the 2025–2027 academic years, Kelvin was appointed as the Primary Music Consultant for Tung Wah Group of Hospitals (TWGHs) to assist all TWGHs primary schools in optimizing their school-based music curricula. Earlier in his career, during his tenure as Music Director at Diocesan Girls’ Junior School, Kelvin implemented curriculum reforms, including the introduction of interdisciplinary learning, grade-level choirs, and instrumental appreciation programmes. He also led the school choir in collaborations with various arts groups for major performances, such as a special appearance at the opening concert of the 2019 Asia Pacific Choral Summit, earning high praise from international experts. Under his baton, students achieved outstanding results at the PPA Online Music Festival, the Asia Pacific Choral Summit, and the Malaysian Choral Eisteddfod.
Kelvin is active on the international stage as a founding member of the World Choral Conducting Network. He has frequently been invited as a conductor for exchanges in the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Europe, various Asian countries, and Mainland China. Since 2023, he has been a frequent adjudicator for esteemed international competitions, including the Malaysian Choral Eisteddfod, the Surabaya World Choral Festival in Indonesia, and the Thailand International Choral Festival.
Recognised for his artistic leadership and excellence in choral promotion, Kelvin was appointed by the International Federation for Choral Music (IFCM) as an Administrative Committee member for the World Symposium on Choral Music 2026. He was also invited by the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM) to deliver a presentation on his educational initiatives at its London headquarters. In 2025, Kelvin was invited by Plaza Premium Group to establish its corporate choir as its inaugural Music Director. He conducts the headquarters choir in Hong Kong, serves as a consultant for the Malaysia branch, and has conducted music workshops for its colleagues in the UK and Cambodia, further promoting choral culture in the corporate sector locally and abroad.
An alumnus of The Hong Kong Children’s Choir (HKCC), Kelvin has served as an HKCC conductor for nearly two decades since 2007, leading HKCC in numerous performances. His choral composition Till We Meet Again《別了校園》was selected for publication in the HKCC 50th Anniversary Children’s Choral Composition Selections. Other popular choral works of his include Fire《團火》, Journey to the Green Field《綠野遊記》, and Pencil《鉛筆》. Beyond teaching, conducting, and composing, Kelvin hosts the online programme “Note-Worthy Chats”《唱所欲言》for HKVC, and has frequently been invited by the Hong Kong Palace Museum at the West Kowloon Cultural District to serve as a guest singer and emcee.
Deeply dedicated to the long-term, sustainable development of the industry, Kelvin partnered with the TWGHs Kitty Woo Music Development Centre to initiate the Hong Kong Primary and Secondary School Choirs Census 2025–2026, the largest systematic research of its kind in local school history. Published with the support of the Arts Capacity Development Funding Scheme of the Government of the HKSAR, this milestone research aims to bridge data gaps through systematic investigation, guiding the local choral community toward a sustainable future.
Kelvin graduated summa cum laude from Berklee College of Music in Boston, USA, where he was awarded the Berklee Achievement Scholarship. He subsequently earned a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) and a Master’s Degree in International Education from the University of Sunderland in the United Kingdom.
