Meilina Tsui

Winner of the ‘2018 I Creation Mivos Composition Prize’ and the ‘2018 Intimacy of
Creativity World Premiere Concert Audience Vote,’ Meilina Tsui (24) writes music that
uniquely combines influences of Eurasian, South-East Asian and Western cultures. Born in
Almaty, Kazakhstan and raised in Hong Kong, Meilina has been praised by the Silk Road
News and Kazakhstan International News Agency and described as a composer who
“popularizes Kazakh music tradition in Hong Kong.” Meilina’s compositional searches in
broadening technical abilities of Western instruments in order to make them sound closer
to Kazakh traditional instruments started from her “String Quartet No. 2” and have been
continued in the composer’s new work, “String Quartet No. 3,” written for the Hong Kong
Modern Ballet. At the same time, Meilina is seen as a composer who “writes Western
music with a distinctive Chinese personality, ” and whose works have gained notable
popularity in Hong Kong. Her Six Miniatures of Yin and Yang for Two Pianos, influenced by
Chinese philosophy, was chosen for performance at the celebration of HKSAR’s 20th
anniversary at the London “HK Music Series” in 2017, where she was the youngest and
only female featured composer. Her newly written piece The Sounds of New Eurasia,
commissioned for a performance this September at the Kazakh State Academic Theatre of
instruments and cello and best represents the composer’s aspirations and her multicultural
interests.

Recipient of multiple awards, Meilina earned her B.A. (Music) with First Class Honours
from the Chinese University of Hong Kong under the Hong Kong Jockey Club Scholarship
and M.Mus. in Composition with Distinction from King’s College London under the Hong
Kong Scholarship for Excellence Scheme. Her music has been performed by some
leading orchestras and ensembles such as the National Symphony Orchestra of the
Republic of Bashkortostan (Russia), Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, Hong Kong New
Music Ensemble, Romer String Quartet, Windpipe Chinese Music Ensemble, Lontano
Chamber Project, and Mivos Quartet (NYC) among many others. In the 2018-2019
season, her works will be premiered in New York City, Tel Aviv, Almaty and Hong Kong by
Mivos Quartet, Israeli Chamber Project, and Kazakh State Philharmonic Orchestra,
Kazakh State String Quartet, Turan Ethno Folk Ensemble, MR. Quartet, and RTHK
Chamber Players. Meilina Tsui has received commissions from the Hong Kong
Government, Hong Kong Arts Development Council, Hong Kong Philharmonic, Radio
Television Hong Kong, Hong Kong Composers Guild and The Chinese University of Hong
Kong Art Museum.

This fall, Meilina will start pursuing a D.M.A. in Composition at the University of Michigan,
Ann Arbor, USA on a full scholarship. She is also recipient of the ‘2018/19 Composers and
Authors Society of Hong Kong (CASH) Music Scholarship’ for overseas studies.