How Hong Kong is rediscovering the human voice

Popular in Western countries, especially in the United States, a capella is a rather new concept to Hong Kongers.

Many here have no idea what a cappella is -- essenentially, singing without instrumental accompaniment.

Even so, if you browse the website of the Contemporary A Cappella Society of Hong Kong (CASHK), the biggest and possibly only a cappella agency in Hong Kong, you can find that there are already more than 20 a cappella groups registered.

Together with unregistered groups, such as the Metro and HKFYG Hong Kong Melody Makers, there are a growing number of opportunities to hear a cappella in Hong Kong.

Currently, few a cappella groups in Hong Kong are able to establish themselves as full-time performing groups.

So how does an a cappella group operate in Hong Kong? Let’s have a look at Zense.

Zense is a group founded in 2009 with all its members coming from the Opera Hong Kong. Due to the small number of members, they don’t need a spacious room for practice.

Practices usually just take place once a week at the home studio of their "captain" Bryan Woo.

Tune up with mobile phones

Rather than using a piano to tune up, they download digital tuning devices into their mobile phones.

Recently the group bought a mixer and several microphones in order to resemble a real performance situation, so to improve their quality. The rest of the practice relies on good ears, as well as musical sense.

Every performance group longs for shows, and so does Zense. At first, they took their opportunities via individual networks.

Woo still remembers the time when the center he worked for wanted to organize a concert. He recommended Zense and helped to make their debut on stage. 

After that, the group started to promote themselves by sending emails to different shopping malls.

They went a step further when they registered with CASHK. Having an agent, they can worry less about the source of their performances and focus more on the music.

Since their debut, Zense have performed for different occasions, such as festivals and press events organized by malls and hotels, or even private birthday parties and weddings. The more gigs they do, the greater their fame and network, and the more invitations come along.

Flexible and variable

But what makes a cappella long lasting and welcomed from West to East? Ernest Hui, the resident composer of CM Singers and resident artist of the Hong Kong Melody Makers believes it is because a cappella is a flexible artform that can range from pop to jazz, from rock to classical.

Plus the fact that human voice has a huge range of possibilities. Put these two things together and you can get an infinite number of variations while keeping the vitality and charm of the music.

“Although there could be hard times in rehearsals and practices, it is rewarding especially when you are able to lead the audience in a trip through a cappella music, and share with them the joy of music making," says Hui. "Not to mention, it is satisfying to work hard with friends.” 

Sharing music is always fun and it is easier with a cappella music. You don’t need a Stradivarius violin nor know grade 8 piano to play a cappella music -- all you need to do is sing, anytime, anywhere.