Hong Kong-born composer George Tsz-Kwan Lam (b. 1981) grew up in Boston, Massachusetts, and studied composition at Duke University, the Peabody Conservatory of Music, and Boston University, where his teachers included Nicholas Maw, Christopher Theofanidis, Charles Fussell, Stephen Jaffe, and Scott Lindroth. His recent works explore the intersection between music, theater, and the documentary. George’s one-act opera The Persistence of Smoke (2011), with a libretto by North Carolina playwright John Justice, focused on the once-thriving cigarette industry in Durham (NC), inspired by collected interviews, oral histories and archival materials. The opera was staged in April 2011 at Golden Belt, the site of a former cotton mill that manufactured bags for Bull Durham tobacco. In addition, George has collaborated regularly with Chicago writer Benjamin Rogers on works for chamber ensembles, chorus, and orchestra. Current projects include new works for Rhymes With Opera (Baltimore, MD and New York, NY) and New Morse Code (New Haven, CT).

George’s music has been performed by Christ Church United Methodist (New York, NY), Emerging Voices Project (New York, NY), Contemporary Musiking (Hong Kong), Volti (San Francisco, CA), American Opera Projects (Brooklyn, NY), Red Clay Saxophone Quartet (Greensboro, NC), AM/PM Saxophone Quartet, Boston University Concert Band, Charles River Wind Ensemble (Boston, MA), Aspen Contemporary Ensemble, Hong Kong Voices and the Hong Kong Sinfonietta. George was the recipient of an American Music Center grant for his orchestral work The Queen’s Gramophone (2009), as well as the Evan V. Frankel Fellowship in Humanities at Duke University. Recent fellowships and residencies include the Aspen Music Festival Schumann Fellowship, the Dartington International Summer School Angus Allnatt Foundation Fellowship, American Opera Projects’ “Composers & The Voice” workshop series, the Virginia Arts Festival John Duffy Composers Institute, and the Volti Choral Arts Laboratory commissioning and residency program.

Along with composer Ruby Fulton, George Lam is a founding company member and co-director of Rhymes With Opera.

To contact George, simply send an e-mail to georgelam@gmail.com. gtlam.com is powered by WordPress.

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“Representing the newest end of the spectrum was Lam’s Words Become Unlatched … seems intended to recall the chatterings of a conflicted brain. And while Rogers’ texts proved aptly incomprehensible, Lam’s cut-crystal score rang with clarity.”

- Georgia Rowe, San Francisco Classical Voice

“Intermission allowed the set crew to get ready for — and the audience to switch gears to experience — The Persistence of Smoke … Aside from a very well-crafted score and exceptionally written text, the venue was ideal and the visual aspects of the opera were well done … There was so much depth to the show! I think this is an opera with staying-power.”

- Karen Moorman, North Carolina Classical Voice