Editor-in-Chief & Founder.
As a firm believer in making classical music accessible, Thomas founded Die Musikzeitung in 2014.
The name Die Musikzeitung, which means the music newspaper in German, aims to make music as common as reading the newspaper in people’s daily lives.
The mission of Die Musikzeitung is not confined to writing programme notes for musical works; it also includes catering to the common music lover’s interests. The current operations of Die Musikzeitung range from old to new to showcase the diversity of music and best enrich our readers’ musical experiences.
Thomas and his team began curating and sharing interesting but obscure facts throughout the history of music in the form of images, with warm reception.
Visit Die Musikzeitung:
www.diemusikzeitung.com
Programme Notes Commission Samples
Since the inception of the programme notes writing service in 2015, Thomas and his team have garnered commissions from a multitude of esteemed performing organizations. Notable among these are the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, the Hong Kong Arts Festival, and the Hong Kong Festival Orchestra. Their expertise in crafting informative and engaging programme notes has been recognided and valued by these prestigious institutions.
Hong Kong Festival Orchestra
August 2016
Stravinsky: La Sacre du printemps
Hong Kong Festival Orchestra
November 2016
Brahms: Liebeslieder Walzer
Brahms: Alto Rhapsody
Brahms: Violin Concerto
Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra
April 2017
Brahms: Symphony No.1
Kilian Chan's Cello Recital
April 2017
Shostakovich: Cello sonata
Pärt: Spiegel Im Spiegel
Lutosławski: Grave: Metamorphoses for cello and piano
Schnittke: Epilogue from the ballet "Peer Gynt"
August 2017
Bach: Concerto for Oboe a'amore in A
Shostakovich: Symphony No.10
Hong Kong Festival Orchestra
February 2018
Wagner: Ride of the Valkyries
Williams: Star Wars Medley
Shore: Music from The Lord of the Rings
and more
Hong Kong Polytechnic University Students' Union Orchestra
February 2018
Mahler: Symphony No.1
Click here to read more samples (Chinese only).
Thematic Playlists by Die Musikzeitung (Highlights)
Thomas firmly holds the belief that listening is the paramount means of establishing a profound connection with music. To that end, he and his team are dedicated to curating a myriad of thematic playlists on online music streaming services. Their aspiration is to introduce readers to a diverse array of musical genres, fostering an enriched musical experience for all.
Late Night Tunes
Soundtrack Hits
Exotic Vibes
Festive Music
A Space Odyssey
May the Force be with You
Jazz Classics
Eighty-Eight Keys
La Nouvelle de Hong Kong
Click here to browse more playlists (Chinese only).
Interview with Musicians
Through engaging in interviews with a diverse spectrum of musicians and musical organizations, Thomas endeavors to delve into their unique musical ideals and aspirations. His aim is to emphasize that numerous individuals are dedicated to enriching and invigorating the musical culture, fostering a deeper appreciation for the art form among readers.
TwoSet Violin: The Comedic Duo (Excerpt)
The violin duo, aptly named TwoSet Violin, wouldn’t be new to the Facebook- or Instagram-savvy musicians reading this. The founders of the duo, Brett Yang and Eddy Chen, are two young musicians from Australia who produce light-hearted video sketches to portray the ups and downs of a classical musician. Their witty content has attracted over 250 thousand followers from all over the world since 2014, and amassed almost 70 million video views.
TwoSet Violin didn’t start off making video sketches; back in their early days, they made arrangements and covers of pop and film music. ‘We saw people making instrumental covers of pop songs on YouTube one day. They got tons of views, but the playing wasn’t stellar, so we thought we could do better than this.’ Soon Brett and Eddy started publicising their pop music covers on their newly launched YouTube channel. That was when they realised producing music videos wasn’t as easy as they’d thought — what other musicians lacked in playing technique, they made up for with their production quality.
Brett and Eddy began producing comedic sketches by the end of 2014, this time receiving more encouraging responses. They realised that this better suited their personal styles and was a way to share their lives as music performers with the general public; hence TwoSet Violin was born.
It’s increasingly commonplace to hear how classical music is ‘dead’. What does the duo think about this? ‘How do you define classical music? Is Renaissance music “classical”? We treat classical music as history now, but back then, it was the music of the day, the top hits. Labelling it “classical” music gives people the sense that it’s ancient and outdated, but there has to be something special about the music that makes it so timeless and allows it to survive. Classical music won’t die; it’s just what we associate it with that changes over time. Through TwoSet Violin, we do our best to pass it on and try not to worry about something beyond our control. Classical music is changing and will change, for better or for worse, and perhaps we’d better embrace the changes rather than impose an ideology of how it should or shouldn’t be. Classical music is adapting – I doubt that composers back then intended for their works to last and survive for centuries. They simply had ideas to express.’ says Brett and Eddy.
Read the full article in Chinese or English.