賴應斌 (揚琴)

國際揚琴協會會員、中國揚琴學會會員。6歲隨羅星南師父習揚琴及工尺譜。後隨張汝珠老師修習，多次獲香港校際音樂節揚琴比賽冠軍及雨果中樂獨奏獎總冠軍。1993年入讀拔萃男書院，曾出任該校國樂團團長，受頒「樂樂獎學金」。另曾獲香港演藝學院「埃克森能源有限公司」等多項獎學金。1998年在香港「青年演奏家系列」中成功舉辦個人演奏會。

 

2001-2008年於中央音樂學院接受嚴格而系統的揚琴專業本科及碩士教育，師從劉月寧教授，亦受教於桂習禮教授，曾獲「港澳及華僑學生獎學金」。舉辦多場甚具開創意義之專題獨奏會，並先後於「華音名家名曲系列」、「亞洲青年音樂家系列」、「克拉科夫國際現代音樂節」、「第九屆世界揚琴大會」舉辦獨奏會。2006年於波蘭鋼琴大師、前總理彭德雷茨基故居舉辦了專場音樂會；代表中央電視台參加俄羅斯國家電視台10周年台慶；以閉幕式專場音樂會演奏家身份，出現於2007年墨西哥國際揚琴藝術節。撰寫並出版論文《美國揚琴的歷史與現狀》、合著《中外經典揚琴名曲集》及《廣東揚琴音樂專場》DVD等。

2008年與中國廣播民族樂團合作，於北京音樂廳成功舉辦了碩士畢業音樂會，成為首位獲揚琴演奏碩士學位的香港本土音樂家。多年之舞台實踐加之博採眾長之從藝理念，賴氏之演奏，台風沉穩，揮灑自如。音樂注重細節，凸顯內涵，講究以樂傳情，曲盡其妙，極富感染力。其活躍之演奏，蜚然之成就，受到多方人士之嘉許，是業界新生代演奏家中極具潛質和發展前途的佼佼者。他的名字已被收入大型藝術文獻《藝術中國-中國藝術豐碑與著名藝術家概覽》和《影響中國的100位藝術家》中。

 

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Young yangqin recitalist Bryan LAI is currently a member of the World Cimbalom Association and the Chinese Yangqin Association. Born in Hong Kong, he had received both eastern and western education and had studied the art of yangqin and the traditional Chinese music scale of Gongche under veteran artist LUO Xingnan. He was then coached by Ms. CHEUNG Yu Chu and became the winners of numerous local musical awards including the champions in Yangqin Instrumental Solo for junior division (1993), senior division (1995) and advance division (1996) at the Hong Kong Schools Music Festival, and the Champion at the Hugo Chinese Instrumental Solos Awards (1998). In 1993, he was admitted to the Diocesan Boy’s School in Hong Kong and had been the concertmaster for the school’s Chinese orchestra and was awarded various scholarships including the ‘Exxon Energy Limited’ Scholarship (1994), the ‘Hausammann’ Scholarship (1995), and the ‘Mikimoto’ Scholarship (1996). In 1997, he was invited by the Urban Council to perform with Yangqin Maestros from Greater China including XIANG Zuhua and TANG Kaixuan in yangqin concerts for the Chinese Instrumental Collection Concert Series. In the following year, he was again invited by the Provisional Regional Council to give his debut solo concert at the Young Musicians of Hong Kong Concert Series.

 

Bryan was admitted to the Beijing Central Conservatory of Music in 2001, where he had received 7 years of rigorous and systematic undergraduate and postgraduate musical training under Professor LIU Yuening and Professor GUI Xili. He specialized in yangqin performance and his outstanding musicianship has won him the ‘Hong Kong, Macau and Overseas Chinese Students’ Scholarship. Among his busy study schedule, he had taken part in various groundbreaking concerts including Impressions of Eastern Europe - Works from Eastern Europe (Beijing, 2004), Heritage – Yangqin Works from Guangdong (Beijing, 2005) and had given solo performances in Music of China - Virtuosi and Classics Concert Series (Hangzhou, China, 2006),Young Musicians of Asia Concert Series (Hong Kong, 2006), Cracow International Music Festival (Poland, 2006), and The Ninth Hackbrett (Yangqin) World Congress (Germany, 2007). In 2006, he gave a dedicated concert of yangqin at the residence of the late Polish piano master and former Prime Minister I. J. Paderewski, and represented CCTV to give yangqin recitals at the Russian NTV Plus 10th anniversary celebrations, where millions of audience members experienced the first time the exotic elegance of yangqin music. In 2007, he was also the musician for the dedicated closing concert at the Mexican International Salterio (Yangqin) Festival, where the magnificent music of yangqin had brought a real climax to the audience. During 2007-08, he also demonstrated his creative and academic flairs with the publication of his essay ‘The Dulcimer in America – Past and Present’, his co-authored collection Chinese and Western Yangqin Classics and his DVD recording Yangqin Music in Guangdong – Dedicated Concerts. In May 2008, he gave his highly successful Masters graduation concert with the China Broadcasting Chinese Orchestra at the Beijing Concert Hall and became the first Hong Kong musician to be awarded a Masters degree in yangqin performance.

 

With his extensive stage performance experience and his open-minded reflection on various musical approaches, Bryan’s style is steady yet relaxed and free. He is attentive to details and able to move the audience profoundly by his vivid display of musicianship and his powerful reveal of the essence of musical works. His brilliant performance and great achievements in traditional Chinese music has indeed earned him recognition worldwide. He is truly one of the most promising musicians of the new generation. His name has been included in the eminent volumes Art in China and 100 Most Influential Artists in China.