Elliot Leung
Elliot Ho Yat Leung 梁皓一 | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Leung in May 2017 during the 1st Hong Kong Shenzhen Cultural Exchange "同心耀中華 — 紫荊花開." | |
| Background information | |
| Born | August 3, 1995 British Hong Kong |
| Genres | Film scores, Classical, Symphonic |
| Occupation(s) | Composer, Music Director, Multi-instrumentalist |
| Instrument(s) | Keyboard, Piano, Cello |
| Years active | 2010–present |
| Labels | Milan Records, Sony Classical, H1Music Limited |
| Website | www |
Elliot Ho Yat Leung (Chinese: 梁皓一; pinyin: Liang Haoyi) is a composer best known for his work on Operation Red Sea, The Battle at Lake Changjin and The Rescue. He is the first and only composer from Hong Kong to break into Hollywood. He has composed the score for 3 of the top 10 highest-grossing non-English films with his films grossing over 2 billion USD, making him one of the highest grossing composers in Asia.[1][2] His works have been performed in many prestigious venues, namely the National Centre for the Performing Arts (China), Hong Kong Cultural Centre and the Queen Elizabeth Stadium. He was named on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list in 2022.[3]
Early life
Leung was born and raised in British Hong Kong, the eldest of two children to a father who had dreams to be a visual artist and a mother who wanted to pursue a musical career.[4] His mother plays piano and was a chorale soprano. He received early music education in St. Paul's Co-educational College and the Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts, and transferred to International Christian School in his secondary years.[5] He later furthered his studies in Wheaton Conservatory of Music and graduated with a Bachelor degree in Music Composition.
When Leung was two years old, his mother began teaching him how to play the piano. When he turned five, his swift musical growth was quickly identified by teachers of St. Paul's Co-educational College. The next year, Leung was sent to study music and the cello with former Principal Cellist of the Hong Kong Sinfonietta, Laurent Perrin. When he was fifteen, Leung made his debut appearance on CCTV's "Charming China Youth Arts Festival (亞洲藝術盛典 · 魅力中國)" show.
Leung was mentored by Martin O'Donnell when he traveled to the United States to further his musical pursuits. O'Donnell's modal music was a musical influence throughout Leung's upbringing. In an interview, Leung commented that his original post-college intentions were to follow O'Donnell's footsteps and pursue graduate studies in music at the University of Southern California until he was scouted and named the composer of Operation Red Sea.[6]
Career
Leung's first job in the film industry was working as a composer assistant on the film "Insanity" in 2014. In 2015, he started scoring various kinds of media while continuing to work as an orchestrator. During this time, his choral music was highly praised by Bernard Chan of the Hong Kong Executive Council.[7] He also composed RTHK radio 1's new station jingle. His arrangement of "Descendants of the Dragon" (龍的傳人) was also performed in "同心耀中華 — 紫荊花開," held in Shenzhen as the concert finale as a part of the Hong Kong SAR's 20th Anniversary celebrations.[8][9][10]
Leung's breakthrough came in 2017, when Dante Lam asked him to compose the score of Operation Red Sea (紅海行動). The film was selected to represent Hong Kong in the best foreign-language film category at the 91st Academy Awards.[11] Leung's work on Operation Red Sea received critical acclaim, thus "The Valiant Flight" from the soundtrack album was staged and performed during the 8th Beijing International Film Festival.[12] Following the success of his breakthrough score, Leung was invited to score "The Rescue," and was involved in the production since pre-production.[13] The score was released internationally by Milan Records and Sony Classical on December 18, 2020.[14]
In 2021, Leung composed the theme and the score for The Battle at Lake Changjin, the second-highest-grossing film of 2021; the highest-grossing film in Chinese cinema history; and the highest-grossing non-English film of all time. Leung was invited to return for the sequel, The Battle at Lake Changjin II. He also released "Memoirs of Victoria," an album with an alternate title featuring the score and early sketches he composed for the film Anita: Director's Cut.
In 2022, Leung was listed on the Forbes' 2022 30 under 30.[3] Tencent Games invited him to compose for Honor of Kings, the highest-grossing mobile game of all-time.
Discography
Theatrical Films
| Year | Title | Director(s) | Studio(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Think and Grow Rich: The Legacy | Scott Cervine | Think Rich Films LLC | Documentary Film |
| 2018 | Operation Red Sea | Dante Lam | Polybona Films
Star Dream Media |
First Collaboration with Dante Lam |
| 2020 | The Rescue | Dante Lam | Tencent Pictures | Second Collaboration with Dante Lam |
| 2021 | Great Expectations | Li Chengpeng | Polybona Films | |
| 2021 | The Battle at Lake Changjin | Dante Lam | Polybona Films | Fourth Collaboration with Dante Lam |
| 2022 | The Battle at Lake Changjin II - Water Gate Bridge | Dante Lam | Polybona Films | Fifth Collaboration with Dante Lam |
| 2023 | Operation Red Sea 2[15] | Dante Lam | Polybona Films | Sixth Collaboration with Dante Lam |
Television Films
| Year | Title | Director(s) | Studio(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Guarding Our City[16] | Dante Lam | TVB
iQiyi Pictures Tencent Pictures |
Third Collaboration with Dante Lam |
Television Series
| Year | Title | Director(s) | Studio(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Anita: Director's Cut | Longman Leung Lok-Man | Edko Films
One Cool Film Production |
"Memoirs of Victoria," the soundtrack album with an alternate title was released on February 2, 2022. |
Video Games
| Year | Title | Studio(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | LifeAfter Season 3 | Netease Games | Co-composer |
| 2022 | Honor of Kings | Tencent Games | Co-composer |
| 2022 | Mobile Legends: Bang Bang | Moonton Games |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Nominated work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | ASCAP Award for Screen Music | Operation Red Sea[17] | Won |
| 2021 | ASCAP Award for Screen Music | The Rescue | Won |
| 2022 | ASCAP Award for Screen Music | The Battle at Lake Changjin | Won |
| 2022 | Golden Roster Award | The Battle at Lake Changjin | Nominated |
Concert Music
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Jesus to Me | Critically acclaimed by The Honourable Bernard Chan on The Standard |
| 2018 | Quintet No. 1 "I, Consciousness" | Commissioned by RTHK radio 4 for the premiere concert of the RTHK Chamber Soloists |
| 2020 | Quintet No. 2 "Gardiner Expressway" | Commissioned by RTHK radio 4 for the RTHK Chamber Soloists |
| 2022 | Symphony No. 1 "The Metaverse" | Co-commissioned by the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra and the Asia Society |
References
- ^ "影片票房总榜". piaofang.maoyan.com. Retrieved 2022-02-22.
- ^ "梁皓一_梁皓一介绍_图片_作品-猫眼电影". www.maoyan.com. Retrieved 2022-09-11.
- ^ a b "Elliot Leung". Forbes. Retrieved 2022-06-07.
- ^ "珠 海 新 聞". jcchuhainews.chuhai.edu.hk. Retrieved 2019-06-21.
- ^ "電影音樂作曲家梁皓一｜有誰共鳴｜商業電台 881903". 商業電台 881903 (in Traditional Chinese). 2022-02-07. Retrieved 2022-09-03.
- ^ "An Interview with Composer Elliot Leung". Asian Film Strike. 2018-06-15. Retrieved 2018-06-25.
- ^ "Articles of Bernard Chan". Retrieved 23 May 2017.
- ^ ""同心耀中华"紫荆花开". q.eqxiu.com. Retrieved 2017-05-24.
- ^ "深港青年文化交流藝術季 - 合唱音樂會《紫荊花開》 | The Learners Chorus". The Learners Chorus. Retrieved 2017-06-05.
- ^ "深港青年文化交流艺术季奏响文化情感认同交响曲". news.sina.com.cn. Retrieved 2017-07-10.
- ^ "《紅海行動》代表香港角逐奧斯卡最佳外語片 - 香港文匯報". paper.wenweipo.com (in Chinese (Hong Kong)). Retrieved 2018-11-01.
- ^ "《红海行动》bgm令人窒息，故事情节越来越紧凑！". k.sina.com.cn. Retrieved 2018-05-16.
- ^ "Elliot Leung to Score Dante Lam's 'The Rescue' & 'Warriors of Future' | Film Music Reporter". Retrieved 2020-12-25.
- ^ "春节档7部电影全部撤档：以疫情为重，以生命为重". ent.ifeng.com. Retrieved 2020-08-08.
- ^ "Dante Lam to bring the pain with 'Operation Red Sea' sequel | cityonfire.com". Retrieved 2021-04-04.
- ^ SUPER, myTV, Guarding Our City - myTV SUPER, retrieved 2021-01-27
- ^ "2019 ASCAP Screen Music Awards". www.ascap.com. Retrieved 2019-05-17.
