Melody Sze was born in Hong Kong. She obtained her Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Michigan State University (MSU) and Master of Music in Vocal Performance from the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston. Dr. Sze also holds a Professional Diploma in Western Opera from The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (HKAPA) and Bachelor of Arts degree in Music with honors from The Chinese University of Hong Kong. She was a recipient of a number of scholarships, including the Michigan State University Dissertation Completion Fellowship, Hong Kong Arts Development Council Scholarship, the Bernard Van Zuiden Music Fund, Jockey Club Music and Dance Fund as well as HKAPA full tuition scholarship. She was a winner in NATS Michigan audition Advanced Men and Women.
Dr. Sze has been one of the most active performing singers in the city. Her operatic career highlights include; singing the leading role Zheng Yi Sao in The Legend of Zhang Baozai at the Shanghai Grand Theatre as part of the World Expo 2010, the title role of Carmen and the leading role Mother in Amahl and the Night Visitors produced by Musica Viva. Other overseas engagements include; Grand Rapids Opera (USA) production of Bizet’s Carmen as Mercédès, at Beijing’s National Center for the Performing Arts as the Second Lady in Magic Flute, as well as Macao International Music Festival production of Puccini’s Suor Angelica as The Nursing Sister.
She has also taken principle roles in Rossini’s Cinderella (La Cenerentola) as Cinderella, De Falla’s El Retablo de Maese Pedro as The Boy, Daniel Catán’s Florencia en el Amazonas as Paula, Mozart’s Don Giovanni as Elvira, Offenbach’s Tales of Hoffmann as Nicklausse, Britten’s Turn of the Screw as Mrs. Grose, Smetana’s The Bartered Bride as Ludmilla, and the Opera Hong Kong productions of Verdi’s La Traviata as Flora , Bizet’s Carmen as Mercédès, Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette as Stephano, Massenet’s Manon as Javotte, and Hong Kong International Opera Production of Gounod’s Faust as Siebel, La Fille du Régiment as Marquise, City Opera’s Orphée aux enfers as Juno, La Vie Parisienne as Louise, La Veuve Joyeuse as Manon.
Besides operas, Dr. Sze has performed actively as a concert soloist, her repertoire includes; Mahler’s Song of a Wayfarer and Symphony No.8, Bach’s Magnificat, Haydn’s Harmoniemesse, Beethoven’s Symphony No.9, Saint-Saëns Christmas Oratorio, McCartney’s Liverpool Oratorio, Mozart’s Requiem, Schubert’s Mass in Ab and Magnificat in C, Handel’s Messiah, Vivaldi’s Gloria (RV 588 and RV 589), Imant Ramish’s Magnificat, De Falla’s Siete Canciones Populares Españolas, Schnittke’s Requiem, and a number of other major vocal works.
For musical theatre, Dr. Sze has performed the role of Éponine in the Les Misérables for staged production and concerts four times. She also performed Fantine (Les Misérables), Mrs Potiphar (Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat), and the leading role Susan (Boys and Girls – Cantonese musical).
Being enthusiastic about education in recent years, she regularly holds student concerts, and judges in various competitions, including the ” HK Students Open Music Competition”, “Hong Kong International Youth Performance Arts Festival”, “Osaka International Music Festival” etc. Her students are frequent winners of competitions, and always perform outstandingly in concerts and examinations. They have been casted in large-scale operas, musicals and as soloists in orchestral concerts. This all depends on Dr Sze’s extensive performance experience and effective musical interpretations, as well as accurate pronunciation training for various languages.
Dr Sze currently teaches at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts and the Baptist University of Hong Kong. Her past teaching positions included the University of Hong Kong, Macao Polytechnic Institute, Macao University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong Children’s Choir, Yip’s Children Choir, and Macao Children’s Choir.
史韶韻 (女中音)
史韶韻自香港中文大學榮譽畢業後,獲全費獎學金於香港演藝學院修畢西方歌劇專業文憑,其後獲賽馬會音樂及舞蹈基金的獎學金於美國波士頓新英倫音樂學院進修,獲學術榮譽聲樂碩士,後以萬瑞庭獎學金波士頓大學進修,之後於密芝根州州立大學出任助教及完成其音樂藝術博士學位,曾獲得大學獎學金助其完成博士論文。在美期間,於美國國家聲樂教師會–密芝根州高級男女子混合組比賽中奪得冠軍。
史博士曾於多個歌劇中飾演主要角色, 包括羅西尼《仙履奇緣》的灰姑娘、法雅《彼得先生的木偶戲》的男孩、卡坦《佛羅西雅與亞馬遜》的包娜、莫札特《唐璜》的愛爾維拉,奥芬巴赫《霍夫曼故事》的藝術女神,布列頓《奪命驚魂》勞斯太太,史麥塔納《交易新娘》的路米拉,以及美國激流市歌劇院製作的比才《卡門》的梅塞德斯,香港歌劇院的威爾第《茶花女》的芙羅拉、比才《卡門》的梅塞德斯、馬斯奈《曼儂》的查伏娣、古諾《羅密歐與朱麗葉》的斯蒂芳諾,及莫扎特《魔笛》的二侍女,香港國際歌劇製作的古諾《浮士德》的士貝,非凡美樂製作比才《卡門》的女主角,曼諾第《三王夜訪》的女主角母親,及唐尼采蒂《軍團的女兒》的侯爵夫人,都會歌劇院製作奧芬巴赫的《天堂與地獄》的婚姻女神,及《巴黎人生》的露易絲,澳門國際音樂節製作的普契尼《安潔莉卡修女》護士修女,於北京國家大劇院與挪威國家歌劇院聯合制作的《魔笛》參演二侍女,她亦於上海世博演出香港原創歌劇《張保仔傳奇》主角鄭一嫂,婁獲好評。
除歌劇演出,史博士曾在香港及美國舉行多個獨唱會,亦於各類型的音樂會中與不同管弦樂團合作擔任獨唱,包括馬勒《旅行者之歌》及《第八交響曲》、巴哈《聖母瑪利亞的頌歌》、聖桑《聖誕神曲》、依曼拉密《聖母頌歌》、法雅《西班牙之歌》、海頓《和弦彌撒曲》、貝多芬《第九交響曲》、舒伯特《Ab大調彌撒曲》及《C大調聖母讚主頌》、麥卡尼《利物浦清唱劇》、莫扎特《安魂曲》、韓德爾《彌賽亞》、布拉姆斯《愛之歌》、舒曼《西班牙愛之歌》、施尼特凱《安魂曲》及韋華弟《榮耀頌》等。
音樂劇演出方面,史博士在《悲慘世界》的舞台製作和音樂會中飾演過四次愛波寧。其他曾表演角色包括傅安婷《悲慘世界》, 波提乏夫人《約瑟與他的神奇彩衣》,原創廣東話音樂劇《男男女女》首演中女主角蘇珊。
她近年醉心教育, 定期舉行學生音樂會, 於各比賽中擔任評判,包括「全港學生公開音樂比賽」、「香港國際青少年表演藝術節」、「大阪國際音樂節」等。學生於演出及考試中表現突出, 亦經常於各比賽中獲獎, 於大型舞台製作及樂團演出試音中, 史博士學生經常脫穎而出, 這全有賴於過往豐富的演出經驗,熟悉針對性的樂曲處理, 以及對各種語文有精準的吐字發音訓練。
史博士現任教於香港演藝學院,香港浸會大學以及香港中文大學。過往教席包括;香港大學、澳門理工學院、澳門科技大學、香港兒童合唱團、葉氏兒童合唱團,以及澳門兒童合唱團。