Malaysian composer Hong-Da Chin immerses himself in a musical world where cultural elements are intertwined and interweaved in his music. Cultural inspirations from Malaysia can often be heard in Chin’s music. Chin’s dizi (Chinese bamboo flute) solo Poem Recitation was selected as a music composition featured at the Northern Illinois University (NIU) World Symposium in 2025. Besides that, he was a winner of the Bent Frequency 2022 Call for Scores and a finalist of the ASU Gammage Beyond and ASU Symphony Orchestra Commission Competition in 2018.
Chin’s music has been performed in the United States, Canada, Germany, France, Hungary, Czech Republic, Romania, Austria, Poland, Israel, Mexico, Malaysia, Japan, the Philippines and Singapore. The ensembles and performers that have performed his music include the Toledo Symphony Orchestra, Canadian Chinese Orchestra, Camerata Nova Woodwind Quintet, No Exit New Music Ensemble, Music From China, New Thread Quartet, Cleveland Chamber Symphony, Khasma Piano Duo, Ogni Suono Saxophone Duo, Bent Frequency, Patchwork, Altered Sound Duo, Marilyn Shrude, John Sampen, Jan Berry Baker, Aaron Hynds, Justin Massey, among others. His music has been featured at the Spoleto Festival USA, World Saxophone Congress, National Flute Association, Asian Composers League Festival and Conference, Society of Composers National Conference, NIU World Symposium, Electronic Music Midwest, Society of Composers National Conference, WIU New Music Festival, University of Nebraska at Kearney New Music Festival, Bowling Green New Music Festival, NEOSonic Festival, Threshold Festival, Electroacoustic Barn Dance, Rasquache Artist Residency, Avaloch Farm Institute among others.
In addition to his work as a composer Chin is an accomplished Chinese flute musician specializing in contemporary music. He has performed at venues such as the Carnegie Hall (NYC), Alice Tully Hall (NYC), John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (Washington D.C.), Metropolitan Museum of Art (NYC), Asia Society (NYC), Phillips Collection (Washington D.C.), Huntington Library (LA), Smithsonian Institution (Washington D.C.), Jay Pritzker Pavilion at Millennium Park (Chicago), Art Institute of Chicago, Museum at Eldrige Street, DiMenna Center, Symphony Space, Silesian Theatre (Katowice, Poland) among others.
Chin earned a Doctor of Musical Arts from BGSU in December 2017 studying with Marilyn Shrude and Mikel Kuehn. Chin is faculty of Composition and Music Theory at Western Illinois University, a member of the ADJ•ective Composers’ Collective and the Society of Malaysian Contemporary Composers.
Beyond his musical activities, Chin is an avid badminton player.
hongdachin.com
Hong-Da Chin 