A premier choral ensemble.
NOĒMA is a chamber choir dedicated to advancing Hong Kong’s choral scene. Comprising some of the finest local choral musicians, the group has quickly established itself as one of the premier ensembles in the city under the dynamic leadership of its Artistic Director Sanders Lau, who founded the choir in 2022. NOĒMA has received invitations from eminent presenters, including MUSE of The University of Hong Kong, Tai Kwun, and most recently, the Hong Kong Arts Festival in the sold-out multimedia choral concert ‘Garden of Repose’. The cross-disciplinary performance was specifically designed and curated for the choir and has garnered critical acclaim. Collaborations with other artists are also an integral part of NOĒMA’s endeavour. Previous partnerships include the Cong Quartet, Adrian Wong (composer), Ivanhoe Lam (director/choreographer), and Ruby Law (set designer/installation artist), to name a few.
The group’s ethos is ruled by a determination to apply ideals of rhetoric, the art of persuasion, to its performances by always exploring and harnessing the expressive landscape in its repertoire. Known for its innovative programmes ranging from Renaissance polyphony to newly commissioned works, NOĒMA continually seeks to accentuate relevance among music, poetry, and contemporary society.
The group’s ethos is ruled by a determination to apply ideals of rhetoric, the art of persuasion, to its performances by always exploring and harnessing the expressive landscape in its repertoire. Known for its innovative programmes ranging from Renaissance polyphony to newly commissioned works, NOĒMA continually seeks to accentuate relevance among music, poetry, and contemporary society.
Photography: Calvin Sit
THE MEANING OF ‘NOĒMA’
In classical Greek, the word noēma (νόημα) means ‘the content of thought’. In the Renaissance, the term was borrowed to denote homophonic singing, which, according to music scholars, has ‘a sweetly stimulating and astonishingly soothing effect on the ears and spirit’.
Sanders Lau
Artistic Director, FounderSanders Lau is a multifaceted conductor with an unwavering belief in choral music’s singular power to express and connect. He is the Artistic Director and founder of NOĒMA, a leading chamber choir in Hong Kong that has quickly established itself as one of the most dynamic and innovative forces in the city’s choral landscape. His recent highlights with NOĒMA include their debut appearance at the Hong Kong Arts Festival in the sold-out multimedia choral concert ‘Garden of Repose’, which garnered critical acclaim. Sanders has also enjoyed an extensive collaboration with Die Konzertisten as their Resident Conductor, during which he has prepared the choir to perform with a constellation of internationally renowned conductors, including Stephen Layton, Jonathan Cohen, John Butt, and Chen Yun Hung, and has cultivated a specialised interest in the historically informed performances of early music. Being equally at home with standard repertoire and contemporary music, he has presented and premiered works by many prominent living choral composers both local and abroad.
As one of the most sought-after choral conductors in Hong Kong, Sanders has been invited to guest-conduct, adjudicate, and offer masterclasses, workshops, and lectures for many organisations, such as the Hong Kong Arts Festival, Voices of Singapore Festival, and Hong Kong Inter-School Choral Festival. Ardent about nurturing the next generation of choral leaders, he has also coached choirs and students from The Chinese University of Hong Kong, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Baptist University, The Education University of Hong Kong, National Yang-Ming University of Taiwan, Soochow University of Taiwan, Macao Polytechnic University, and numerous other youth and school choirs, such as the Hong Kong Children’s Choir and Diocesan Boys’ School.
Sanders holds degrees from the Eastman School of Music and The Chinese University of Hong Kong. His mentors include William Weinert, Brad Lubman, Paul O’Dette, Felix Yeung, and Esmond Lim. He has also learned from other great masters such as Simon Carrington, Nicolas Fink, Ivars Taurins, Jeanne Lamon, Peter Harvey, and Helmuth Rilling.
CONTACT
ENQUIRY
info@noema.hk
WhatsApp: 57780872
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
Sanders Lau
sanders.lau@noema.hk
GENERAL MANAGER
Eleanor Chu
eleanor.chu@noema.hk
FOLLOW US
Web design: Jonathan Mak
©2024 NOĒMA. All rights reserved.
info@noema.hk
WhatsApp: 57780872
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
Sanders Lau
sanders.lau@noema.hk
GENERAL MANAGER
Eleanor Chu
eleanor.chu@noema.hk
FOLLOW US
Web design: Jonathan Mak
©2024 NOĒMA. All rights reserved.
