About us 

Originally from Hong Kong, award-winning KöNG Duo (Bevis Ng and Hoi Tong Keung) is a Toronto-based percussion duo specializing in contemporary classical music. KöNG Duo curates performances for audiences with various musical backgrounds, with the hope of broadening their audience’s perception of percussion chamber music. Besides programming under-performed and/or underrepresented works, KöNG Duo is keen on collaborating with emerging composers. They strive to expand the possibilities of the genre through instrumentation and the incorporation of multimedia.

As a reflection on home, KöNG Duo curated a multimedia performance titled “good morning, hong kong,” which was débuted as the culmination of their summer residency at the Banff Centre in 2022. Following its initial success, KöNG Duo was invited to present excerpts from “good morning, hong kong” locally at the University of Toronto’s Thursday at Noon Series and internationally at the TROMP Percussion Eindhoven. In May 2023, they presented a new set titled “Percussion Music from Everyday Life” at Music TORONTO’s inaugural Celebration of Small Ensembles series.

In addition to curating imaginative programmes, KöNG Duo collaborates actively with emerging composers to expand the percussion duo repertoire. In the 2022–2023 season, they were the ensemble-in-residence of the Composers’ Forum at the University of Toronto. As a culmination of the residency, they performed four new pieces in the reading session and premiered Toronto-based composer Stephen Morris’ Shadows and Fire at the Arts and Letters club. Besides working with students in the Composers’ Forum, KöNG Duo commissioned Toronto-based Hong Kong-raised composer Fish Yu to write a piece that features Hong Kong culture. The Duo premiered Frolic, the commissioned work, at Bevis’ recital in April 2023 and gave its US premiere at New Music Gathering in Portland, OR in June 2023.

KöNG Duo recently won the first prize at Southern California Marimba 2023 International Artist Competition. Moreover, the Duo is selected as the Young Artistic Associates for the 2023–2024 season of Confluence Concerts. As part of the program, they will present their new curation “Dreams of Home” in December 2023.