Latest News (Writing and Features here)

31 March 2025

Ye Xian: A Story Untold announced at Southbank Centre

Purcell Room, ESEA Encounters

The Southbank Centre has announced the lineup for a brand new cultural series showcasing East and Southeast Asia and the diaspora - ESEA Encounters. Taking place from Thursday 17 - Sunday 20 July, ESEA Encounters will showcase a selection of some of the most exciting contemporary art and culture of East and Southeast Asia in an incredible lineup of performances, music, poetry, literature and art alongside a pop-up market.

26 February 2025

New EP release announced for 2026

NMC Recordings, Jerwood Foundation

We are delighted to announce the Jerwood Foundation has awarded NMC Recordings with a grant of £25,000 to support a new digital only series that will focus on talented composers. Four composers, Bushra El-Turk, Ben Nobuto, Yshani Perinpanayagam and Alex Ho will be given tailored support to release digital EPs as Jerwood Series.

14 December 2024

BBC Broadcast of piano solo Cyborg Études

BBC Radio 3, New Music Show

Tom Service presents the final instalment of music from this year's Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival. Keyboard player Zubin Kanga performs the world premiere of Alex Ho's Cyborg Etudes...

13 August 2024

Review: Music theatre Bound/Unbound, 5*

Morning Star

The score weaves a number of bold and poetic movements together across the four acts, with a superb mix of Asian and Western fusion, melodies, operatic harmonic imagination and a deep rhythmic force driving the work... This is a masterful telling of new writing about China’s history, realised with a deep-rooted originality that is provocative throughout. Tangram’s work continues to push into new and exciting territory.

19 June 2024

Alex joins jury for Fedora Opera Prize 2025

FEDORA Prize Biennale

Meet the Jury members of the FEDORA Opera Prize 2025, supported by The Silver Company. Learn more about these industry experts' professional backgrounds, their support for the FEDORA Prizes, and their dedication to fostering innovation in the opera sector.

28 May 2024

Review: "From Wagner to Alex Ho: new musical territory", 5*

Morning Star

Contemporary composer Alex Ho’s work is deeply admired by Chan. His new work — premiered at the concert — is called Torn, to the ground, exhausted, sobbing...On the Steinway the overall intention and effect was stunning. Ho is moving into new important territory.

2 April 2024

Séisme Review: "both a piece of art and a purposeful assault on the senses of hearing, vision and touch"

Opera Magazine

Ho is a man in demand and his score for Séisme indicates why... insidiously bold and evoked seismic disturbances in sounds that were quite without cliché... The elegiac beauty of his writing for the 40 voices of Montpellier's Opéra Junior, expressive music devoid of condescension or simplification, was a highlight of the work.

10 February 2024

Installation Opera Séisme premieres

Opéra Orchestre National Montpellier

Séisme is a digital installation opera conceived collaboratively by director Franciska Éry, poet Ar Guens Jean Mary and composer Alex Ho. It is a reflection on the fragile and destructive relationship between humans and the Earth, and a reflection of our continuing failure to heal this relationship.

6 January 2024

Alex Ho's The Glass Eye: "massive and massively important"

BBC Radio 3, New Music Show

At the centre of the programme comes The Glass Eye, a major song cycle by the award-winning composer Alex Ho. Elayce Ismail's words present a scenario in which a climate apocalypse has forced the survivors underground, to become part of the mud, at one with the worms, able to view the planet on which they lived - and which their pollution has destroyed - solely through a single lens, the eponymous Glass Eye.

1 November 2023

Young Artist of the Month Feature

Opera Now Magazine

Congratulations on such an exciting year. What can you tell us about your approach as a composer to writing for voice and opera?

Thank you. I love collaboration, which is inevitably a large part of composing opera and for voices. With this in mind, it is crucial to have a good team in the 'creative room', not just with the necessary skillset and imagination...

29 October 2023

The Glass Eye Review: "important and impressive"

Opera Today

Introducing Alex Ho’s new song cycle, The Glass Eye, before this evening recital at the Oxford International Song Festival, Artistic Director Sholto Kynoch noted that this was the most substantial composition that the Festival had commissioned to date. Having now heard The Glass Eye, I would say that this is not only a substantial work, but an extraordinarily important one.

15 August 2023

BBC Radio 4 interview

Eastern Classical

In 2023, East Asian musicians have never been more prominent in western classical music. But it’s not a simple case of East Asian musicians being welcomed onto the world stage, a glorious coming of age. Their emergence has come with much judgement, and European critics have bolstered many racist stereotypes in the process.

21 May 2023

Untold Review: "...ingenious musical and theatrical dramaturgy"

Muziektheater Transparant, theater krant (in Dutch)

Critics Choice: This was again a happy choice by the programmers of the O. Festival, in collaboration with Muziektheater Transparant and Concertgebouw Brugge. And yes, the audience also knows where to find the performance. Sold out. It may be that some of the audience was professional programmers. But then this 2019 production interrupted by Corona will hopefully continue on a justified triumphal march around the world.

29 April 2023

Untold Review: "...ingeniously combines two traditions..."

Muziektheater Transparant, pzazz theater

So this old story, a musical intermingling of East and West, becomes more than an eye-pleasing, intriguing and convincing performance. The piece is certainly all of the above, but most importantly it is deeply moving on a human level. This ‘Untold’ allows a European audience to feel what it means to be part of a society that is not completely alien to you, but in which you never completely find your place. With it, Muziektheater Transparant made a wonderful contribution to the ‘All Arias’ festival, which seeks out new forms of musical theatre.

21 March 2023

3-year Balancing the Score Residency announced

Glyndebourne Opera

Lucy Armstrong and Alex Ho have been selected to take part in Glyndebourne’s Balancing the Score programme, which supports composers from backgrounds currently underrepresented in the world of operatic composition. This part-time residency will begin this month and last for three years, during which Armstrong and Ho will be mentored by Glyndebourne’s Artistic Director Stephen Langridge.

10 February 2023

Untold wins FEDORA Opera Prize 2023

Opera Europa, O. Festival Rotterdam

Since 2013, the FEDORA Prizes encourage the next generation of talent to bring the unexpected to the stage. The four established prizes (Opera, Dance, Education and Digital) support cutting-edge artistic projects that promote international collaboration, creativity, social integration and intercultural dialogue, as well as digital innovation on and beyond the stage.

26 January 2023

Tangram shortlisted for RPS Young Artist Award

Royal Philharmonic Society

The Royal Philharmonic Society Awards celebrate classical musicians nationwide, shining a light on brilliant individuals, groups and initiatives inspiring communities across the UK. Featuring star soloists, local heroes and amateur musicians, this year’s shortlists reflect the far-reaching and resounding impact that classical music has nationally.

22 September 2022

Untold (anti-)opera nominated for FEDORA Opera Prize

Opera Europa, O. Festival Rotterdam

On 22 September 2023, on the occasion of the 59th Golden Prague International Television Festival in Prague, in Czech Republic, the FEDORA Platform announced the 12 nominated projects for the FEDORA Prizes Biennale. These innovative projects in the fields of opera and dance involve 48 cultural organisations and partners from 13 countries, with the participations of over 50 collaborating lead artists.

22 September 2022

Séisme opera nominated for FEDORA Digital Prize

Opera Europa, Montpellier National Opera

On 22 September 2023, on the occasion of the 59th Golden Prague International Television Festival in Prague, in Czech Republic, the FEDORA Platform announced the 12 nominated projects for the FEDORA Prizes Biennale. These innovative projects in the fields of opera and dance involve 48 cultural organisations and partners from 13 countries, with the participations of over 50 collaborating lead artists.

1 September 2022

General management signing announced

Intermusica

We are delighted to announce that British-Chinese composer and performer Alex Ho has joined Intermusica as part of our mentoring initiative.

25 August 2022

Tangram appointed Associate Artists at LSO St Luke's

London Symphony Orchestra

The LSO are delighted to announce that Tangram have been appointed Associate Artists at LSO St Luke’s for the next three seasons. Andra East, Head of LSO Discovery said: 'It’s a delight to be able to support artists whose work has grown from the LSO’s composer development programmes and to support the evolution of their work to the next stage. We are looking forward to Tangram’s fresh and imaginative contribution to programming at LSO St Luke’s.'

9 August 2022

RPS Drummond Fund awarded

Royal Philharmonic Society

As long as there has been music, there has been dance. The Royal Philharmonic Society is proud to help composers and choreographers bring exciting new works to life, through the RPS Drummond Fund. Recognising the increasing challenge and expense of staging dance with live music, we hope the Fund will enable practitioners to activate plans that may not otherwise have been possible, making a difference to their progress and profile.

17 June 2022

Latest two operas shortlisted at FEDORA Prize Biennale

Opera Europa, O. Festival Rotterdam, Montpellier National Opera

On the occasion of an announcement event in Prague during Opera Europa's Spring Conference, we are happy to announce 38 shortlisted projects (13 opera, 8 dance, 8 education, and 9 digital projects) for the FEDORA Prizes Biennale, originating from 29 countries and involving 124 cultural organisations and partners and involving over 190 artists for the 8th edition of the FEDORA Prizes.

19 May 2022

PRS Composer Fund Awarded

PRS Foundation, Jerwood Arts

Together with Jerwood Arts, the leading independent funder for early-career UK artists, curators and producers, we’re delighted to announce that the latest talented composers to receive the ground-breaking Composers’ Fund.

11 May 2022

Young Talent Composer Award

UK Critics' Circle

Alex Ho is an exciting composer who has had a determinedly creative lockdown, putting out valuable works and winning major commissions at a difficult time. He combines a coherent individual voice with a breadth of styles, genres and instrumental disciplines, all fired by the spark of his imagination, combining his Chinese heritage and Western Classical form in a compelling and individual way.

6 May 2022

New Associate Composer 2022-23: Alex Ho

Oxford Lieder Festival

We are delighted to announce British-Chinese composer Alex Ho as our Associate Composer for the next two years. During this time, he will compose two major song cycles for the 2022 and 2023 Oxford Lieder Festivals. The Festivals will also feature a number of his existing works.

7 April 2022

BBC Radio 3 interview

BBC Free Thinking, China: World Politics, Ink Art and Insomnia

In the spirit of better understanding the rich artistic traditions and cultural history of China, we hear from three researchers about the latest thinking on Hong Kong ink art, representations of sleep, Chinese identity and contemporary classical music and insomnia from the cultural revolution to the present day.

18 March 2022
Rising Star BBC Feature
BBC Music Magazine
Dream concert: I would love to write a double concerto for pipa and yangqin for the incredible Wu Man and Reylon Yount. Chinese instruments are epic and I wish more people in Western classical music knew about them.

2 February 2022
Review: Tangram a "dazzling instrumental display"
I CARE IF YOU LISTEN
This week marks the Lunar New Year of the Tiger, and Tangram, a collective of musicians of Chinese heritage, celebrated on 29 January at LSO St Luke’s in London. The stage setting gave us a taster of what was to come: a Steinway grand, yangqin, an array of gongs, temple blocks, and a marimba, an electric guitar, water-filled dishes, and rice bowls on a piano stool. The eclectic programme and colourful lighting created an atmosphere more like a festival than a concert.

1 February 2022
Snape Maltings Residency Artists announced
Britten-Pears Arts
Britten Pears Arts are thrilled to be supporting composer Alex Ho and director/choreographer Julia Cheng once more on developing their (anti-)opera, 'Untold'. Alex and Julia began their creative collaboration for 'Untold' in 2019 at Snape Maltings and we are delighted to see how their production has continued to expand with exciting plans for 2023.

29 January 2022
Choral album released
NYCGB, NMC Recordings
In this partnership with National Youth Choirs of Great Britain we present choral works by four talented young composers; Kristina Arakelyan, Anna Disley-Simpson, Alex Ho, and Derri Joseph Lewis. Their work explores a broad range of themes including 'coming out' as LGBTQ+, the natural environment, racial identity, love, and connection.

28 January 2022
Royal Opera House announces recitals
ROH, Opera Wire

The Royal Opera House has announced a new program of lunchtime recitals for the Spring season. The focus will be on vocal offerings including the world premiere of Letters from Home performed by Jia Huang and Satoshi Kubo

22 January 2022
Review: "spiky, menacing and poetic"
NYCGB, Fiona Maddocks, The Guardian
Despite the no-choral-singing strictures of lockdown, the National Youth Choir of Great Britain has inspired nine striking new pieces by their four rising-star composers. For Alex Ho, British Chinese and based in London, the racial harassment faced by the UK’s south-east and east Asian communities has prompted Hush, spiky, menacing and poetic.

24 September 2021
LPO Young Composers announced
London Philharmonic Orchestra
The LPO Young Composers Programme offers emerging composers the opportunity to workshop a new piece with the Orchestra's musicians across a year, leading to a public performance at Queen Elizabeth Hall, Southbank Centre, showcasing the new works.

14 September 2021
Artist-in-Residence announced
Opéra Orchestre National Montpellier
C’est la saison dernière, lors de l’atelier Paroles et Musique mené par Ted Huffman et Sivan Eldar, que s’est constitué ce trio de jeunes créateurs : Alex Ho, compositeur - Franciska Éry, metteuse en scène et Ar Guens Jean Mary, écrivain performeur L’Opéra Orchestre les invite cette saison en résidence pour développer les projets initiés en 2020/21.

13 September 2021
Tangram recipients of Kickstarter £10k grant
Genesis Foundation
The Genesis Foundation has announced 19 new recipients of Genesis Kickstart Fund grants for arts projects run by creative freelancers throughout the UK. The grants have been allocated from the £1m Genesis Kickstart Fund, rolled out on the Foundation’s 20th anniversary with the aim of enabling outstanding freelance talent to produce future-facing arts projects.

1 September 2021
Breathe and Draw featured at ReConnect
British Council, UK-China Contemporary Culture Festival
The 2021 UK China Contemporary Culture festival features work by leading British art and cultural organisations and artists. Online and face to face events will seek to use the transformative power of the arts to inspire audiences to consider our shared global challenges such as humanity’s relationship with the natural environment.

6 August 2021
Introducing the 2021-22 RPS Composers
Royal Philharmonic Society, Manchester Camerata
We are pleased to announce the seven composers newly joining the 2021-22 RPS Composers programme, representing some of the brightest, most exciting voices in the UK. RPS General Manager, Robin Sheffield, says: ‘We are thrilled to welcome this group of composers to the 2021-22 RPS Composers programme. Each one of them shows such exciting promise and we’re delighted not only to support them in their next steps, but also for them to draw on each others’ own individual diverse backgrounds and experience.

15 June 2021
Breathe and Draw shortlisted for Scottish New Music Award
Nevis Ensemble
VoxCarnyx is now delighted to be associated with the Scottish Awards for New Music in their fifth year of recognising innovation and creativity, and today we can exclusively reveal the shortlisted projects for the 13 awards this year.

29 March 2021
Sound Generator Artists announced
Sound UK
A new artist development programme, Sound Generator supports early career artists and the work they present. A panel of judges, including leading figures across contemporary music, chose six artists working at the forefront of sound and music.

13 March 2021

Say Hi: Programme notes

London Sinfonietta, Sound Out, Royal Festival Hall

This special live streamed concert will bring together young people from across the UK to explore how to compose and create music, hear our musicians perform pieces by living composers and be the first audience to hear new works by young people who have taken part in our Composition Challenges. Everyone is also invited to take part in a special distanced performance of Alex Ho’s Say Hi during the live stream.

17 February 2021

Tangram Announced as Awardees of £20k Live Work Fund

Jerwood Arts

Together with the Wolfson Foundation, Esmée Fairbairn Foundation and The Linbury Trust, Jerwood Arts are delighted to announce the 33 awardees of their new funding programme, the Live Work Fund. Through an artist focussed decision making process, 33 of some of the most visionary early-career music creators, performance makers and producers have been chosen to receive £20,000 each to develop their practice, allowing them to adapt and thrive through the challenges presented by Covid-19.

13 February 2021

NYCGB Announces 2021 Young Composers

National Youth Choirs of Great Britain

National Youth Choirs of Great Britain (NYCGB) has today announced the eight emerging musicians selected for its 2021 Young Composers and Fellowship programmes. The schemes each offer a fully funded, year-long programme of unique professional development opportunities to emerging professionals from a diverse range of backgrounds and musical genres.

30 November 2020

little twinkle broadcast

Commissioned by BBC Radio 3

Part of the BBC cross-platform virtual arts festival Culture in Quarantine, providing cultural content to audiences in their homes at a time of lockdown, Radio 3 has asked composers to respond to the current world-wide health crisis, and to the changes and worries resulting from it, with short musical messages of hope. The station has commissioned the artists to write 30-second pieces for solo instrumentalists.

13 November 2020

Meet the Creators: Alex Ho

National Opera Studio

We caught up with composer Alex Ho about his new work Above the White Island which, in collaboration with 2019/20 Young Artist Shengzhi Ren and librettist Theophilus Kwek, will be premiered on the National Opera Studio’s YouTube channel alongside the documentary.

24 August 2020

"A rich tapestry" - Review of Untold

Schmopera

This was a piece that did not feel as though it existed musically as a complete score but more so in the gathering of people together, in the physicality of the performance space, and in the unknowable magic that occurs in the moment of performance itself...a collaborative tale of pride and grace.

01 June 2020

New Piece for Riot Ensemble

Crossroads Festival, Salzburg

16 composers have been selected to compose for and participate in Crossroads Festival and its events, held at the Mozarteum University of Salzburg on 5-7th of November, 2020.

13 May 2020

11 new commissions announced

Nevis Ensemble

Artistically-led by Holly Mathieson and Jon Hargreaves, Nevis Ensemble will commission 11 composers to write new works as part of its online activity whilst live orchestral performances are unable to take place. Alex Ho has been commissioned to write a new work premiering in late summer 2020, involving members of the orchestra as well as the general public as part of the Nevis Living Room Ensemble project.

30 April 2020

George Butterworth Award 2020: Winner announced

Sound and Music

The George Butterworth Award is awarded annually to a UK-based composer, for an outstanding new work created through one of Sound and Music’s Artist Development Programmes. We’re delighted to announce that this year’s winner of the £1,500 award is Alex Ho, for his work Untold.

30 April 2020

HOME announces additional commissioning partners

Music Theatre Wales and London Sinfonietta

Music Theatre Wales and London Sinfonietta are partnering on the creation of an entirely new piece of music theatre for screen-based audiences, bringing together two artists: composer Alex Ho and theatre maker Elayce Ismail.

28 February 2020

Rituals and Resonances EP Release

nonclassical, Outside the Lines

Meet our favourite emerging artists. The third edition of Nonclassical's annual series of EPs 'Outside the Lines' brings together work by our four Associate Composers for 2019–20, alongside a piece by Alex Ho and performed by the winner of Nonclassical's Battle of the Bands in 2020, Reylon.

07 February 2020

Radio Feature and Interview on Late Lunch Show

Soho Radio, Max Reinhardt

Max arrives at Soho Radio from his dozen years as a regular presenter of BBC Radio 3’s night time classic show Late Junction. This new live Friday lunchtime show from the heart of Soho turns out to be what’s been missing from his life, filled with an astonishing variety of guests and a playlist for the musically curious. Catch Alex Ho and his music live from the studio (9:30-1:30:05).

04 February 2020

In Significance: Introductory notes

LSO Soundhub, London Symphony Orchestra

After a sell-out Phase I showcase, composer Alex Ho gives us an insight into his new piece In Significance ahead of its premiere at the LSO Soundhub Phase II showcase on Saturday 15 February.

18 December 2019

LSO composers tell us about a night of new music

LSO St. Luke's, Tangram

Following a sold-out debut in January 2019, artist collective Tangram return on 25 January to interweave folk melodies with brand new compositions. We caught up with composers Raymond Yiu, Jasmin Kent Rodgman and Alex Ho – all LSO composers of past and present – to find out more about the music we'll hear on Lunar New Year.

04 November 2019

Article: Transnational Identity in Opera

British Music Collection

In this blog, British-Chinese composer and Sound and Music New Voices 2018 composer Alex Ho introduces Tan Dun’s ‘Ghost Opera’ (1994) in relation to locating Chinese diasporic identity.

01 November 2019

Rituals and Resonances on New Ratio Podcast

Nick Luscombe

Nick Luscombe selects tracks from performers Sugai Ken, Carl Stone and Masanori Oishi ahead of the Experimental Session on Sunday 3rd November 2019, part of this Autumn's BBC Proms in Japan events. This programme also features words and music from London-based composer Alex Ho (from 25'20'') about his event in Hackney on 5th November 2019.

06 September 2019

LSO Soundhub Phase II Commission

London Symphony Orchestra

The London Symphony Orchestra is delighted to announce the two composers who continue onto the next phase of LSO Soundhub. Alex Ho and Sun Keting both took part in 2018/19 LSO Soundhub Phase I, and now continue on a further year, developing new work for a showcase on Saturday 15 February 2020.

02 September 2019

Full scholarship for doctoral studies awarded

Royal College of Music, AHRC London Arts and Humanities Partnership

The London Arts and Humanities Partnership (LAHP) is an AHRC-funded Doctoral Training Partnership which brings together eight leading research institutions. The LAHP offers a unique doctoral research environment with a wide range of training opportunities and activities.

04 August 2019

"Vibrant and Mercurial" - Review of Upon Brick

Louder than War

The release is part of a wider initiative; the Culture Mile, the “new home for contemporary culture in the ancient heart of London’s working capital”. The tape is a superb listen, as with other Musicity releases, one that grows over time.

30 July 2019

Commission for percussion and plastic bags

Totally Thames Festival, Tower Bridge

Following last year’s sell out concert series, composer/curator Iain Chambers brings new music and poetry to Tower Bridge’s huge Bascule Chamber. These unmissable, atmospheric concerts provide a unique way of experiencing one of Victorian engineering's greatest feats.

05 July 2019

Spiralling Scrolls: Introductory notes

LSO Soundhub, London Symphony Orchestra

Discover Alex Ho, one of the four composers on the LSO Soundhub Scheme 2019, as he gives us an insight into his composition Spiralling Scrolls ahead of its premiere on Saturday 20 July.

04 July 2019

"A perfect combination" - ...chinese whispers... BBC Broadcast

BBC Late Junction, BBC Radio 3

Journeys in music, ancient to future. The home for adventurous listeners. Max Reinhardt presents another chance to hear the Late Junction mixtape from sound artist, writer and composer David Toop. Hear Alex Ho's ...chinese whispers... on BBC Late Junction (3'17''-11'00'').

11 June 2019

Fusion Fund awarded

Help Musicians UK

Ten inspiring new collaborative projects by UK musicians have been funded by the first 2019 round of Help Musicians UK’s Fusion Fund.

15 May 2019

"A remarkable experience" - Review of Dreaming Clouds

Schmopera, Second Movement

This piece was the least operatic of the night but by far the most emotionally engaged performance...the piece felt very improvisational, almost as if we were witnessing the process of something coming into existence which was a remarkable experience. Perhaps it is time to cast form aside entirely and explore where it is headed for the future.

02 May 2019

Commission for Sound Unbound Festival, Barbican Centre

Musicity x Culture Mile

Musicity x Culture Mile encourages a musical and architectural exploration. Ten artists have created individual new tracks in response to a building, area or aspect of the city that inspires them, exploring the intrinsic connection between architecture and sound.

23 January 2019

"A visceral world of colour" - Rituals and Resonances

nonclassical, Battle of the Bands

Congratulations to yangqin player Reylon for his winning performance of Alex Ho's Rituals and Resonances at Battle of the Bands on 23 January! The performance was outstanding, leaving both the audiences and judges speechless and earning him top place at this year’s Battle of the Bands.

19 December 2018

...chinese whispers... on Incipitsify

Score Follower

Score Follower strives to provide access to contemporary music for all. Through our activities, we also aim to strengthen, diversify, and connect our musical community. By respecting our community and representing our field as well as we can, Score Follower aims to be a new kind of informational resource and center for the online community.

14 October 2018

50 Things: Rituals and Resonances

British Music Collection

#BMC50 Things is a series of short blogs, to be published throughout 2018, that will offer a bold new perspective on the recent history of new music in the UK. #BMC50 Things will help build a rich picture of the backgrounds, practices and diverse perspectives that have shaped the landscape of new music in the UK.

29 August 2018

New composers appointed to LSO Soundhub

London Symphony Orchestra

The London Symphony Orchestra is delighted to announce the appointment of six new composers to its LSO Soundhub and LSO Jerwood Composer+ programmes, and two composers who continue onto the next phase of LSO Soundhub.

19 June 2018

New Voices 2018 announced

Sound and Music

Sound and Music is delighted to announce the 15 composers and creative artists who will be its 2018 New Voices, and the first group to go through this brand new artist development programme.

25 May 2018

Article: Rituals and Resonances x Race and Resistance

The Oxford Research Centre in the Humanities (TORCH) - University of Oxford

The Race and Resistance programme, part of the Oxford University's TORCH network, brings together researchers, students, and activists in the history, literature, and culture of anti-racist movements across the modern world.

8 January 2018

2017 Bliss Prize in Composition

University of Cambridge

The Faculty of Music is delighted to announce that Alex Ho is the winner of the 2017 Bliss Prize for Composition.

Heading 1

Latest News (Writing and Features here)

31 March 2025

Purcell Room, ESEA Encounters

26 February 2025

NMC Recordings, Jerwood Foundation

14 December 2024

BBC Radio 3, New Music Show

Tom Service presents the final instalment of music from this year's Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival. Keyboard player Zubin Kanga performs the world premiere of Alex Ho's Cyborg Etudes...

13 August 2024

Morning Star

19 June 2024

FEDORA Prize Biennale

28 May 2024

Morning Star

2 April 2024

Opera Magazine

10 February 2024

Opéra Orchestre National Montpellier

6 January 2024

BBC Radio 3, New Music Show

1 November 2023

Opera Now Magazine

Congratulations on such an exciting year. What can you tell us about your approach as a composer to writing for voice and opera?

Thank you. I love collaboration, which is inevitably a large part of composing opera and for voices. With this in mind, it is crucial to have a good team in the 'creative room', not just with the necessary skillset and imagination...

29 October 2023

Opera Today

15 August 2023

Eastern Classical

21 May 2023

Muziektheater Transparant, theater krant (in Dutch)

29 April 2023

Muziektheater Transparant, pzazz theater

21 March 2023

Glyndebourne Opera

10 February 2023

Opera Europa, O. Festival Rotterdam

26 January 2023

Royal Philharmonic Society

22 September 2022

Opera Europa, O. Festival Rotterdam

22 September 2022

Opera Europa, Montpellier National Opera

1 September 2022

Intermusica

We are delighted to announce that British-Chinese composer and performer Alex Ho has joined Intermusica as part of our mentoring initiative.

25 August 2022

London Symphony Orchestra

9 August 2022

Royal Philharmonic Society

17 June 2022

Opera Europa, O. Festival Rotterdam, Montpellier National Opera

19 May 2022

PRS Foundation, Jerwood Arts

Together with Jerwood Arts, the leading independent funder for early-career UK artists, curators and producers, we’re delighted to announce that the latest talented composers to receive the ground-breaking Composers’ Fund.

11 May 2022

UK Critics' Circle

6 May 2022

Oxford Lieder Festival

We are delighted to announce British-Chinese composer Alex Ho as our Associate Composer for the next two years. During this time, he will compose two major song cycles for the 2022 and 2023 Oxford Lieder Festivals. The Festivals will also feature a number of his existing works.

7 April 2022

BBC Free Thinking, China: World Politics, Ink Art and Insomnia

18 March 2022 Rising Star BBC Feature BBC Music Magazine Dream concert: I would love to write a double concerto for pipa and yangqin for the incredible Wu Man and Reylon Yount. Chinese instruments are epic and I wish more people in Western classical music knew about them.

28 January 2022 Royal Opera House announces recitals ROH, Opera Wire

13 March 2021

London Sinfonietta, Sound Out, Royal Festival Hall

17 February 2021

Jerwood Arts

13 February 2021

National Youth Choirs of Great Britain

30 November 2020

Commissioned by BBC Radio 3

13 November 2020

National Opera Studio

We caught up with composer Alex Ho about his new work Above the White Island which, in collaboration with 2019/20 Young Artist Shengzhi Ren and librettist Theophilus Kwek, will be premiered on the National Opera Studio’s YouTube channel alongside the documentary.

24 August 2020

Schmopera

This was a piece that did not feel as though it existed musically as a complete score but more so in the gathering of people together, in the physicality of the performance space, and in the unknowable magic that occurs in the moment of performance itself...a collaborative tale of pride and grace.

01 June 2020

Crossroads Festival, Salzburg

16 composers have been selected to compose for and participate in Crossroads Festival and its events, held at the Mozarteum University of Salzburg on 5-7th of November, 2020.

18 March 2022
Rising Star BBC Feature
BBC Music Magazine
Dream concert: I would love to write a double concerto for pipa and yangqin for the incredible Wu Man and Reylon Yount. Chinese instruments are epic and I wish more people in Western classical music knew about them.

28 January 2022
Royal Opera House announces recitals
ROH, Opera Wire