Projects per year
Personal profile
Chinese Name
Biography
From the day Professor Johnny Poon set foot in academia, through his years as an accomplished musician, a devoted teacher, and an impassioned academic leader, he remains a vehement advocate for academic research – a panacea that acts as an agent of change in an increasingly complex world. As Associate Vice-President (Interdisciplinary Research), he oversees the development of six interdisciplinary research laboratories, exemplifying the University’s commitment to create the best conditions for generating groundbreaking research for society.
In his own research, Professor Poon focuses on interdisciplinary projects that would break traditional artistic and disciplinary boundaries. He aims to invent radical concepts, techniques and advance the future of creative practice that would help enhance the ways people think, express and communicate ideas and emotions. Recently, he has contributed to the rediscovery and a modern adaptation of an 18th century opera by Antonio Caldara. This research delivers the first performance edition of the opera since its premiere in 1735, and it gives voice to the actual sound of the music that was previous unknown to scholars and modern audience. He further expands the artistic property of this opera by designing a new performance model that puts the historical text of this centuries-old music within a larger time and cultural continuum through new interfaces of dance, theatre, visual media, and AI technologies.
Of his professional practice, he has maintained a highly successful career as a conductor, appearing regularly in concert halls across the globe including Carnegie Hall in New York, Glinka Cappella Hall in Russia and National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing. He has conducted such ensembles as Moscow State Philharmonic Orchestra, St. Petersburg State Capella Orchestra, Sudestdeutsche Philharmonie, Kammarkoren Svenska Roster, Kammerchor Stuttgart, Slezske Divadlo Opava, Opera Hong Kong, Sinfonica dell’ international Chamber Ensemble, New England Symphonic Ensemble, Taiwan Baroque Camerata, Xiamen Philharmonic Orchestra, Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra, and the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra. Previously, he held positions as Director of Opera at University of Evansville (USA), Music Director of Evansville Collegium Musicum (USA), Associate Conductor of OperaFestival di Roma (Italy) and Artistic Director of Harlaxton International Chamber Music Festival (UK).
During his 10-year service as Head of the Department of Music, Professor Poon has spearheaded major performance, research, curriculum and development projects, making the Department synonymous with quality in teaching and research. In addition to teaching and research, Professor Poon plays an indispensable role in capital works projects, in terms of fundraising and planning of physical spaces. Examples included the renovation of the Department of Music and its relocation to Sing Tao Building; new teaching and recording studios in David C. Lam Building; and now the design of the new Creative Hub in the Jockey Club Campus of Creativity to be completed in 2024. His contribution to HKBU extends beyond the departmental level, particularly by serving as Acting Dean of Arts and Convenor of the Creative Media/Practice Research Cluster.
Professor Poon serves in a number of committees and advisory boards, including Curriculum Development Committee on Key Learning Areas (Arts Education), Education Bureau; Programme and Development Committee of Leisure and Cultural Services Department; and Hong Kong Arts Development Council. He is Chairman of the Advisory Committee for the Division of Cultural and Creativity at United International College, Zhuhai, and Artistic Advisor of Macao Orchestra. He also serves on panels for various organisations, accreditation reviews and award schemes. He is an elected Fellow of the Hong Kong Academy of the Humanities.
Research Interests
- Interdisciplinary Research & Creative Practice
- Baroque Repertoire and Performance Practice
- Orchestral Studies
- Human and Machine Collaboration
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
Projects
- 1 Active
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Building Platform Technologies for Symbiotic Creativity in Hong Kong
GUO, Y. & POON, J. M. L.
1/11/21 → 31/10/26
Project: Research project
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The Hong Kong Jockey Club Series: The Road to the Baroque — Masterpieces from the Capodimonte Museum: Music Pairing
POON, J. M. L., CHUNG, D. Y. S., XUE, W., ALONSO TRILLO, R. & Yau, V., 15 Jul 2022Research output: Non-textual form › Exhibition
Open Access -
World Premiere Broadcast of a live performance of music with a cross-cultural and cross-genre frame
POON, J. M. L., Chu, W. P., Siu, N., Gagnon, S., Wei, S. F., Wong, N. & LUI, P. H. P., 20 Aug 2022Research output: Non-textual form › Performance
Open Access -
FESTIVE KOREA 2021 x Collegium Musicum Hong Kong
POON, J. M. L., 12 Nov 2021Research output: Non-textual form › Performance
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HKBU Symphony Orchestra Annual Gala Concert 2021
POON, J. M. L., 16 Jul 2021Research output: Non-textual form › Performance
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Music facilitation for promoting well-being through the lifecourse
Varvarigou, M., Willingham, L., Abad, V. & Poon, J. M. L., 1 Mar 2021, In: International Journal of Community Music. 14, 1, p. 81-101 21 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › peer-review
1 Citation (Scopus)
Activities
- 1 Event organized by HKBU
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Peak Performance across Disciplines: An online forum 跨學科巔峰表現高峰論壇
Jun PAN (Organiser) & Johnny M L POON (Organiser)
1 Oct 2021Activity: Conference/talk/lecture/symposium/speech/workshop, etc › Event organized by HKBU