Hon Ning Cheung (1998-) is a composer and chromatic harmonica player from Hong Kong. She is currently finishing her composition bachelor at Conservatorium Maastricht(NL) under the guidance of Vykintas Baltakas. She took conducting lessons from Federico Santi, whom she considers as her important mentor from the beginning of her music study. Since 2019 she learned chromatic harmonica guided by Shing Hei Leung, later she was inspired to expand harmonica’s repertoires through exploring its timbral possibilities and different instrumental combinations. Finishing her chemistry bachelor at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology in 2020, she transposed from science to music. Passionate about uncertainty and fragility in musical creations, Hon Ning loves to explore different art forms while being exposed in various dimensions as a musician, to continue searching her way of expression.

Founder & composer of Nefelibata New Music Collective since 2021, a group of musicians at Conservatorium Maastricht devoting to creating concert projects inspired by humans, nature, and life. Over the past three years, she has been curating annual concert episodes with the collective musicians. As a harmonicist, she formed “Atemsäer Duo” with pianist Lilian Phan, and “Wolken Trio” with Phan and percussionist Colin Crandal in hopes of expanding contemporary harmonica repertories in chamber music and collaborating actively with living composers abroad. Hon Ning has premiered harmonica works by Oswald Huỳnh, Kyohei Sugihara, Riccardo Perugini, Mario Pallas, Andy Janssen, Tai Nakamura, and Ethan Blackburn. In 2023, together with Nefelibata Sinfonietta and conductor Txemi Etxebarria, she brought the Dutch premiere of the violin concerto by Einojuhani Rautavaara with chromatic harmonica. This year, she will bring the new harmonica works by Yuki Nakahashi, Finn Mattingly, Haodong Wang, Zihan Zhao, and Kyohei Sugihara.

Hon Ning actively participates in compositions classes and workshops across Europe, including Peter Eötvös Contemporary Music Foundation Masterclass with Peter Eötvös and Stefano Gervasoni; Cátedra Manuel de Falla Musical Analysis and Composition Course with Fabián Panisello, with Lisa Streich, Soundmine Composition Workshop with Annelies Van Parys, Jorrit Tamminga, Quentin Meurisse, and Diederik Glorieux; CEME Composition masterclass with Yair Klartag, and composition class with Reiko Füting and Michael Harrison. She worked with Philharmonie zuidnederland Ensemble, Zuiderwind Ensemble, Mdi Ensemble, Icarus vs Muzak, Ictus Ensemble, Taller Sonoro, Chamber Choir Maastricht, Trio Quartet, Adeona Duo. Her compositions were performed in Le concours de piano «Andrée CHARLIER» (2022, Charleroi/BE), Ars Musica(2022, Brussels/BE), Groningen Guitar Festival (2023, Groningen/NL), Festival de Música Española de Cádiz (2023, ES), and Contemporanea Città di Udine (2023, IT)

In autumn 2024, Hon Ning will begin her master study in Composition at Hochschule Luzern, under the guidance of Dieter Ammann.