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Chris Shum has been a prominent figure in the Hong Kong arts scene for over two decades, rising from obscurity to become a celebrated name. When it comes to Cantonese musicals, his is a name that cannot be overlooked. How does he use lyrics to touch everyone's heart? What beliefs have driven him towards success over the years? This talk will share Chris Shum's journey of intertwining music and words, offering a casual conversation about a creative life.
Chris Shum was born in Guangzhou and moved to Hong Kong at the age of five, where he received his education. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Chinese from Hong Kong Baptist University and a Master of Philosophy in Education from the University of Hong Kong. He is currently a lyricist, primarily creating for musicals and stage plays, with his works also appearing in film and television.
He has twice been awarded by the Hong Kong Federation of Drama Societies, receiving the "Hong Kong Drama Outstanding Youth (Lyricist)" and the "Federation Silver Jubilee Award – Outstanding Lyricist Award." In 2006, he won the Taiwan Golden Horse Award for "Best Original Film Song" and the Hong Kong CASH Golden Sail Award for "Best Alternative Work" for the song "Crossroads" from the film Perhaps Love. In 2011, he won the CASH Golden Sail Award for "Best Serious Music Work" for the chamber opera The Legend of Cheung Po Tsai. In 2012, he received the Hong Kong Drama Award for "Best Original Song and Lyrics" for the original musical A House of Treasures. In 2013, he was awarded the Hong Kong Film Award for "Best Original Film Song" for the theme song "Calming the Storm" from the film The Last Tycoon. In 2014, he again won the Hong Kong Drama Award for "Best Original Song and Lyrics" for the musical A Beautiful Day.
With a prolific output, Chris Shum has been a major force in Hong Kong's arts scene for over twenty years. His original musicals, such as The Good Person of Szechwan, The Legend of the White Snake (New Version), and A House of Treasures, are widely acclaimed. In 2013, he adapted Mary Chin's novel The Kenzo Woman into a musical, marking his first work to encompass both script and lyrics, with a reading version premiered by Theatre Noir in November 2013. He has also ventured into TV and film songwriting and translation, with recent works including songs for the Huace TV series The Master and all the lyrics for the Cantonese version of Disney's animated film Frozen.
Chris has collaborated multiple times with Theatre Noir, including translating the lyrics for the world's first Cantonese version of the Broadway musical 13 in 2011, translating Shakespeare's Love Letter (Cantonese and English versions) in 2012, and translating the script and lyrics for the musical A Dickens' Christmas in 2013.
He is the author of the book Musical Theatre: Notes on Words and Music, published by Tong Chuang Culture. In 2013, he also hosted a thirteen-episode interview series titled Fellow Travellers Singing – Conversations with Hong Kong Musical Theatre Practitioners for Creative Power Media. His personal website, www.chrisshum.com, is now live.
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