Hon Ki Cheung joins the Butler School of Music faculty as an assistant professor. Cheung’s research interests explore the relationship between concert programming and diversity discourse in musical institutions in the United States, as well as music by Chinese composers from the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. They focus on how modern Chinese and Western societies influence pedagogy, the music-making process, and musical expressions in Chinese instrumental music.
Tell us about the classes you’ll be teaching this year.
I will teach MUA 411A/B (Second-year Ear Training and Sight Singing) this school year and a seminar on post-tonal music theory for graduate-level students in the spring semester.
What attracted you to the Butler School of Music and The University of Texas at Austin?
Amazing colleagues, cordial collegial culture, and opportunities to conduct interdisciplinary studies. I am also grateful for the opportunity to work with graduate students with exciting research ideas.
How did your professional pathway lead to your focus?
A bunch of coincidences. Despite playing music since childhood, I started college studies as an electronic engineer. While I knew I wanted to pursue a career in academia, I did not see myself in engineering and decided to give music a shot. That’s how I ended up in music theory. At first, I was doing more mathy things, but I am more motivated by issues in music analysis and composers’ identities. I also found my research area more because of an incidental encounter with a composer and my interest in critical theory during my master’s studies. I was also accepted for my Ph.D. studies at Minnesota, where I have everything I need to pursue such interests, including minoring in sociology. Many of my discoveries are also found by flipping pages of “irrelevant” music scores and document archives.
What’s something that students and colleagues should know about you?
I’m very introverted and anxious in group conversations, but I greatly enjoy one-on-one conversations, teaching, and public speaking. Looking forward to the many conversations around campus! I also very much want to play in a band, but I’m still too timid to do so. Nonetheless, I compose and play the pipa and organ, and would love to collaborate on any projects!
What do you enjoy doing when you’re not teaching/researching/working?
Recently I got into boxing out of the blue. I also enjoy swimming, cooking, and needlework. I also have two cats, Toes and Minnie, which keep me entertained or on edge depending on the time of day.