John Kam started playing guitar after his secondary education. He graduated from the Music Department of The Hong Kong Baptist University (major in Theory and Composition; Instruments: major in Cello and minor in Piano) and The Chinese University of Hong Kong respectively. He also obtained the LTCL qualification in guitar performance in Trinity College of Music, United Kingdom.

John always gives performance in Hong Kong and Macau relatively. He has appeared as soloist and played several guitar concertos with Pan Asia Symphony Orchestra. In order to bring up the young musicians, he formed The Hong Kong Guitar Ensemble in 1987; The Hong Kong Youth Guitar Ensemble in 1996; The Hong Kong Guitar Trio and The Hong Kong Guitar Quartet in 1998. In 2002, he also formed The Hong Kong Guitar Quintet. Since 1993, after his first guitar recital in The Hong Kong Cultural Centre, John dedicated most of his time to music, a labour of love and hopes to promote classic music to the general public and comes to ‘Music is for sharing’; ‘Interest long life and long life interest’.

John’s students have won numerous awards in The Hong Kong Schools Music Festival competitions; The Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music examinations and The Trinity College’s examinations. He conducts master-class and appears as jury in various competitions and graduated examinations held by The Hong Kong Red Cross; The Hong Kong Aircraft Engineering Company Limited; The Hong Kong Music Institute and The Hong Kong Institute of Education respectively.

John is often devoted himself to benefiting charities and people in need of help such as the ‘Lifeline Express’; offers ‘Industry Attachment places’ for the students and give help to the children for more than twenty families in Shamshuipo.

Recently John is fully engaged in The Hong Kong Guitar and Gem Centre’s Music and Gemmology courses, he also appears as the Guest Guitar Tutor (first instrument) in the Department of Creative Arts and Physical Education of The Hong Kong Institute of Education and is actively arranging pieces for guitar ensembles and guitar chamber music contributing to the Hong Kong community.

甘兆棠 早歲對音樂無大興趣，中學畢業後始修習古典結他，分別畢業於香港浸會大學 〔主修理論和作曲；樂器則主修大提琴和副修鋼琴〕 和香港中文大學的音樂系，並考取英國聖三一音樂學院的古典結他演奏文憑。

甘先生經常在香港及澳門兩地演出，並數度與泛亞交響樂團演出韋華第的結他協奏曲。為了讓年輕的音樂家有更多的演出經驗，甘先生分別於 1987 年成立香港結他合奏團、1996 年成立香港青年結他合奏團、1998 年成立香港結他三重奏和香港結他四重奏，並於 2002 年成立香港結他五重奏。自 1993 年於香港文化中心作首次個人演奏會後，甘兆棠先生將大部份時間致力於推廣古典音樂；作為一種無償的奉獻，望能達至 「獨樂樂不如眾樂樂」，「終身興趣，樂趣無窮」 的階段。

甘兆棠先生的學生在香港校際音樂比賽、英國皇家音樂學院和聖三一學院音樂考試中分別取得很好的成績和授予很多獎項。他更舉辦大師班和為多項比賽和結他畢業試作評分，如紅十字會、香港飛機工程有限公司、香港音樂專科學校和香港教育學院等。

甘先生日常亦為公益慈善事務和為有需要的人伸出援手，如‘健康快車’、為學生提供‘實習’職位和為深水二十多個家庭的小孩提供幫助等。

甘兆棠先生現全職投身於香港結他及寶石中心的音樂和寶石教育等工作，並為香港教育學院體藝學系客席結他導師（主修）和忙於為樂團和器樂合奏作編曲，冀望能為香港的古典結他樂壇多作一分貢獻。

In the past 20 years, fully dedicate to guitar teaching and promotion; found the Hong Kong Guitar Ensemble, The Hong Kong Youth Guitar Ensemble, Guitar Duet, The Hong Kong Guitar Trio, The Hong Kong Guitar Quartet and The Hong Kong Guitar Quintet. Although the progress is quite slow, most of the members can play on their own while the ensembles are gradually taking shape.

Kick-start promoting guitar solo concert in order to further foster the development of the classic guitar music, wishful thinking that would arouse more different kind of solo concerts appeared in Hong Kong, and ‘A cultural desert’ in Hong Kong is slowly fade out.

John Kam

09 Feb., 2006 in Centre

近二十年來孜孜不倦、專心一意地從事結他教學和推廣等工作，並分別成立香港結他合奏團、香港青年結他合奏團、結他二重奏及香港結他三、四和五重奏。雖然進展綬慢，還幸合奏團已稍具雛形，大部份的團員都學有所長，能獨當一面地去發展。

為進一步推廣及提升香港古典結他的音樂發展，便再積極舉辦結他獨奏會，望能作拋磚引玉般喚起音樂界的回響。由此而各自獻出一分力量冀能把香港是文化沙漠的稱號逐漸移除。

甘兆棠 2006年2月9寫於中心

This Duo Concert, organized by Mr. John Kam, one of the leading guitarists and music teachers in Hong Kong, is one of the series of concerts held each year since 1987. This series of concerts aims to nurture Hong Kong’s young guitarists to advance their musicianship with ease without the pressure as faced by most instrumental soloists.

Through this concert planning, we hope the young guitarists can unify the music, guitar and their skills, their body and spirit as a whole in the very soon future.

29 December 2007 written in The Hong Kong Guitar & Gem Centre

是次二重奏音樂會為香港著名結他演奏家和音樂教育家甘兆棠先生於一九八七年起所籌辦的一系列音樂會之一。目的是為了培育年青的結他演奏家，透過多樣化的實踐，以減少他們將來作為獨奏家所遇到的壓力；從而能輕鬆、愉快地去學習和培養音樂家的素養。

希望通過以上的計劃，更能加快地讓他們鬆容地將音樂、結他和技巧；肉體和心靈達成五位一體的階段

2007年12月29日於結他及寶石中心