Hong Kong composer Daniel Lo Ting Cheung inspired by a series of poems about the epidemic written by the famous local writer and poet Ho Fuk Yan, composed 9 new works turning poems into songs. The concert is composed of poems, sung by a baritone solo, accompanied by a 6-player instrumental ensemble and video projection of the poems with English surtitles, allowing the audience to experience the situation of various characters during the pandemic. Love in the Time of Coronavirus is a very down-to-earth collection of poetry, written from different perspectives from all walks of life including employers, students, couples, smokers, and even robbers and pet kittens, describing the mentalities when facing the pandemic in society. Songs of Virotopia helps us reflect the relationship between the pandemic and our culture from multiple angles, including the living habits of modern society, the distance between people, the meaning of existence and work, and the application of science and technology. There are many works sung in Cantonese, including pop songs, musicals and choral works, but there are hardly any Cantonese songs performed in the traditional Western bel canto. In addition, there are very few vocal music works based on Hong Kong literature. Local vocal music works created in the past mostly used ancient poems as lyrics, this new attempt of turning modern poetry into lyrics with the song cycle sung in Cantonese is unprecedented. Coronavirus affects people's respiratory system, and singing is closely related to breathing. Daniel’s attempt to compose the singing part in a novel way to mimic different forms of breathing state. For example, use pointillistic musical gestures instead of song-like melodies to represent the unsmooth breathing; or use irregular melodic contours and rapid rhythms to show the difficulty of breathing. Various singing materials are expanded into the orchestration of the entire band, so that the lyrics and music can be closely integrated. Daniel Lo Ting Cheung is one of the most celebrated Hong Kong composers in recent years. He is committed to creating works that combine literature and music, especially vocal works sung in Chinese. His recent works include the chamber opera Women Like Us and the multimedia music theatre The Happy Family, the Cantata The Banquet at elBulli and the choral work Mary's Chalk Circle. In addition to literary-inspired works, Lo has also composed orchestral and chamber music works for the Hong Kong Sinfonietta and Hong Kong New Music Ensemble's Asian tours in recent years. This November, join in and support local music and literature, see you at the concert!