Daniel Chua

Daniel Kwan Liang Chua (Chinese: 蔡寬量) FBA is a musicologist. He is Chair Professor of Music at the University of Hong Kong, where he has also served as Head of the School of Humanities. Chua's research focuses on Ludwig van Beethoven and axiological issues in the foundation of Western music history, music theory and analysis, and global musicology.

Daniel Chua FBA
蔡寬量
Born	Daniel Kwan Liang Chua (1966-03-16) March 16, 1966
Occupations	Musicologist, academic
Academic background
Alma mater	St Catharine's College, Cambridge (BA) St John's College, Cambridge (MPhil, PhD)
Academic work
Discipline	Musicology
Sub-discipline	Music theory, Philosophy of music, Global musicology
Institutions	University of Hong Kong
Notable works	The ‘Galitzin’ Quartets of Beethoven (1995) Absolute Music and the Construction of Meaning (1999) Beethoven and Freedom (2017) Alien Listening (2021) Music and Joy (2024)

Early life and education

Chua attended the Purcell School for Young Musicians, and was educated at St Catharine's College, Cambridge, where he received a BA in music. He continued his studies at St John's College, Cambridge, earning his MPhil and PhD.

Academic career

Chua began his academic career in 1993 at St John's College, Cambridge, where he was a Research Fellow and Director of Studies in Music. He joined King's College London in 1997 as a lecturer in music and was promoted to Professor of Music Theory and Analysis in 2006.

In 2008, Chua joined the University of Hong Kong as Professor of Music and Head of the School of Humanities, a position he held until 2014. As Head, he co-founded The Centre for the Humanities and Medicine, Faith and Global Engagement, and the Advanced Cultural Leadership Programme. He was appointed the inaugural Mr and Mrs Hung Hing-Ying Endowed Professor in the Arts in 2017 and was conferred a Chair Professorship in 2021.

Chua has held visiting fellowships and professorships at institutions including Harvard University and Yale University. He served as President of the International Musicological Society from 2017 to 2022.

Honours and awards

• Henry Fellowship, Harvard University (1990–1991)
• Dent Medal, Royal Musical Association (2004)
• Fellow, Yale Institute of Sacred Music (2014–2015)
• Honorary Fellow, American Musicological Society (2018)
• Presidential Plenary Endowed Lecturer, American Musicological Society (2022)
• Corresponding Fellow of the British Academy (2022)
• Distinguished Research Achievement Award, University of Hong Kong (2022–2023)
• Wallace Berry Award, Society for Music Theory (2024)
• Pedagogy and Public-Facing Scholarship Award, Society for Music Theory (2025)

Books

Monographs

• The Galitzin Quartets of Beethoven. Princeton University Press, 1995. ISBN 978-0-691-04403-3
• Absolute Music and the Construction of Meaning. Cambridge University Press, 1999. ISBN 978-0-521-63181-5
• Beethoven and Freedom. Oxford University Press, 2017. ISBN 978-0-19-976932-2
• Alien Listening: Voyager’s Golden Record and Music from Earth. Zone Books, 2021. ISBN 978-1-942130-54-3 (With Alexander Rehding.)
• Music and Joy: Lessons on the Good Life. Yale University Press, 2024. ISBN 978-0-300-26421-0

Edited books

• Begbie, Jeremy; Chua, Daniel K. L.; Rathey, Markus (eds.). Theology, Music, and Modernity: Struggles for Freedom. Oxford University Press, 2021. ISBN 978-0-19-884655-0
• Chua, Daniel K. L.; Cook, Nicholas; Philips-Hutton, Ariana; Țiplea Temeș, Bianca (eds.). Perpetual Encounter: Globalisation, Cosmopolitanism, and Acculturation in Music. MediaMusic, 2024. ISBN 978-606-645-304-2
• Chua, Daniel K. L.; Chong, Nicholas (eds.). Rethinking Beethoven and the Enlightenment. Cambridge University Press, 2025. ISBN 978-1-009-41130-1

Selected publications

• Chua, Daniel K. L. (2007). "Rioting with Stravinsky: A Particular Analysis of the Rite of Spring." Music Analysis. 26 (1–2): 59–109.
• Chua, Daniel K. L. (2009). "Beethoven’s Other Humanism." Journal of the American Musicological Society. 62 (3): 571–645. doi:10.1525/jams.2009.62.3.571.
• Chua, Daniel K. L. (2011). "Listening to the Self: The Shawshank Redemption and the Technology of Music." Nineteenth-Century Music. 34 (3): 341–355.
• Chua, Daniel K. L. (2014). "Beethoven Going Blank." Journal of Musicology. 31 (3): 299–325. doi:10.1525/jm.2014.31.3.299.
• Chua, Daniel K. L. (2022). "Global Musicology: A Keynote Without a Key." Acta Musicologica. 94 (1): 109–126.