“Music Heals!” 2026
- February 12, 2026
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“Music Heals!” 2026 – Pathways to Emotional and Mental Wellness”
We proudly present “Music Heals! 2026 – Pathways to Emotional and Mental Wellness,” marking a transformative new chapter in its decade-long community initiative dedicated to music therapy and emotional healing.
This year’s program welcomes the globally renowned Papageno Foundation from the Netherlands to Asia for the first time—and marks their second meaningful collaboration with HKGNA. Together, they will share powerful testimonies and explore how music therapy can transform lives. Audiences will gain insights into the transformative and healing power of music.
Since its inception in 2015, HKGNA’s “Music Heals!” has reached children, families, and communities across Hong Kong, especially those impacted by special educational needs, neurodiversity, and mental health challenges. With a mission rooted in inclusion and compassion, the initiative continues to affirm one enduring truth: music heals.
Transformative Partnership Across Continents
The 2026 series is made possible through the generous support of the Consulate General of the Netherlands in Hong Kong, with the support of Papageno Foundation, the Hong Kong Music Therapy Association, and educational partner Hong Kong Baptist University Academy of Music. The event’s hospitality partner is InterContinental Grand Stanford Hong Kong.
HKGNA is honored to welcome Mrs. Aaltje van Zweden, internationally celebrated autism advocate and Co-Founder of the Papageno Foundation with maestro Jaap van Zweden (former Music Director of the Hong Kong Philharmonic), and Dr. Mathieu Pater, Head of Music Therapy and Research at the Papageno Foundation. Their groundbreaking work has shaped best practices in autism-focused music therapy across Europe and beyond. At “Music Heals!” 2026, Mrs. van Zweden and Dr. Pater will share how music therapy is creatively and powerfully used to help individuals with autism and other challenges express themselves, connect emotionally, and thrive.
Leading Experts Unite for Emotional and Mental Wellness:
The “Music Heals!” 2026 seminars will feature an esteemed interdisciplinary panel of international and Hong Kong leaders, including:
- Mrs. Aaltje van Zweden, Founder, Papageno Foundation (The Netherlands)
- Dr. Mathieu Pater, Head of Music Therapy and Research, Papageno Foundation (The Netherlands)
- Dr. Phyllis Chan, Specialist in Psychiatry; Honorary Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Hong Kong
- Prof. Catherine So, Professor, Department of Educational Psychology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
- Prof. Johnny Poon, Associate Vice-President (Interdisciplinary Research), Hong Kong Baptist University
- Mr. Hugo Wong, Registered Music Therapist (UK); Fellow of Guided Imagery & Music; Chairperson, Hong Kong Music Therapy Association
Each seminar will culminate in a live performance featuring neurodivergent pianist Malcolm Mok, Korean crossover singers Phillip Jeong and Tae In Han. These uplifting performances capture the essence of “Music Heals!” offering shared moments of healing, restoration, and renewal through the power of music.
“HKGNA Music Heals!” 2026 Seminars
Languages: English (Seminars 1 & 2); English/Cantonese (Seminar 3)
Admission: Free of charge; registration required
Seminar 1 – Papageno Foundation and “The World of Music Therapy” [English only]
Date: March 12, 2026 (Thursday)
Time: 1:30 pm – 3:00 pm
Venue: Mr. & Mrs. Chan Hon Yin Hall, Jockey Club Campus of Creativity (JC3), Hong Kong Baptist University
An introduction to the Papageno Foundation’s innovative music therapy work with autistic children and youth, and what music therapy can offer to families and professionals.
Target audience: Music therapists, students, and those interested in pursuing or learning more about music therapy
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Seminar 2 – The Power of Music [English only]
Date: March 12, 2026 (Thursday)
Time: 4:00 pm – 5:30 pm
Venue: Mr. & Mrs. Chan Hon Yin Hall, Jockey Club Campus of Creativity (JC3), Hong Kong Baptist University
A cross‑disciplinary conversation on how music shapes learning, identity, and community life far beyond the concert hall or therapy room.
Target audience: Educators, students, and anyone interested in learning more about the healing power of music or its positive impact on humanity.
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Seminar 3 – Community & Healing [English/ Chinese]
Date: March 13, 2026 (Friday)
Time: 4:00 pm – 5:30 pm
Venue: 22/F, Sky Chapel, Methodist International Church, Wan Chai
A compassionate dialogue on how music can support trauma recovery, emotional regulation, and everyday healing for neurodivergent individuals, survivors, and their families.
Target audience: Neurodivergent individuals, families, caregivers, Tai Po fire survivors and families, PTSD survivors, and the wider public
Please Support us to serve our Community!
Speakers
Aaltje van Zweden-van Buuren (1963) is the founder of the Papageno Foundation, a board member of the Papageno Fund and the Papageno Music Foundation, which have been supporting children and young people with autism since 1997.
In 2015, she opened the first Papageno House, where young adults with autism live and work. Her involvement stems from her personal situation: together with her husband, conductor Jaap van Zweden, she has four children, the third of whom has autism.
Aaltje van Zweden was born in Haiti, grew up in the Netherlands and attended the Academy of Visual Arts in Amsterdam. She later completed a master’s degree in Art Education at the Hogeschool voor Kunsten van Amsterdam, where she specialized in art education for young people with autism.
She is also a board member of the Autism Treatment Center in Texas, of the Societal Alliance, a member of the board of trustees of the Reisopera and a member of the recommendation committee of Music as Medicine. She regularly gives presentations and lectures at home and abroad on autism, art education and the importance of music therapy.
Because of her efforts for the Papageno Foundation, Aaltje van Zweden was appointed Knight in the Order of Orange Nassau in 2012 and received the prestigious Hélène de Montigny Prize in 2016. In 2017, her first book Om wie je bent was published by AmboAnthos publishers, the book The power of music she wrote together with Mathieu Pater was published by Lannoo Campus in 2021 and her third book Waar ben je home was published in 2022 (AmboAnthos).
Mathieu Pater, Head of Music Therapy, Papageno Foundation
He received PhD at the University of Groningen. He has a partnership with the Papageno Foundation where he does research and provides therapies for children and young people with autism. He also gives guest lectures, workshops and readings on autism and music therapy.
Specialist in Psychiatry (Private Practice)
Dr Chan has over 30 years of experience in clinical practice, research, teaching and training, leading management and administrative roles and volunteering works.
Prof. Catherine So received her Ph.D. in Psychology at the University of Chicago in 2007. Then she took up the Assistant Professor Position at the National University of Singapore in 2007 and returned to Hong Kong in 2012. She is currently a Full Professor in the Department of Educational Psychology at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Her research interests lie in language and gesture development of both typically and atypically developing children and intervention for autistic children and their families. She has published over 60 journal articles and found a charitable organization that solely provides robot-based intervention in Hong Kong. Her research, teaching, and services have received local and international recognition.
From the day Professor Johnny Poon set foot in academia, through his years as an accomplished musician, a devoted teacher and an impassioned academic leader, he remains a vehement advocate for academic research—a panacea that acts as an agent of change in an increasingly complex world. As Associate Vice-President (Interdisciplinary Research), he oversees the development of six interdisciplinary research laboratories, exemplifying the University’s commitment to create the best conditions for generating groundbreaking research for society.
In his own research, Professor Poon focuses on interdisciplinary projects that would break traditional artistic and disciplinary boundaries. He aims to invent radical concepts, techniques and advance the future of creative practice that would help enhance the ways people think, express and communicate ideas and emotions. Recently, he has contributed to the rediscovery and a modern adaptation of an 18th-century opera by Antonio Caldara. This research delivers the first performance edition of the opera since its premiere in 1735, and it gives voice to the actual sound of the music that was previous unknown to scholars and modern audience. He further expands the artistic property of this opera by designing a new performance model that puts the historical text of this centuries-old music within a larger time and cultural continuum through new interfaces of dance, theatre, visual media, and AI technologies.
Of his professional practice, he has maintained a highly successful career as a conductor, appearing regularly in concert halls across the globe including Carnegie Hall in New York, Glinka Cappella Hall in Russia and National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing. He has conducted such ensembles as Moscow State Philharmonic Orchestra, St. Petersburg State Capella Orchestra, Sudestdeutsche Philharmonie, Kammarkoren Svenska Roster, Kammerchor Stuttgart, Slezske Divadlo Opava, Opera Hong Kong, Sinfonica dell’ international Chamber Ensemble, New England Symphonic Ensemble, Taiwan Baroque Camerata, Xiamen Philharmonic Orchestra, Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra, and the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra. Previously, he held positions as Director of Opera at University of Evansville (USA), Music Director of Evansville Collegium Musicum (USA), Associate Conductor of OperaFestival di Roma (Italy) and Artistic Director of Harlaxton International Chamber Music Festival (UK).
During his 10-year service as Head of the Department of Music, Professor Poon has spearheaded major performance, research, curriculum and development projects, making the Department synonymous with quality in teaching and research. In additionto teaching and research, Professor Poon plays an indispensable role in capital works projects, in terms of fundraising and planning of physical spaces. Examples include the renovation of the Department of Music and its relocation to Sing Tao Building; new teaching and recording studios in David C Lam Building; and now the design of the new Creative Hub in the Jockey Club Campus of Creativity to be completed in 2024. His contribution to HKBU extends beyond the departmental level, particularly by serving as Acting Dean of Arts and Convenor of the Creative Media/Practice Research Cluster.
Professor Poon serves on a number of committees and advisory boards, including Curriculum Development Committee on Key Learning Areas (Arts Education), Education Bureau; Programme and Development Committee of Leisure and Cultural Services Department; and Hong Kong Arts Development Council. He is Artistic Advisor of Macao Orchestra, and he also serves on panels for various organisations, accreditation reviews, and award schemes. He is an elected Fellow of the Hong Kong Academy of the Humanities.
英國健康及護理專業協會註冊音樂治療師
音樂心靈導航治療師院士 (Guided Imagery & Music Fellow)
精神分析學音樂治療師 (Analytical Music Therapist)
英國、香港音樂治療師協會專業會員
英國安格魯斯金大學音樂治療碩士
歐洲音樂心靈導航協會會員
Hugo的服務對象包括受情緒、創傷及壓力困擾的成人及兒童 (如喪親、情緒病患、受家暴影響) 、癌症患者、智障人士、腦退化症患者、特殊教育需要的學童及其照顧者，亦為不同機構提供音樂治療減壓、自我探索體驗工作坊。