Leung So-kam

Biography

Leung So-kam (originally Leung Chi-suk) was born on 30 March 1928 in Guangzhou into a Cantonese opera family. Her father, Leung Yee-chung, was a renowned musician and singer of Cantonese opera, and her stepmother, Cheung Sin (Cheung Yuk-king), was a Cantonese opera singer. She moved to Hong Kong at age five and gave her first radio performance at age six, singing the ancient aria "Ma Yu Long". After primary school, the family fled Hong Kong during World War II, and at age thirteen she joined the "Juexiansheng Troupe" led by Xue Juexian in Zhanjiang, where she was trained by Xue Juexian and his wife Tang Xueqing. She chose the stage name "So Kam" from two suggestions by her father and friends, formally launching her artistic career. She later studied Peking opera singing under Zou Lai-yi, mastering the Mei school style. She performed in China, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Singapore, including a collaboration with the late Cantonese opera artist Xu Yingxiu in Singapore. She made her film debut in 1949 in the opera film "Meng Lijun" at Xue Juexian's recommendation, playing the Empress. She appeared in over 50 films before retiring in 1969 with "Si Feng Qiu Huang". In 1964, she joined the "Hong Kong Cantonese Opera Troupe" on a 30-day tour of Taiwan, including performances for troops in Kinmen. In 1966, she studied Chinese painting under Choi Pui-chu and exhibited her works such as "Boat Returning in Storm" and "Fishing in Clear Stream" at a 1969 group exhibition. She served as vocal coach for Wang Ming-chun in works including "Tian Shan Pei Pei", "Gong Zhu Diao Ma Fu Jiao", and "Zao Kang Qing". She passed away on 20 November 2022.