“World Music” Series: “A Cultural Journey through World Music” Lecture Demonstration

By “world music”, we are talking about not only music of the world but also the music of places or communities that are culturally different from ours.  If travelling is about physically experiencing the geography, history and culture of different places, then their music is about allowing our heart and soul to experience the sensibilities of a culture other than our own.

Musicians who have their base here in Hong Kong and have conducted detailed research on the traditional music of other places will give guided tours of world music in a series of four talks, in which they will introduce histories and cultures, demonstrate how musical instruments are played, and share their personal experiences.  They will take the audience to cross cultural barriers to experience the ethereal Zen of the shakuhachi of Japan, the surging rhythms of Mande music of West Africa, the fierce passions of the flamenco music of Spain, and the exquisiteness of the classical music of Central Asia.

14 Jun (Wed)

Lecture 1: Japanese Shakuhachi Music

The shakuhachi is a bamboo flute that was introduced to Japan from China during the Tang and Song dynasties.  It has evolved over the centuries to become one of the most representative traditional musical instruments of Japan.  This talk will introduce Japanese traditional music and then a variety of shakuhachi music genres, from court music, religious music, folk music to modern shakuhachi repertoire so as to offer the audience multiple perspectives on the rich diversity of Japanese traditional music culture and the importance of shakuhachi in it.

21 Jun (Wed)

Lecture 2: West African Mande Music

The music culture of the Mande people of West Africa has a very long history and it is very much ingrained in the fabric of their everyday lives.  It is also an important means of communication and sending messages.  For example, when something happens, people would hear the music related to that event and can tell what is going to happen.

There are many African percussion instruments that have become widely popular nowadays, with examples being the djembe and the dunun.  In this talk, the speaker will demonstrate a variety of West African rhythms on these two percussion instruments.  In addition, an instrument called the kora (African harp) will be introduced together with some Western instruments to demonstrate a modern style of music.

28 Jun (Wed)

Lecture 3: Spanish Flamenco Music

Flamenco is an art form which originated in the Andalusian region of southern Spain.  It was inscribed onto the UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2010.  In this talk, the speaker will introduce the characteristics and history of Flamenco music and demonstrate the different styles of Flamenco through the two main elements: singing (cante) and guitar playing (toque), which are categorised by rhythmic patterns, modes, chords and region of origin.  The audience will be able to enjoy its exotic and unique characteristics with the live performance.

5 Jul (Wed)

Lecture 4: Central Asian Classical Music

Central Asia is often seen in Chinese society as the starting point of the ancient Silk Road as it extends to the west, but the traditions recognised by the countries there today are based on a long-standing blend of Islamic mysticism and shamanic beliefs, and interaction between a glorious Islamic court culture with a rustic nomadic culture.  Through the traditional music of the Central Asian country of Uzbekistan, including the classical shashmaqom, which is on the UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, and its representative instrument, the two-stringed lute dutar, we can hear how these different cultures have coalesced into a unique sound.

(Information provided by the speakers)

Conducted in Cantonese. 

Each lecture will run for about 1 hour 30 minutes.

The programme does not represent the views of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department.

The presenter reserves the right to change the programme and subsitute speakers / demonstrators.

Curator: Eugene Leung

Speakers and Demonstrators:

14 Jun (Wed)

Lecture 1: Japanese Shakuhachi Music

Speaker / Shakuhachi: Yukio Chidori

Shamisen: Lee Utaetta

Moderator: Eugene Leung

21 Jun (Wed)

Lecture 2: West African Mande Music

Speaker / Kora: Halen Mory Woo

Percussion: Cecilia Au

Percussion / Cello: Justin Siu

Moderator: Eugene Leung

28 Jun (Wed)

Lecture 3: Spanish Flamenco Music

Speaker / Flamenco Singer: Kelleigh Poon de Rubio

Flamenco Guitar: Ashley Chan

Moderator: Eugene Leung

5 Jul (Wed)

Lecture 4: Central Asian Classical Music

Speaker / Uzbek Dutar: Eugene Leung

Uyghur Satar: Tung Tsz-ching

Eugene Leung (Curator / Speaker / Moderator / Uzbek Dutar)

Eugene Leung graduated from the University of Cambridge and holds a Master of Music degree in Ethnomusicology from Goldsmiths, University of London.  After that, he has visited Uzbekistan and Tajikistan many times to learn the two-stringed lute dutar with renowned local players.  He has been an active figure on the Hong Kong music scene promoting the traditional music of Central and West Asia, and has taken part in many performances and exhibitions as curator and music director.  He is the co-founder of the ensemble, The Nur Collective, in a bid to promote and explore musical traditions and cultures across Eurasia and North Africa.

Yukio Chidori (Speaker / Shakuhachi)

Yukio Chidori started learning the shakuhachi under the renowned master Teruhisa Fukuda, founder of the Hijiri School.  He has a repertoire that ranges from the classics of shakuhachi to the premieres of works by contemporary composers, and his performances are often heard in Hong Kong, Tokyo as well as concert venues in many parts of the world, including UNESCO music events.  He shared the concert stage with the renowned English composer, Karl Jenkins, as a shakuhachi soloist in 2012, and was awarded the title of Shihan (Master) by Maestro Fukuda in 2019.  Chidori is currently a lecturer in the Music Department of The Chinese University of Hong Kong and a composer of the Universal Music Group.

Halen Mory Woo (Speaker / Kora)

Halen Mory Woo was born in Madagascar and grew up in Hong Kong.  He began his music studies with pop and rock guitar, but on coming into contact with the ethnic music of Africa and Cuba, he never turned back.  He has made regular visits to Cuba and Japan to learn Cuban music, African music and African dance with experts in the fields.  In 2014, he performed in the Gekidan Africa show, Carnival, in Fukuoka, Japan in 2014.  He is one of the founders of the African music group in Hong Kong, ONE Harmony Drumming Factory, which has performed in many music festivals since.  He has given interviews on ViuTV, RTHK etc.  A keen promoter of African and Cuban music, he has been teaching in many schools, education institutions and workshop events.

Kelleigh Poon de Rubio (Speaker / Flamenco Singer)

Kelleigh Poon de Rubio was awarded a Master’s degree with distinction in Flamencología (Flamencology) by Escola Superior de Música de Catalunya, Spain, in 2021.  Her Master’s thesis was on the learning of cante flamenco (flamenco singing). She began learning flamenco dance in 2005, then flamenco singing in 2015.  Over the years, she has continued to take lessons from Spanish professional flamenco singers, as well as taking annual visits to Spain for intensive practice.  She has been performing flamenco singing as a solo and as accompaniment for dancers in live events in Hong Kong since 2016.  In 2022, she gave a solo recital at the Peña Flamenca La Orden at Huelva, Spain.

(Information provided by the speakers)

“World Music” Series: “A Cultural Journey through World Music” Lecture Demonstration

DATE

VENUE

PRICE

14.06.2023 (Wed)
19:30

21.06.2023 (Wed)
19:30

28.06.2023 (Wed)
19:30

05.07.2023 (Wed)
19:30

Lecture Hall, Hong Kong Space Museum

$80

BUY NOW

DATE

14.06.2023 (Wed)
19:30

21.06.2023 (Wed)
19:30

28.06.2023 (Wed)
19:30

05.07.2023 (Wed)
19:30

VENUE

Lecture Hall, Hong Kong Space Museum

PRICE

$80

BUY NOW

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10% off for each purchase of standard tickets of 2 different lectures,15% off for 3 lectures, and 20% off for all 4 lectures.

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Patrons can enjoy only one of the above discount offers.

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