The Music of Strangers
VIEW EVENT DETAILSArts and Culture
Director: Morgan Neville/ Cast: Yo-Yo Ma, Kinan Azmeh, Keyhan Kalhor, Wu Man / 95 mins / English with Chinese Subtitle
Evening Screening and Conversation
Drinks Reception 6:30pm
Screening 7:00pm
Conversation 8:35pm
Close 9:00pm
Over the past 16 years, an extraordinary group of musicians has come together to celebrate the universal power of music. Named for the ancient trade route linking Asia, Africa and Europe, The Silk Road Ensemble, an international collective created by acclaimed cellist Yo-Yo Ma, exemplifies music’s ability to blur geographical boundaries, blend disparate cultures and inspire hope for both artists and audiences.
The Music of Strangers: Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble follows an ever-changing lineup of performers drawn from the ensemble’s more than 50 instrumentalists, vocalists, composers, arrangers, visual artists and storytellers as they gather in locations across the world, exploring the ways art can both preserve traditions and shape cultural evolution. The screening will be followed by a conversation with one of the featured artists, Wu Man.
Recognized as the world’s premier pipa virtuoso and leading ambassador of Chinese music, Wu Man has carved out a career as a soloist, educator and composer giving her lute-like instrument ― which has a history of over 2,000 years in China ― a new role in both traditional and contemporary music. Through numerous concert tours, Ms. Wu has premiered hundreds of new works for the pipa, while spearheading multimedia projects to both preserve and create awareness of China’s ancient musical traditions. Her adventurous spirit and virtuosity have led to collaborations across artistic disciplines allowing Ms. Wu to reach wider audiences as she works to break through cultural and musical borders. Ms. Wu’s efforts were recognized when she was named Musical America’s 2013 Instrumentalist of the Year, marking the first time this prestigious award has been bestowed on a player of a non-Western instrument.
Having been brought up in the Pudong School of pipa playing, one of the most prestigious classical styles of Imperial China, Ms. Wu is now recognized as an outstanding exponent of the traditional repertoire as well as a leading interpreter of contemporary pipa music by today’s most prominent composers. She was the first Chinese traditional musician to receive The United States Artist Fellowship in 2008 and was awarded the Bunting Fellowship at Harvard University in 1998. She is the first artist from China to perform at the White House.
Organized by the Hong Kong Baptist University, Wu Man will be giving a Lecture and Live Demonstration: Silk Road: Wu Man's Pipa Journey on October 12 (Thursday) 4:00 pm — 6:00 pm. She will also be performing with Collegium Musicum Hong Kong for a concert on October 13 (Friday) 8:00 pm — 9:30 pm. Both events will be held on the campus of Hong Kong Baptist University.
For more information, please email [email protected]. Registration: beltandroad.hkbu.edu.hk
Sponsors:
The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
Hung Hin Shiu Charitable Foundation
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