CityU celebrates anniversary with heavenly tunes
CityU held the “Heaven, Earth, Man” Silver Jubilee Anniversary Concert on 31 October. More than 1,000 students, staff and alumni enjoyed the joyful tunes as they celebrated the University’s 25th anniversary.
The first outdoor concert held at the University Circle, it had adopted the theme of heaven, earth and man. Both Chinese and Western masterpieces were performed to encapsulate the three elements and bring a message of peace to the world.
Mr Leung Chun-ying, CityU Council Chairman; Professor Way Kuo, University President; Ms Barbara Fei and Mr Henry Shek, Honorary concert advisors; Mr Liu Ya-po, representative of National Taiwan University; and other University senior management officiated at the concert. Professor Kuo praised the efforts of all faculty, staff and students that made the large-scale outdoor concert a success and a worthy birthday present to CityU.
Members from the CityU Philharmonic Orchestra, CityU Chinese Orchestra, CityU Choir, CityU Staff Singing Group, alumni and the National Taiwan University Symphony Orchestra took part in the performance. For the National Taiwan University Symphony Orchestra it was their first university performance in Hong Kong. Performers included students from Hong Kong, mainland China and Taiwan, while some international students from overseas also travelled with the National Taiwan University Symphony Orchestra to participate in this concert, enhancing wonderful cultural exchange.
Each performing group and choir chose and arranged the songs which echoed the “Heaven, Earth, Man” theme. CityU Chinese Orchestra and Philharmonic Orchestra each performed two songs and symphonies respectively. The National Taiwan University Symphony Orchestra performed three songs with Taiwanese ethnic influences. The CityU Staff Singing Group and CityU Choir expressed their feelings for mankind through various English and Chinese songs.
The concert climaxed with the song Good News, jointly performed by the CityU Chinese Orchestra, Philharmonic Orchestra, CityU Choir and the National Taiwan University Symphony Orchestra. Good News was originally known as Good News from Beijing Reaching the Border Villages. Dr Ruth Yee Wing-yu, Associate Director of Student Development Services and the Organising Committee Chairman of the concert, specifically wrote lyrics for the latter part of the piece to echo the concert’s theme. Twenty-five alumni and students paraded a flag around the venue to demonstrate full support of the University’s anniversary.
Representatives from each of the performing groups said music was an ideal gift to the University. The performance represented a very good opportunity to work with other musicians. Despite only practicing together the day before the performance, the audience gave them a standing ovation to conclude a delightful evening’s entertainment.
CityU has organised various academician conferences and seminars to celebrate the silver jubilee anniversary. The “Heaven, Earth, Man” Silver Jubilee Anniversary Concert was one of the signature celebratory events showcasing CityU’s artistic excellence and cultural diversity. Renowned guests from the field of art and culture were invited to be the honorary advisors of the concert. They included famous vocalist Ms Barbara Fei; renowned writer Professor Leo Lee Ou-fan; experienced art performer Mr James Mark; famed conductor Mr Henry Shek; Mr Yan Huichang, Artistic Director and Principal conductor of Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra; and music commentator Mr Chow Fan-fu.