Past Events

The School of Music has been working on a project to preserve the traditions of Cantonese music since 2008. With its essence of improvisation and naturalness, the challenge for the Academy’s Cantonese music ensemble is to play not only with authentic instruments but with an authentic sound.

It was with this end in view that the ambitious project consisting of two elements was launched. The first element involved the production of two compact discs featuring 28 Cantonese pieces that highlight the finesse and variety of the skills involved, with performances by members of the Academy Cantonese music ensemble, other music students and four visiting musicians from Guangzhou. The second element involved the production of an anthology with articles contributed by local experts and students on the history of the development of Cantonese music, and the teaching and learning of Cantonese music in the context of the Academy, as well as the transcription and bi-lingual analysis of the scores.

The project is a reflection of the Academy’s artistic and pedagogical excellence, and an affirmation of its leading position in the genre. It also represents a cross-cultural dialogue between East and West as Cantonese music acquires a place of importance in an institution that has built a fine reputation in its work in the Western musical tradition. Further, it is a crossdisciplinary collaboration with students from the School of Theatre and Entertainment Arts who are contributing to the recording of the works.

To celebrate the completion of this project, a selection of pieces from the recording will be performed in a concert on 13 June 2014, to coincide with the publication of the anthology and CDs.