Media

'Cross-Rhythms' Concert at the Summer Institute in the Arts & Humanities

24 Jul 2009

 

Percussion music is an international language for everyone. This year, the Summer Institute in the Arts & Humanities is gathering different countries' percussionists to play Korean, African and hybrid music in the historical building. The "Cross-Rhythms Concert" will be held on 25 July (Saturday) at 7:30pm, Loke Yew Hall, HKU. It is open to the public, admission is free - all are welcome.

Members of the media are cordially invited to cover the event. Details are as follows:

Date: 25 July 2009 (Saturday)
Time: 7:30pm
Venue: Loke Yew Hall, HKU
Performers:
Professor Gideon Alorwoyie, masterdrummer from Ghana/USA
Alit I Gusti Adi Putra, gamelan artist from Bali 
I Made Mangkur Arsana, gamelan artist from Bali
'Molgae', the Korean Samulnori group
Dr Lung Heung-wing, Hong Kong's percussionist and University Artist
Dr Mano Mora

About the Performers

Gideon Alorwoyie

Ghanian Master Drummer Midawo Gideon Foli Alorwoyie is of the most prominent virtuosos in African music and dance. As high priest of the Yewe cult and tenured professor at the University of North Texas, Alorwoyie performs and teaches across West Africa and internationally. He has performed at the Hot House of Chicago, Ghana's Sankofa Ritual Music and Dance Festival, The Seoul Drum Festival 2004, The World's Largest all Nations Drum Circle, and numerous times at Hogbetsotso Festival of the Ewes, Dance Africa Chicago, The Council of Ewes Association of North America, and for the Southern Volta Association of Canada. These global appearances show a commitment to Ghana's traditional music and dance forms while sharing with new communities through festivals and teaching. Steve Reich, David Locke, and John Chernoff have been heavily influenced by Alorwoyie's work, writing books on African music and a famous piece by Reich titled "Drumming" after Reich's 5-week study in West Africa with Alorwoyie.

Alit I Gusti Adi Putra

Alit Adi Putra studied at Sekolah Tinggi Seni Indonesia, Bali's leading performing arts school, and has gained a reputation as a talented multi-instrumentalist, composer, and teacher. Like most leading Balinese performers, however, Alit's artistic foundation comes directly from the village. Alit's village of Bona is famous for the development of the kecak (also known as the ‘Monkey Chant'), one of Bali's most renowned performing art forms. His maternal and paternal gradfathers, I Gusti Lanang Oka and I Nengah Mudarya, were key figures in the creation of the kecak in the first decades of the 20^th century; his father, I Gusti Gede Rai, later collaborated with German artist and anthropologist, Walter Spies, in establishing the kecak as a popular, theatrical form. Alit has continued with the spirit of innovation inherited from his forebears, and he has established a reputation in Bali for taking traditional idioms in new directions.

Dr Lung Heung-wing

Principal Percussionist of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra for 19 years, Lung Heung-wing's standing as a leading percussionist is indicated by his numerous awards including: Instrumentalist of the Year (Hong Kong Artist Guild), Royal Overseas League Music Festival Competition Finalist Prize, David Stone Award and the Hong Kong's Ten Outstanding Young Persons Award in 1999. In 2002 and 2007, he led 10,000 young percussionists in a performance to mark the fifth and the tenth anniversaries of Hong Kong's return to China and the events set world records. In 2007, he was awarded the "Secretary for Home Affair's Commendation" for his efforts in promoting the art of percussion music. He has teamed up with his son Mark since 1997, performing in North America, Europe, and throughout Asia. Currently, he is the University Artist of the University of Hong Kong 2008-2010.

Dr Manolete Mora

Dr Manolete Mora received his Ph.D. in ethnomusicology from Monash University (Melbourne) in 1990 and was Andrew Mellon Research Fellow at the Department of Music, University of Pennsylvania 1993-1994. His research interests include the music of Bali, Ghana, and Cuba. Mora is also an active musician, mainly in the performance of Balinese gamelan, Cuban music, and Latin jazz.

Molgae (Korean Samulnori Group)
"Molgae", a genuine Korean word, is the ancient term for sand as well as a homonym in the Gangwon-do dialect referring to the bubbles created when waves hit rocks on the shore. "Molgae" aims to "shape" traditional music through its preservation, inheritance and creation. Korea's traditional Samulnori percussionist group studied under masters of Samulnori. The group is on experimental music works to rediscover the Korean traditional music in present not only through traditional Samulnori performance, but through performing with various Gukak(Korean traditional performing arts) and foreign music genre.(Gukak orchestra, Jazz, Classic, Flamenco, etc) They are on up to 740 traditional and creative music activities  in and out of country including Samarkant International Music Festival, Asia Art Festival, touring 4 countries in the Middle East, opening ceremony performance in 2002 Korea-Japan WorldCup, performance in broadcast, etc.

THE SUMMER INSTITUTE IN THE ARTS & HUMANITIES: The University of Hong Kong aims to strengthen its commitment to the Arts and Humanities through its newly-formed Summer Institute in the Arts & Humanities. Launched in 2009 by the Faculty of Arts, the Summer Institute celebrates human culture through a series of events and courses for secondary school students, university students and the general public. The theme of this year is "China-West", which runs during the summer from 13 July-14 August, and will involve both local and internationally renowned scholars and artists.

For media enquiries, please contact
Trinni Choy (Assistant Director, Communications and Public Affairs Office) tel: 2859 2606 email: pychoy@hku.hk