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Art and innovation intertwine at HKBU Symphony Orchestra Annual Gala Concert

16 Jun 2023

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At the HKBU Symphony Orchestra Annual Gala Concert, Australian computer graphics artist and musician Mr Andrew Quinn presents a unique perspective of heaven through his creation of real-time visuals for the orchestral performance of Mahler’s 'Ruhevoll' from his 'Symphony no. 4'.

 

The Hong Kong Baptist University Symphony Orchestra (HKBU Symphony Orchestra) held its Annual Gala Concert on 15 June evening in the Hong Kong Cultural Centre, where an innovative performance invited an audience of around 1,000 on a journey through time, technology, film, music, text and computer graphics.

This year’s Concert brought to the stage an artistic exploration of the grotesque and sublime. With a selection of music and visual elements with strong ties to the concept of life and death, it sought to weave together a new vision of heaven and earth in all its splendour.

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From the original black-and-white silent movie to a colored masterpiece, HKBU computer scientists make use of AI technology to breathe new life into old classic films.
The Concert features award-winning pianist Mr Chiyan Wong.
Dean of HKBU’s School of Creative Arts Professor Johnny M Poon, who is also the Music Director and Conductor of the HKBU Symphony Orchestra and the Collegium Musicum Hong Kong, conducts the performance.
The HKBU Symphony Orchestra joins forces with Cantoría Hong Kong to perform the monumental choral-orchestral work 'Gloria' by Poulenc.

The Concert opened with the devilishly delightful Danse Macabre by Saint-Saëns performed by the orchestra synchronously with a silent horror movie of the same name created in 1922 by American director Dudley Murphy. Drawing on their expertise in video and image restoration, HKBU computer scientists made use of a cutting-edge system that employs the latest artificial intelligence (AI) models to breathe new life into the classic film.

Another highlight of the Concert was the work of Australian computer graphics artist and musician Mr Andrew Quinn. He presented a unique perspective of heaven through his creation of real-time visuals for the orchestral performance of Mahler’s Ruhevoll from his Symphony no. 4.

The Concert also featured award-winning virtuosic young pianist Mr Chiyan Wong who performed Liszt’s Totentanz while the HKBU Symphony Orchestra joined forces with Cantoría Hong Kong, a mixed choir comprising students from the HKBU Academy of Music, to perform the monumental choral-orchestral work Gloria by Poulenc.

Blending art and innovation with AI and other advanced technologies, the Concert showcased the artistic prowess of HKBU’s student musicians and the University’s dedication to inspiring creativity and fostering artistic excellence.

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