Press Release

HKBU Symphony Orchestra Annual Gala Concert takes audiences on a musically sublime journey with advanced technology

Friday, 16 June 2023

 

The Hong Kong Baptist University Symphony Orchestra (HKBU Symphony Orchestra) held its Annual Gala Concert yesterday (15 June) evening in the Hong Kong Cultural Centre.

Blending art and innovation with artificial intelligence (AI) and other advanced technologies, this year’s Concert showcased the artistic prowess of HKBU’s student musicians and the University’s dedication to inspiring creativity and fostering artistic excellence. Around 1,000 guests joined the spellbinding musical voyage through time, technology, film, music, text, and computer graphics.

The Concert featured 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. HKBU computer scientists made use of a cutting-edge system for video and image restoration that employs the latest AI models to breathe new life into the classic film, which brought the bygone century back to the present digital age.

Another highlight 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, adding an extra layer of artistry to the performance.

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.

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.

—END—

{{currentSlide}} / 7
HKBU Symphony Orchestra Annual Gala Concert is well attended by around 1,000 audiences.
From the original black-and-white silent movie to a stunningly colored masterpiece, HKBU computer scientists make use of AI technology to breathe new life into old classic films.
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 Concert features Hong Kong-born 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.
Video featuring the highlights of the Concert