When it comes to music composition, some may perceive it as a profound art or knowledge. Classical or contemporary music may even be regarded as complicated or stereotypical, but is it really the case? As for Ms. Chan In Chun, a year-two Chung Chi student majoring in music and Chairperson of the Organising Committee of the Bauhinia Concert 2022, believes that everyone is somewhat curious or even passionate about music. She wonders if the Bauhinia Concert can change the general perception of the public towards music.
First held in 1989, the Bauhinia Concert is an annual event organised by the Department of Music of The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK). The event covers a series of activities planned and implemented by the Bauhinia Concert Organising Committee. Every September, the Bauhinia Concert accepts submissions of original music compositions. The Committee members will then pass the entries to the professors of the Department of Music for scoring and screening. The student composers whose works are shortlisted will be invited to participate in workshops and perform their original music works at the Bauhinia Concert.
Dr. Tang Lok Yin, Dr. Luk Wai Chun, and Mr. Adrian Wong hosted composition workshops and shared their composition experiences.
The Bauhinia Concert provides a platform for student composers from the Department of Music, CUHK to showcase their works and enrich their knowledge of composition through interacting with renowned music composers. Student composers can enhance their understanding by studying contemporary music works in-depth, and learning how to instruct and lead performers to practise their works. This concert also provides students with the opportunity to understand the professional career of being a composer, and to learn composition skills.
Before the Bauhinia Concert, we held three composition workshops led by Dr. Tang Lok Yin, Dr. Luk Wai Chun, and Mr. Adrian Wong respectively. In the interactive workshops, our guests not only shared their composition experiences, but also exchanged ideas with student composers, in the hope of taking their works to the next level.
The Bauhinia Concert 2022 was held in November last year at the Lee Hysan Concert Hall in the Esther Lee Building. Nine works created by graduate and undergraduate students from the Department of Music were performed. We were honoured to have Dr. Luk Yiu Chun and Dr. Elena Chiu as our guests, who commented on the performances and music works, enabling student composers to learn from one another.
The original music works which had been shortlisted were performed at the Bauhinia Concert.
Organising the Bauhinia Concert was by no means easy and posed many challenges. The success of the concert was attributed to the support of the Chung Chi College Quality Activity Award Scheme. In addition to seeking sponsorships, other preparations included designing posters and programme booklets, identifying and inviting guests, and preparing relevant documents and financial reports, among others. The Bauhinia Concert Organising Committee took care of all these tasks. I am grateful for having met a passionate team of committee members, guests, student composers, and the audience, who joined hands to make the Bauhinia Concert possible. I hope that this concert is helpful to students who are passionate about music composition, and can change the general perception of the mass public towards classical and contemporary music.
