Echoing architect Bing Thom’s campus design concept of “Treehouse of Knowledge”, over 200 music enthusiasts gathered for a unique two-day performance titled “Jockey Club Musicus Heritage Alive Concert” at The Hong Kong Jockey Club University of Chicago Academic Complex, The University of Chicago Francis and Rose Yuen Campus in Hong Kong (UChicago Yuen Campus) on December 4 and 5, 2021.
Jockey Club Musicus Heritage Alive is a three-year program to promote music through heritage. Apart from enjoying a musical repertoire curated by Musicus Artistic Director Trey Lee, the attendees were given an experiential tour on the UChicago Yuen Campus. The concert series highlighted a journey in music and culture which included a guided tour to sample the award-winning campus erected above the Grade 3 heritage buildings that weaves into the contours of Mount Davis. The six concerts were set in unique locations around the campus as part of the audiences’ cultural immersion.
Mark Barnekow (MBA’88), Executive Director of The University of Chicago Yuen Campus in Hong Kong, remarked, “The UChicago Yuen Campus is honored to be the partner of the Musicus Fest 2021. UChicago has a deep connection with Hong Kong SAR and Mainland China, and we are enthusiastic about music juxtaposed with our historical and cultural surroundings. It is the first-ever music festival on the UChicago Yuen Campus, and we expect more in the future.”
The performances featured Hong Kong artists including award-winning pianist Rachel Cheung and violinists Brian Choi and Fan Hiu-sing, as well as many instrumentalists from Canada, the Netherlands, and Israel. The concert series successfully achieved its mission to enrich the attendees’ knowledge regarding German Baroque composer JS Bach’s influence on centuries of music from the early days to the mid-20th century.
芝加哥大學香港校園呈獻「賽馬會樂・憶古蹟」
為呼應建築大師譚秉榮以「知識的樹屋」為設計理念所構建的校園，爲期兩日的「賽馬會樂・憶古蹟」於2021年12月4日及12月5日在香港賽馬會芝加哥大學教育綜合大樓、芝加哥大學袁天凡、慧敏校園（芝加哥大學香港校園）舉行，吸引逾200位音樂愛好者親臨參與。
誼樂社推行的「賽馬會樂・憶古蹟」是一項為期三年的計劃，旨在透過古蹟推廣音樂，稱得上為一趟音樂文化之旅。參加者在是次音樂會中，除了欣賞由誼樂社藝術總監李垂誼構思的音樂表演外，還參與了由芝加哥大學香港校園帶領的導賞團，遊歷這個座落於現有的三級歷史建築群上，與摩星嶺融爲一體的獲獎校舍。六場音樂會在遍佈校園內別樹一幟的地點舉行，讓觀眾沉醉在音樂與文化互相交融的氛圍當中。
芝加哥大學香港校園的執行董事Mark Barnekow（MBA’88）表示：「芝加哥大學香港校園很榮幸能夠成為『樂・誼國際音樂節2021』的合作夥伴。芝加哥大學與香港特區和中國內地關係密切，同時我們亦熱衷於將音樂與歷史文化互相結合。這是首個在芝加哥大學香港校園舉辦的音樂活動，我們期待未來會有更多舉辦同類型活動的機會。」
是次音樂會邀請到本地音樂家，包括得獎鋼琴家張緯晴、小提琴家蔡君楊和范曉星，以及分別來自加拿大、荷蘭和以色列的一眾音樂家參與同場演出，讓音樂愛好者對德國巴洛克作曲家巴赫由早期到 20 世紀中期音樂所帶來的影響有更深的認識。
