Afternoon Series

Groovy Buddies

Funk, Jazz, Pop & Fusion

Performances: 01 & 08.03.2021

Groovy Buddies has been unleashing high-energy brassy funk and jazz pop to the audience since forming in 2019. The intensity of the band’s energy is fueled by their desire to share the healing and inspirational power of music with others. They are going to present wind and brass music in the less traditional and popular ways. They will perform some original music and cover popular songs, with their own very special brassy arrangements, such as Motown, Funk, Fusion, Jazz Pop style and etc.

Programme

Synergy by Kaho Wong (Groovy Buddies)

Sweet Dreams Are Made of This by Eurythmics

Shape Of You by Ed Sheeran

Best Things by Lucky Chops

Treasure by Bruno Mars

Elephantry by Kaho Wong (Groovy Buddies)

Funky Town / I Feel Good by Lipps Inc & James Brown

Dance Monkey by Tones and I

Danza by Don Omar

Heal The World by Michael Jackson

Rebellious by Kaho Wong (Groovy Buddies)

About the artists

Groovy Buddies is a Hong Kong brass band founded in 2019, featuring a 6-pieces brass band made up of trumpet, tenor saxophone, trombone, baritone saxophone, tuba and drums. The band began as a cover band playing popular songs and giving their own very special brassy arrangements to songs. After months of collaboration, they started to compose their own original music. Playing mostly Funk, Motown and Jazz Pop music, Groovy Buddies has grown their reputation and popularity.

Members: Hei Kwok (Trumpet), Kaho Wong (Tenor Sax), Snake Ming (Trombone), Kenny Kin (Baritone Sax), Long Kwan (Tuba) & Blue Kwok (Drums)

Western Instrumental

Performances: 22.03.2021

It will be first time Cong Quartet performing at the afternoon series since December 2019, before the pandemic start. This time, the quartet are going to perform a beautiful Jazz music “In a Sentimental Mood” by the famous Duke Ellington, together with three of their favourite string quartet arrangements of popular Japanese song as well as the gorgeous Tchaikovsky first string quartet.

Programme

In a Sentimental Mood by Duke Ellington/arr. Daniel Schlosbery

BUTTER-FLY from Digimon by Kōji Wada/arr. Mikuni Kohei

Guren no Yumiya (Crimson Bow and Arrows) from Attack of Titan by Revo @Linked Horizon / arr. Mikuni Kohei

Ruriiro No Chikyuu (“Azure Planet Earth”) by Seiko Matsuda / arr. Yan-Ho Cheng

String quartet No.1 in D, Op.11 by Tchaikovsky

Performed by Francis Yiu-Ting Chik (Violin), Chow Yip-Wai (Violin), Caleb Wong (Viola), Yan-Ho Cheng (Cello)

About the artists

Founded at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music in the United States, Cong Quartet has performed around the globe and established themselves as an energetic and enthusiastic group. Currently the Ensemble-in-Residence of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Cong Quartet was the first prize and Grand Prize winner of the 2019 Salzburg Mozart International Chamber Competition in Tokyo.

Supported by the Emerging Artists Scheme of the Hong Kong Art Development Council (ADC), Cong Quartet is currently a quartet of the Nederlandse Strijkkwartet Academie (NSKA) in Amsterdam, they are also on the young artist roster of the Musethica in Europe and are invited to participate in the upcoming Juilliard String Quartet Seminar. In the past few years, The Quartet has performed concert series in New York, Tokyo, recitals at the Bard College and Texas Christian University as visiting artists, a residency for the composition department at University of North Texas, served as the performing quartet and judges of the New Generation 2019 call-for-score competition of Hong Kong Composers' Guild, as well as collaborations with local venues & organisations in Hong Kong such as the Hong Kong Museum of Arts, RTHK, Tai Kwun, West Kowloon Cultural District, World Culture Festival and St. John‘s Cathedral.

Cong Quartet share the philosophy of promoting Asian and Hong Kong’s chamber repertoire, as well as integrating chamber music into daily lives of the audience. The name of the quartet, “CONG” is a combination of the quartet founding members’ last names that alludes to Hong “Kong”, where the members grew up and played together since their teenage before the Quartet was officially formed.

Cong Quartet is currently under the support of the Stichting Utopa (The Utopa Foundation).

Western & Chinese Instrumental

Performances: 29.03.2021

When the Chinese Sheng, also called the Chinese mouth organ, was introduced to Europe in 18th century, the way sound is produced from the Sheng reed inspired the invention of harmonica. The ancestor (sheng) and the grandson (harmonica) are brought together by young Hong Kong musicians Yue Kin-long (sheng) and Kelvin Leung (harmonica). They will once again perform Western classic and Chinese instrumentalist music re-arranged for harmonica and sheng duo. Join us and hear this dynamic intercultural duo on December 21.

Programme

Performed by Yue Kin-long (Sheng), Kelvin Leung (Harmonica) and Alison Ma (Keyboard)

About the artists

MouWongGun is formed by harmonica player Kelvin Leung and Chinese sheng player Yue Kin-long with the aim to extend the repertoire of these two “free-reed” instruments. They both play a wide range of music, ranging from Western classical/Chinese tradition to jazz and pop music.

Kelvin Leung is a member of harmonica ensemble RedBricks. He won the Chromatic Harmonica Solo (Adult) in World Harmonica Festival 2013, Germany, among other international awards, when he was only a student. Kelvin was also the youngest jury members of the Seoul International Harmonica Festival 2016 to 2018. In 2017, he was selected by RTHK Radio 4 as one of the Young Music Makers.

Sheng player Yue Kin-long is currently head of orchestra with the Hong Kong Gaudeamus Dunhuang ensemble, Sheng Musician-in-Resident of West Kowloon Tea House Rising Stars Troupe and a member of John Chen Ensemble. A graduate of The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts and multi-scholarship awardee, he has performed overseas many times.  His sheng mentors are Cheng Tak-wai and Loo Sze-wang.

Pianist Alison Ma is currently a music student of The Chinese University of Hong Kong under the tutelage of Timothy Kwok. She is the first runner-up of Taiwan Asia Aegean Music Contest 2017 and has performed with the School Choir of Belilios Public School and The Greeners’ Sound as a pianist.