Hong Kong is a major cultural hub, regularly visited by the most renowned performers from all over the world and with an equally broad range of local cultures and talent. The Cosmopolis Festival aims to introduce audiences to music from a cross section of cultural, linguistic, ethnic, and economic backgrounds, representing traditions such as Indian classical music, Indonesian gamelan, Filipino jazz, Chinese orchestral repertoire, chamber music, as well as avant-garde, experimental, and multimedia works.  

Organized by the School of Humanities and Social Science at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology in collaboration with the Shaw Auditorium, the festival is designed to include new commissioned works and performances by prominent local musicians alongside distinguished international guests. Concerts are paired with talks, workshops, and masterclasses, serving an educational role within HKUST’s music program but open to the broader public. 

We are excited to announce the program for this year's Cosmopolis Festival, featuring a Hindustani vocal recital headlined by renowned singer Ashwini Bhide (India), paired with talks and workshops on Hindustani music, yoga, and music meditation; rising star pianist Filippo Gorini (Italy) bringing his innovative Sonata for Seven Cities project to Hong Kong; the world premiere of a new festival-commissioned piano work by composer Jing Wang (Hong Kong); Nordic experimental electroacoustic jazz by the adventurous group Elifantree (Finland); traditional iron rod puppetry and music by the Teochew Puppet & Opera House (Malaysia); and a recital by the critically acclaimed Pavel Haas Quartet (Czechia). 

All events are free and open to the public and paired with masterclasses, workshops, lectures, and other educational events.

Cosmopolis Festival Co-Artistic Directors

Ilari Kaila — Composer-in-Residence; Senior Lecturer, HUMA
Timothy Page — Composer; Assistant Professor, AMC
 

Festival Artistic Advisory Panel

Timothy Tsukamoto — Director of Artistic Planning, Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra
Andrea Fessler — Founder and Executive Director, Premiere Performances
Kung Chi-shing — Former Head of Contemporary Performance, West Kowloon Cultural District
Anna Kwong — Program Director, Center for the Arts; Senior Lecturer, HUMA
Isaac Droscha — Vocal Artist; Senior Lecturer, HUMA
Galison Lau — Composer; Instructional Assistant, HUMA
Mercedes Dujunco — Ethnomusicologist
Anish Mishra — Program Liaison, SPIC MACAY; Doctoral Student, HUMA

Festival Production Team

Angi Law — Assistant Manager, SHSS
Jenny Lim — Officer, SHSS
Lorenzo Wan — Assistant Officer, SHSS
Galison Lau — Composer; Instructional Assistant, HUMA
Rod Yu — Pianist; Instructional Assistant, HUMA
Alvin Tam — Composer; Instructional Assistant, HUMA
Ilari Kaila — Composer-in-Residence; Senior Lecturer, HUMA
Timothy Page — Composer; Assistant Professor, AMC

Special Thanks To:

Shaw Auditorium Program Committee
Shaw Auditorium Unit Staff
 

Contact

Email: cosmopolis@ust.hk
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