Past Events

Avant-garde multi-instrumentalist Glen Lloyd, a.k.a. JUNK!, uses cutting edge performance art to showcase the creative potential of emerging technologies. This event will start with a workshop in which select HKUST students get to inhabit a VR space, observed by the audience from outside, and experiment with virtual instruments. This is followed by a performance of new original JUNK!VR works. The event is free and open to the public.   Read more

Olli Mustonen (Finland) is one of the most preeminent concert pianists of our era, in addition to his parallel careers as a composer and conductor. In this exclusive Hong Kong appearance, Mr. Mustonen will perform works by Beethoven, Schumann, and Grieg, as well as the Asian premiere of his own Eight Inventions, as the first public performance of the work by the composer. The event is free and open to the public.   Read more

Among the foremost musicians of his generation, the versatile and imaginative pianist Paavali Jumppanen (Finland/Australia) presents an evening of repertoire spanning the last two centuries. Featuring works by Chopin, Debussy, and Bartók, the concert also marks the upcoming centenary of composer Pierre Boulez with whom Mr. Jumppanen worked closely.  The event is free and open to the public. Read more

七位潮州演奏家組成的逸響潮樂演奏組，將演繹一系列潮州的傳統弦詩樂，細樂和箏樂。   此活動免費並開放予公眾參加。 Read more

在公開演出之前，逸響潮樂演奏組將介紹他們的樂器並解釋潮州弦詩樂於潮州音樂文化中的重要性。此活動將由民族音樂學家呂梅絲博士 (Dr. Mercedes M. Dujunco) 主持。呂博士還將解釋音樂的內部運作，特別是旋律變奏的過程以及潮州調式系統，並由逸響潮樂演奏組演奏的簡短音樂例子進行說明。 正是各種旋律變奏法和不同調式的使用才賦予了潮汕地區的音樂獨特的風味（活動以英語進行，並設有普通話和英語問答環節）。 此活動免費並對公眾開放。 Read more

Renowned percussion virtuosos Sri K. Sai Giridhar and Krishna Sriram give select HKUST students a taste of the complex and intricate rhythmic language of South Indian classical music through rudimentary exercises with spoken percussion syllables, or konnakol. Read more

Ranjani and Gayatri (India) are among the most highly acclaimed South Indian Carnatic vocalists in the world. Known for concerts that thrill both lay audiences and connoisseurs, the two sisters have been featured on numerous recordings, television, radio, concerts, lectures, and international festivals. They are accompanied by Vittala Rangan (violin), K. Sai Giridhar (mridangam), and Krishna Sriram (ghatam). Read more

Ranjani and Gayatri are among the most preeminent musicians in the South Indian Carnatic tradition today. Hosted by HKUST Composer-in-Residence Ilari Kaila, and preceding the vocal duo’s exclusive Hong Kong appearance at the Cosmopolis Festival (7:30 PM, Shaw Auditorium), this round-table event delves into the intricacies of Indian classical music. Read more

Ensemble Dal Niente (USA), one of America’s premiere contemporary music groups, will make their Hong Kong debut, performing a diverse program of boundary-pushing acoustic and electroacoustic works. Hailed as “superb” by The New York Times, the Chicago-based ensemble will offer an evening of unique sonic exploration and genre cross-fertilization, with works by Lei Liang, Sarah Nemtsov, and Ilari Kaila, among others. Read more

In advance of their performance (March 8, 7:30 PM, Shaw Auditorium), internationally renowned performers from Ensemble Dal Niente (USA) will coach preselected chamber music students in rehearsal of chosen repertoire. Read more

Filipino musicians have long had a central role in Hong Kong’s musical nightlife and entertainment. Pianist Chris Carpio will talk about his life as a member of, and an heir to, a Filipino music dynasty in Hong Kong, particularly as a jazz pianist. The talk will be moderated by ethnomusicologist Dr. Mercedes Dujunco, whose research addresses relationships between Filipino musicians in Asia and music as affective labor.  Read more

Following a performance with his quartet at the Cosmopolis Festival (February 16, 7:30 PM, Shaw Auditorium), jazz pianist Chris Carpio will lead preselected student musicians in techniques of jazz improvisation. Read more

Pianist Chris Carpio and his quartet perform a dynamic set of original acoustic and electric jazz, including music from their new fusion project Soul Funk’d Ape. Mainstays of the jazz world in Hong Kong and top representatives of the city’s vibrant Filipino musician scene, Carpio and his quartet groove hard whether plugged in or unplugged. Read more

Prof. Patrick Yim (University of Notre Dame, United States) is an internationally noted violinist and music pedagogue. In this masterclass, HKUST's outstanding string instrument students perform and receive coaching from Prof. Yim in front of a live audience. The event is free and open to the public. Read more

Patrick Yim (United States) introduces the audience to the world of virtuosic contemporary solo violin repertoire. Professor of Violin at the University of Notre Dame, Dr. Yim has performed worldwide as a soloist and chamber musician, and will be joined on stage by two of the evening’s composers Read more

Conducted by the violin virtuoso Gian Paolo Peloso, Senior Lecturer (Strings) at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts and internationally recognized concert performer, the workshop will feature students of string instruments desiring to enrich their knowledge through in-depth discussion on styles and skills.   Read more

The venerated Ivry Gitlis described Gian Paolo Peloso as “a true musician, of the highest quality as a soloist and chamber music performer, and a top-class violin teacher, whose practice honors our profession and its future.” Rachel Cheung was hailed by The Dallas Morning News as “a poet, but also a dramatist” displaying “the most sophisticated and compelling music-making.” These two musicians together on stage can only be described as magical. Read more

「絃歌不絕——粵粹縱橫」音樂會特邀「萬能泰斗」阮兆輝教授、粵樂名家高秩群先生、「萬能樂師」高潤鴻先生與竹韻小集合作，並由音樂學者白得雲教授導賞。節目為竹韻小集「絃歌不絕」計劃整理並復刻丘鶴儔《絃歌必讀》(1916)等專著所收錄的作品，讓互有關連的三大廣府音樂文化遺產「器樂」、「戲曲」和「說唱」共冶一爐，擴闊大眾對粵樂的理解，把香港的傳統音樂文化瑰寶活態呈現。   Read more

Renowned Balinese composer-ethnomusicologist I Wayan Sudirana and his 20-piece ensemble Gamelan Yuganada will present Balinese Gamelan as a living, evolving tradition, performing a spectacular program of sacred classical pieces alongside premieres of new repertoire composed specifically for the Cosmopolis Festival. Read more

Renowned Balinese composer-ethnomusicologist I Wayan Sudirana will lead a discussion on musical fundamentals of Balinese Gamelan, its cultural context, and his work as a composer and director of Gamelan Yuganada in contributing to the living, evolving Gamelan tradition.   Read more

An eclectic program of works for solo live performer and digital media showcases Shaw Auditorium’s state-of-the-art audio-visual system and promises cross-stimulation of the senses! Read more

Avant-garde multi-instrumentalist Glen Lloyd, a.k.a. JUNK!, works with HKUST’s music technology students on performing with virtual reality equipment. Students get to inhabit VR spaces, observed by the audience from outside, in which they experiment with virtual instruments. The event is open to the public. Read more

Online discussion between composers featured at this year’s festival which will see a total of three world premieres and multiple Asian premieres, including music commissioned for Cosmopolis. Participants include Grammy Award-winner and Pulitzer-finalist Augusta Read Thomas; noted sound and installation artist Samson Young; Guggenheim Fellow and University of London composition faculty Tonia Ko; award-winning Baptist University composition professor Stylianos Dimou, joining HKUST’s composition faculty, Ilari Kaila and Timothy Page.  Read more

Mahan Esfahani has done the incredible: brought an 18th-century keyboard instrument into the 21st century. Not only does he revive and revitalize standard repertoire by Bach, Telemann, Rameau, Handel, and others, but works with the leading composers of today on new works for this antique instrument. Read more

Join Mahan Esfahani a day before his Cosmopolis Festival solo recital as he discusses the harpsichord, an instrument popular in the 18th century, its role in the modern concert hall, and keeping the repertoire and the music fresh for today’s audiences. Presented in collaboration with Premiere Performances Hong Kong.   Read more

The pride of the city, the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, returns to HKUST in a chamber orchestra line-up under the baton of conductor Peter Biloen (Netherlands). The concert showcases the power and diversity of colors that the ensemble is capable of projecting, with repertoire ranging from early Romanticism to the present day. Read more

[Event postponed due to Covid-19.] Following the performance of Jacques Offenbach’s operetta Pomme d’api live at HKUST, the artistic team comes to discuss their approach to staging an opera in Hong Kong and reviving this forgotten Romantic classic. Read more

[Event postponed due to Covid-19.] Three of Hong Kong’s most prominent operatic vocal talents and six of its outstanding instrumentalists will present a full-length performance of the rarely-heard one-act operetta by Jacques Offenbach, the timeless comedy Pomme d'api. Presented in collaboration with The French May of Hong Kong, this sixty-minute opera will bring a rare French treat to the Cosmopolis Festival. Read more

[Event postponed due to Covid-19.] Fresh from his noted performance at the 18th International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw, Poland, Aristo Sham brings what The Washington Post called his “boundless potential” to the Cosmopolis Festival. Read more

[Event postponed due to Covid-19.] A jazz-chamber concert featuring the music of Ella Fitzgerald, headlined by singer Talie Monin and pianist Ted Lo. Read more

[Event postponed due to Covid-19.] Renowned Balinese composer-ethnomusicologist I Wayan Sudirana will lead a discussion on musical fundamentals of Balinese Gamelan, its cultural context, and his work as a composer and director of Gamelan Yuganada in contributing to the living, evolving Gamelan tradition. Read more

[Event postponed due to Covid-19.] Online discussion between composers featured at this year’s festival, which will see a total of four world premieres and two Asian premieres, including music commissioned specifically for Cosmopolis. Participants include noted sound and installation artist Samson Young; Pulitzer-finalist Augusta Read Thomas; Princeton Composition Professor Juri Seo; joining HKUST’s composition faculty, Ilari Kaila and Timothy Page.  Read more

[Event postponed due to Covid-19.] Renowned Balinese composer-ethnomusicologist I Wayan Sudirana and his 20-piece ensemble Gamelan Yuganada will present Balinese Gamelan as a living, evolving tradition, performing a spectacular program of sacred classical pieces alongside premieres of new repertoire composed specifically for the Cosmopolis Festival. Due to Covid-19 restrictions, this event has been moved online. Read more

[Event postponed due to Covid-19.] Avant-garde multi-instrumentalist Glen Lloyd, a.k.a. JUNK!, works with HKUST’s music technology students on performing with virtual reality equipment. Students get to inhabit VR spaces, observed by the audience from the outside, in which they build and play virtual instruments. The event is open to the public. Read more

[Event postponed due to Covid-19.] An eclectic program of works for solo live performer and digital media showcases Shaw Auditorium’s state-of-the-art audiovisual system and promises cross-stimulation of the senses! The concert will include multi-instrumentalist JUNK!’s live performance on virtual reality instruments, as well as the world premiere of a new work by prize-winning Hong Kong composer and multimedia artist Samson Young, commissioned for the festival.  Read more

[Event postponed due to Covid-19.] Violin virtuoso Patrick Yim from Honolulu, Hawaiʻi, returns to Cosmopolis for an evening of chamber music and solo repertoire, including the world premiere of a new work by Korean-American rising star composer Juri Seo. Read more

Join members of the defunensemble (Finland) as they discuss their unique artistic contributions to electroacoustic music, and answer your questions following their concert streamed online directly to an HKUST audience. This event will be conducted online.       Register Here   Read more

Based in Helsinki, Finland, defunensemble is one of Europe’s foremost contemporary classical groups devoted to electroacoustic repertoire. The Cosmopolis Festival is proud to host their Hong Kong debut, which will showcase an array of cutting-edge works that incorporate technology, including a piece by HKUST faculty, composer Timothy Page. Read more

Join members of the Hong Kong Chamber Project following their concert the night before as they give a masterclass, featuring selected HKUST music students on stage. HKCP musicians will work with students currently in our chamber music class ensembles as they tackle classics of the repertoire and provide advice on interpretation and technique. The event is open to the public. Seats are available on a first-come-first-served basis. Social distancing measures will be in effect.    Read more

Some of Hong Kong's most noted chamber musicians get together for an evening of traditional repertoire, early music, and contemporary works highlighting Hong Kong composers. Featuring the music of Mozart, Bach, and Sibelius alongside works by HKUST composition faculty, the concert culminates in the premiere of a new work, commissioned from rising star Daniel Lo. Read more

Three of Hong Kong’s most prominent operatic vocal talents and six of its outstanding instrumentalists will present a full-length performance of the rarely-heard one-act opera by Gaetano Donizetti, a comedic treat for all ages. Presented in collaboration with the Istituto Italiano di Cultura of Hong Kong, this fifty-minute opera, which was premiered in Asia by the same cast in November 2020, will be remounted for HKUST’s inaugural Cosmopolis Festival. Read more

In the lead-up to the performance of the opera Rita live at HKUST, the artistic team comes to discuss their approach to staging an opera in Hong Kong and reviving this forgotten Romantic classic. This rarely heard one-act opera by Gaetano Donizetti received its Asian premiere with the same artists in November and was featured on RTHK TV.  Read more

Ranjani and Gayatri are among the most highly acclaimed South Indian Carnatic vocalists in the world. Known for concerts that thrill both lay audiences and connoisseurs, the two sisters have been featured on numerous recordings, television, radio, concerts, lectures, and international festivals. Following their concert streamed from Chennai, India, they will hold this interactive Q&A to discuss their performance and the fundamentals of South Indian classical music performance. Read more

An evening of jazz featuring an eclectic combination of instruments that celebrates Hong Kong’s multicultural tradition, led by acclaimed guitarist Teriver Cheung. Read more

Ranjani and Gayatri are among the most highly acclaimed South Indian Carnatic vocalists in the world. Known for concerts that thrill both lay audiences and connoisseurs, the two sisters have been featured on numerous recordings, television, radio, concerts, lectures, and international festivals. They will be accompanied by an ensemble of preeminent performers from Chennai, India. Read more

One of the foremost young pianists in Asia, born and raised in Hong Kong, Rachel Cheung is a graduate of the Yale School of Music and winner of awards from many of the most prominent competitions in the world, including the 2017 Audience Award at the Fifteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. Read more

Hong Kong Jazz Guitarist Teriver Cheung gives a workshop on approaches to jazz improvisation and performance at HKUST. He will work with selected HKUST students who have formed an impromptu jazz combo for this event. The event is open to the public – join us if you want to learn the basic building blocks of jazz and to hear more about the Hong Kong jazz scene! Seats are available on a first-come-first-served basis. Social distancing measures will be in effect.  Read more

One of the foremost young pianists in Asia, born and raised in Kowloon, Rachel Cheung is a graduate of the Yale School of Music and winner of awards from many of the most prominent competitions in the world, including the 2017 Audience Award at the Fifteenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. Musical America described her as having a “silken tone, subtle sense of colour,” and as “stunningly imaginative.” She brings her talent to HKUST for an evening of classical and contemporary piano music, including the Asian premiere of a work by HKUST’s Composer-in-Residence, Ilari Kaila. Read more

Members of the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra, the premiere ensemble of its kind, come to the campus of HKUST to present a concert of established repertoire and new works that display the unique beauty of this tradition. Read more

Mr. Zhao Taisheng (Sanxian Principal) and Ms. Zhang Ying (Pipa Principal) of the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra present a demonstration of traditional Chinese instruments. They bring with them various items from the HKCO’s collection belonging to the rich history of Chinese music with roots extending back 7000 years. Seats are available on a first-come-first-served basis. Social distancing measures will be in effect.    Register Here   Read more