Hong Kong musicians to reflect on colonialism with showcase at Iceland festival
Ten artists and associates of the Hong Kong New Music Ensemble will make their debut at the Cycle Music and Art Festival
Some of Hong Kong’s top classical music artists are entering the world of contemporary art to reflect on colonialism at a festival in Iceland ahead of the centenary of the end of rule by Denmark.
Ten artists and associates of the Hong Kong New Music Ensemble will make their debut at the Cycle Music and Art Festival this week with three works by Hong Kong composers performed back to back with a German group.
“There are many different artistic voices in a city like Hong Kong, so it’s an eclectic programme of works we want to showcase there,” William Lane, who founded the ensemble in 2008, said.
“We are like the festival’s Hong Kong edition during a week of residence there and will undertake programme building leading up to a concert on September 23, as well as long-term cultural exchange.”
The Icelandic debut for the ensemble follows a visit by four artists from Iceland to Hong Kong last April that spearheaded collaboration for the Cycle festival under a theme of reflections on colonialism in the run-up to the 100th anniversary of the end of Danish control over the island.
“I did my work based on interviews with pianist Tinna Thorsteinsdottir, and with her rehearsal footage I composed Doublé,” said local composer Alex Yiu, discussing his contribution to the event.
