31st LBWT "Understanding Folk Music, Mastering Chinese Orchestra"
On October 24th, Confucius Institute at Universiti Malaysia Sabah (CI@UMS), in collaboration with The Academy of Arts & Creative Technology (ASTiF), hosted the 31st LBWT at Gamelan Studio, ASTiF, UMS. The featured speaker was Malaysia's renowned Chinese orchestra composer and conductor, Mr. Simon Kong Su Leong with the theme "Understanding Folk Music, Mastering Chinese Orchestra". Dr. Jinky Jane C. Simeon from ASTiF served as the interpreter.
Mr. Kong used a variety of musical techniques to vividly demonstrate the concepts and cultural connotations of Chinese National Music (folk music) and Chinese Orchestral Music, as well as the inheritance and development between Chinese orchestra and Chinese folk music. He shared how he incorporated different cultural elements into Chinese orchestra compositions, and the evolution of the Tujia ethnic group’s Daliuzi music from Xiangxi in Nanyang region and its fusion with Philippine folk songs, showcasing the unique role of folk music in cross-cultural exchanges.
During the event, Mr. Kong and international Chinese students jointly performed Chinese folk songs, highlighting how the same lyrics are interpreted in different regions across China. He also humorously demonstrated the variations created by using different instruments in different regions. Lastly, he shared three "fruit-themed compositions" and invited the audience to guess the fruit each piece represented—a challenge the audience successfully met.
The talk attracted many students from ASTiF. CI@UMS also extended an invitation to Ms. Fiona Hagan, the General Manager of Shangri-La Rasa Ria, Kota Kinabalu and her team members. The atmosphere was active, lively and interactive throughout the event.
