Fredonia will host the Ying Wa College North America Tour 2015, bringing 100 of Hong Kong’s elite high school music students on July 1 to 4 as part of the prestigious all-boys school’s 12-day tour of the U.S. and Canada.
The highlight of their Fredonia stay is a free public performance featuring their band, choir, string and Chinese orchestras in King Concert Hall on Wednesday, July 1 at 8 p.m.
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Spurred on by the school’s success with previous international tours to Japan in 2009 and Finland in 2013, Ying Wa College has recruited its top students to perform and serve as ambassadors of Chinese culture.
While at Fredonia, Ying Wa students will also perform in clinics and master classes with Fredonia music faculty, take part in a side-by-side rehearsals and social events with Fredonia’s Summer Music Festival students, and visit and perform at Chautauqua Institution.
One of the unique highlights of their tour concert program is the Ying Wa College Chinese Orchestra. Founded in 1969, it is one of the earliest established Chinese orchestras in local secondary schools. Their mission is to introduce audiences to original Chinese music as well as the combination of Chinese and Western music; typical Chinese musical instruments will be played.
Established in 1818 by the Rev. Robert Morrison from the London Missionary Society, Ying Wa College was originally named “Anglo-Chinese College” which represents the unique aspect of the school’s commitment to bridging the East and the West. They are also known for having one of the most prestigious music schools in Asia.
Boron Li, music director of the Ying Wa College North America Tour 2015, commented, “We tour as cultural ambassadors; to share and to learn, to experience and to change.” A primary focus of previous tours - introducing Chinese music and culture to the world, as well as introducing Ying Wa students to the inspiring music and culture of their host countries – remains a goal for their North America 2015 Tour.
Paula Holcomb, director of the Fredonia Wind Ensemble, has connections with Ying Wa College that date back at least two decades. “For the past 20 years, whenever I guest conducted in China and Hong Kong, I often presented clinics at Ying Wa College and encouraged them to tour to Fredonia, so I am thrilled that we finally have the opportunity to host them,” commented Dr. Holcomb. “We look forward to sharing Hong Kong’s premiere music ensembles and culture with the audiences of Western New York and I personally encourage people to come out to meet these performers, experience their gifts of music, and share in this amazing cultural exchange.”
In addition to their performances and clinics at Fredonia, Ying Wa College has accepted invitations to visit and work at other schools including Eastman School of Music and the University of Toronto.
“We are very honored to be included in Ying Wa’s North American tour,” said Dean Ralph Blasting of Fredonia’s College of Visual and Performing Arts. “They have been very welcoming to Professor Holcomb on her visits to Hong Kong and we are delighted to offer some Western New York hospitality in return.”
