Hong Kong Culture Celebrated Across Utah

To facilitate intercultural dialogue, the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in San Francisco (HKETO San Francisco) presented a series of cultural events in Utah for the first time in September.

On September 18, a Hong Kong movie night was presented by the DOCUTAH International Film Festival in St. George, Utah, one of the fastest-growing metro areas in the US. The film event featured a special screening of “To Be Continued”, a Hong Kong documentary directed by Dora Choi and Haider Kikabhoy. A celebration of Hong Kong’s dynamic culture and indomitable spirit, the documentary tells the forgotten story of Hong Kong’s first impresario, Harry Odell, the iconic State Theatre he founded, and the enthusiasm of young people in Hong Kong for heritage conservation.

On September 19-20, two musicians from Hong Kong, cellist Eric Yip and composer Karry Li, were among those featured in the 10th Cello Festival of Southern Utah held in Utah Tech University’s Eccles Fine Arts Center in St. George.

Joining festival director Dr Ka-Wai Yu, a Hong Kong native, to celebrate a decade of cello journey, Yip and over 50 local and international cellists debuted “Over The Harbour”, a dedicated piece chanting the beauty of Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour composed by Li, at the final cello ensemble concert. The world premiere of the composition received a big round of applause from a full house of audience at the concert hall.

The Hong Kong musicians then continued their journey to Salt Lake City, the capital of the Beehive State, where they headlined the recital “Strings Across Cultures: Music from Hong Kong and the Classics”, a satellite event of the Festival, on September 22.

With Dr Yu and Yip on cello, and Li on piano, the trio was joined by Hong Kong vocalist Lai Yan Ip. The quartet presented a wide range of works, from classical pieces by Franchomme and Chopin to Cantopop tunes originally performed by Leslie Cheung and Eason Chan.

Speaking at the recital, Director of HKETO San Francisco, Mr D.C. Cheung, expressed excitement to partner with Utah Tech University once again after the inaugural Festival that also featured a Hong Kong musician, and valued Dr Yu as a super-connector that connects Hong Kong and the US throughout the years. He also shared an overview of Hong Kong’s latest cultural developments, highlighting the government’s efforts to build the city into a global premium arts trading hub, as mentioned in the latest Policy Address.

The recital and the subsequent reception were warmly welcomed by an enthusiastic group of music aficionados.