To encourage students to pursue artistic interests outside their studies and foster all-round development, CityU Arts Festival was launched in 2015 to enrich artistic and cultural ambience on campus.

Xinghai Conservatory of Music & CityU Chinese Orchestra Masters from the Xinghai Conservatory of Music, Ms. Meng Xiaoxu (Erhu), Prof. Mu Hong (Soprano) and Mr. Zhi Nan (Tenor) were invited to perform with the CityU Chinese Orchestra on 6 November. Led by conductor Mr. Tom Cheung, the Orchestra delivered several pieces such as Parting of the Newly-married, An Ode to Lychee, and New Year’s Eve. Mr. Tom Cheung pointed out that the event was the Orchestra’s first large-scale concert with singing performance given by professional artists and was a golden opportunity to interact with non-local musicians. “The concert was challenging, since we had very little time to work with the guest performers who arrived in Hong Kong only a few days before the show. Fortunately, the masters from Xinghai guided the students with much patience and very quickly things fell into place. It was an enjoyable experience!” he reflected. He also complimented that the students played very well and had far exceeded his expectations. Star Xing Yiding (Media and Communication, Year 2), an Orchestra member, was happy that the concert helped promote traditional Chinese music on campus. “The programme is a great combination of traditional and modern music pieces such as The Ever Rising Sun on the Grassland and Why Are the Flowers So Red.” The former is Star's personal favourite as it reminded her of her childhood.

MODA Moving Group: Colour‧E‧Motion & Not Yet / To Forget The Arts Festival was also delighted to have dance artists from MODA Moving Group to perform with CityU students on 30 November. Kellie Chow Ngo-ting (Information Systems, Year 4), one of the dancers, shared her experience on performing in Colour‧E‧Motion, “This piece consists of several sections: at the beginning, the atmosphere was lively and gleeful. The second part was very intense; we were all expressing strong emotions with our own steps. The third part was rather calm and peaceful.” Choreographed by Ms. Vicky Man and Ms. Alice Ma, the dance also employed videos to bring out thoughts and feelings of the dancers. To Kellie, the dance was very inspiring, “It tells us that individuals can demonstrate their talents without outshining others.” The other performance in the event was Not Yet / To Forget choreographed by Mr. Ivan Chan and Ms. Sudhee Liao. The dance explored rediscovery of curiosity through various sound effects and gestures.

The Lingnan Girls Choir of Xinghai Music Conservatory & City University Choir The singing performance by the choirs from the 2 institutions was another highlight of the Arts Festival. Both traditional pieces such as Ave Maria, Sparrows, Gaye, and popular songs like Pearl of the Orient and Blessings were delivered to the audience on 27 November.

Chord of Praise: CityU Christmas Concert 2015 The Christmas Concert on 18 December brought the Arts Festival to a seasonal end. In addition to classical music such as Beethoven’s Symphony No.4, performed by the CityU Philharmonic Orchestra, the programme included popular music, songs and carols delivered by the CityU Chinese Orchestra, the CityU Concert Singers, and the CityU SU Christian Choir. External performers included Mr. Zhang Miaoyang, the iconic voice artist at Phoenix Satellite Television Company Limited, and Mr. Petrus Cheung, a famous baritone and prominent vocal performer. “Music can connect people,” commented Dr. Wong Chi-tim, Director of Student Development Services, “CityU has excellent facilities for arts performance, especially for music, and we hope to include more shows in the future for everyone on campus to enjoy.” An experienced tenor trained in Poland, Dr. Wong performed several arias at the concert as well.