A two-week music festival beginning July 30 will introduce a group of talented Chinese students to the Henderson State University campus and expose them to local culture. Organizers hope the Henderson-Hebei Art International Music Festival will become an annual event.
Hebei Vocational Art College is located in Shijiazhuang (Hebei Province) in China.
Both the Hebei and Henderson students will participate in a variety of activities ranging from workshops and lectures, to various social opportunities and concerts.
The festival will culminate Aug. 3 with a concert at the Clinton Presidential Library in Little Rock. The concerts will showcase and celebrate talented musicians from both institutions.
Faculty and students from Henderson and China will present their own music and will collaborate in different chamber settings such as piano trios, duo pianos, wind chamber with piano, percussion and wind ensembles, and choral and vocal ensembles.
“I am very elated that our students will have this wonderful opportunity to collaborate with students from China,” said. Dr. May Tsao-Lim, professor of music at Henderson. “In addition to world musical experience, students from both countries will learn about each other’s culture, lifestyle, language, and food, as well as an educational experience and pedagogy approach in a variety of sessions and social activities.”
Four public performances are planned, including:
- Concert at Henderson, July 30, in Henderson’s Harwood Recital Hall, 604 North 12th St.
- Concert in Hot Springs Village, Aug. 1, at Woodlands Auditorium, 1101 DeSoto Blvd.
- Chamber Recital, Aug. 2, in Harwood Recital Hall
- Concert in Little Rock Aug. 3 at the Clinton Presidential Library, 1200 President Clinton Ave.
All performances will begin at 7 p.m. To reserve free tickets, go to hsu.edu/internationalprograms/festival.html.
The festival originated from conversations with faculty and staff at the China Center for International Educational Exchange (CCIEE), according to Dr. Brett Powell, Henderson’s vice president for finance and administration.
“We had just established a relationship with Hebei Art College and were considering ways to solidify the partnership,” Powell said. “CCIEE suggested the festival as a way to introduce Hebei students to our university and as a great opportunity for cultural exchange among our students.”
Powell said he hopes the festival will become an annual event.
“We hope students from Henderson and other institutions will travel to Hebei Province next summer for the second festival, and that the event will continue to rotate between our two institutions each year,” he said.
While at Henderson, the Chinese students will be housed on campus.
For more information, contact Dr. Bill Higgins at 870-230-5019 or higginb@hsu.edu