*********************************************************
China's global diva Dadawa, praised by the BBC as "the brightest star in Chinese music", will stage alluring evenings of ethereal voices for local audiences. Joined by top ethnic musicians, the concert, on October 15 and 16 in the Hong Kong Cultural Centre, promises to be a rapturous musical encounter.
"Hear the WorldĄDDadawa" in Concert 2010 . HK is the opening programme of the New Vision Arts Festival organised by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department. After its world premiere in Hong Kong, the concert will be staged at the National Centre for Performing Arts and the Shanghai Grand Theatre.
As the winner of the Best World Fusion Album in the USA's Independent Music Awards in 2008 and appointed a National Goodwill Ambassador for China by the United Nations Development Programme in 2009, Dadawa is one of the few Chinese singers to have established a place on the international contemporary music stage. She has covered 20,000 kilometres on her musical exploration tour, gathering songs and music from areas as diverse as Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang, Tibet, Yunnan and Guizhou. Taking inspiration from her experiences in China and around the world, Dadawa brings ethnic musicians to the stage to reveal the beauty of contemporary musicians' work, in a concert that fosters an appreciation of the origin of music rather than just the ethnic performance.
The concert finds Dadawa's ethereal voice weaving a tantalising soundscape with Chinese, Western and traditional instruments in collaboration with ethnic and contemporary musicians. Samplings collected from her expeditions are rearranged with electronic music, live instrumentation and vocals. Inventive stage design and audio-visual effects add to the dynamic multi-media presentation, enabling the audience to experience the diverse cultures of China such as Inner Mongolian love songs and throat singing, the "flying songs" of the Miao people from Guizhou, and the Muqam of Dolan from Xinjiang.
Born with a naturally ethereal voice, Dadawa is a premier female vocalist. Her voice and dynamic musical style combining East and West as well as ethnic sounds have set a new direction for contemporary music. In 1995, Dadawa's recording "Sister Drum" marked a milestone in music not only in China but also the world. The album received many special honours internationally. It was named by the British Q Magazine as one of the year's top five world music recordings and was presented with the Outstanding Recording Award by the American Recording Association.
In 1997, her album "Voices from the Sky" was released in 65 countries and regions, covering the five continents. At the same time, it was televised on the MTV Channel in the USA for a synchronised premiere in 81 countries, making her only the fifth artist in the world to have such an honour. In 2008, she won the Best World Fusion Album in the USA's Independent Music Awards with her "Seven Days".
One of the most important figures in the contemporary Chinese music scene, Dadawa has fascinated audiences at the Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Center, Boston Symphony Hall and the Royal Academy of Music in London.
"Hear the WorldĄDDadawa" in Concert 2010 . HK will be on October 15 and 16 at 7.30pm at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Grand Theatre. Tickets priced at $360, $280, $200, $120 are now available at URBTIX.
Half-price tickets are available for full-time students, senior citizens aged 60 and above, people with disabilities and Comprehensive Social Security Assistance recipients. Group booking and package discounts of up to 20% are available.
Programme brochures of the New Vision Arts Festival are available at URBTIX outlets or at the website, www.newvisionfestival.gov.hk .
For programme enquiries, call 2370 1044. Credit card telephone bookings: 2111 5999. Internet bookings can be made at www.urbtix.hk .
Ends/Thursday, October 7, 2010
Issued at HKT 14:36
NNNN
