CUHK Music: Lee Hysan Concert Hall

Lee Hysan Concert Hall

History

Established in the year 1965, the Music Department of Chinese University of Hong Kong has long been wishing for a new concert hall where music lovers can share joyous opus. Until 1993, the proposal of such submitted to the University was considered and a Concert Hall Committee was set up in 1995 by the Vice-chancellor, Prof. Charles Kao. The dream was finally realized when Dr. Deanna Lee Rudgard, the Director of Lee Hysan Foundation agreed to donate HK$2.8 million for the building of the concert hall and another HK$1.5 million, together with HK$500,000 granted by Chung Chi College for the building of the organ. Since its opening in Spring 2001, the Concert Hall symbolizes the University's commitment in arts and enriches the cultural atmosphere of the community.

Description

Seating Diagram

Seats: 269, including 4 seats for the disabled

Stage: The stage is designed for chamber orchestra, solo recitals and large choirs. Its dimension is 17.4 m x 8.4 m.

Exhibition Gallery: an area of 12 m x 18 m outside the foyer of the Concert Hall.

Other Facilities: 2 green rooms and 1 rehearsal room. The control room and recording room at the back is equipped with state-of-the-art lighting console and recording studio.

Architecture

Architect: Rocco S K Yim, BA(AS)(Hons) BArch(Dist) RIBA HKIA Registered Architect Authorized Person.

Highly acclaimed for his creativity and genius, Rocco Yim is one of the best architects in Hong Kong. He has undertaken projects for an impressive range of local and international, private, public and corporate clients, and has won a number of significant design awards both locally and internationally. Major projects include Parklane Shoppers Boulevard on Nathan Road, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center (interior design), Citibank Plaza on Garden Road, Peninsula Hotel Extensions on Salisbury Road, Hong Kong Station of Lantau Airport Railways. More recently, his Graduate House of the University of Hong Kong, completed in March 1998, has been recognized with a Silver Medal - the highest recognition of architectural design excellence by the Hong Kong Institute of Architects. In addition, he has also won the Opera-Bastille Design Competition in Paris.

Acoustics Consultant: Kirkegaard & Associates

Architect in-charge: Joseph Myers

The consultant provides comprehensive consulting services in areas like archtectural acoustics for the highest quality listening and performing environments.

The firm has a high reputation for excellence in the design of education and performance facilities, churches, recording and broadcast studios, and many other acoustically sensitive environments. Representative concert halls and performing arts centres on which they have worked include Portland Centre of Performing Art, Chicago Orchestra Hall, Carnegie Hall, Beijing Opera House, Taiwan National Institute of Art, Seattle Opera House, Boston Symphony Hall and Juilliard Theatre Tanglewood Hall, the new Kuala-Lumpur Concert Hall and numerous schools of music performance venues.

Organ Builder: Phillipp Klais

The Klais family has a long history of organ building for over a hundred years. Johannes Klais Senior founded his own organ building workshop in Bonn in 1882. Through several new developments and inventions over the decades, it eventually passes to Philipp Klais, the great-grandson of the founder, who grew up in the midst of the workshops, studied in Alsace, Germany and overseas. For some years he has been working closely with his father. Fresh ideas combine with hands-on experience. Together with a young team, the fourth Klais generation shows commitment to building instruments of character and of high tonal and aesthetic standards. Klais organ building experience also extends to Asian locales such as Singapore, Malaysia, Japan, Taiwan, Korea and the Philippines.