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DUT Confucius Institute Co-hosting “2017 Beyond the Rainbow - the Second Durban Chinese New Year Concert”
By the Confucius Institute at Durban University of Technology
On the evening of February 15th, 2016 a grand concert, co-hosted by the Confucius Institute at Durban University of Technology, the Consulate General of China in Durban, the KZN Department of Arts and Culture, Sport and Recreation, and the Durban-Guangzhou Sister Cities Association, was successfully held at this beautiful seaport city Durban. This Concert, named“2017 Beyond the Rainbow - the Second Durban Chinese New Year Concert”, highlighting the combination of art and culture, was brought about by 50 passionate young musicians from the South African KZN Youth Wind Band, attracting an audience of 600 people from local principal and municipal governments, DUT, Durban community and Chinese community in Durban, who together enjoyed a thoroughly fantastic musical feast in the warm climate of this beautiful South African rainbow city.
“Featuring both popular and classical, a wide range of music from traditional Chinese and African to music from films, this concert aims to celebrating the ushering in of the Chinese Year of Rooster, or the Chinese New Year, and the Chinese traditional Lantern Festival.”said Dr Eddie Chaobo Fu, Co-dean of the DUT Confucius Institute. Programmes included famous Chinese and South African folk music like Imagasy, Dragon Dance, Jasmine Flower, Ming Court, Bond James Bond, May Day Medley, A-Wa Peoples New Life, Military Goes Africa, Heavenly Road(Skyway), and Blessings, name just a few, all of which are household music to the hundreds of audience attending the Concert. With their amazing and consummate skill and infectious enthusiasm, the 50 KZN young artists, some of the best young musician that KZN has to offer, entertained the large audience with a most unforgettable evening.
High appraisal and acknowledgment were raised by dignitaries like Mr Wang Jianzhou, Consul General of China to Durban, Councillor Fawzia Peer, Deputy Mayor of the eThekwini Municipality, and Dr Fu, who also conveyed the best wishes for the Chinese Year of Rooster and the Lantern Festival to all the guests invited.
“This Concert effectively illustrated culture of China and South Africa in such an artistic and magical way that it impressed the audience with rich Chinese folk arts and with versatile Chinese and South African cultural voices. As another event of celebrating the traditional Chinese festivals, it also opened a fabulous door for peoples from South Africa and China, who were fascinated by wonderful music, an art without boundary”, added Dr FU.