The Hong Kong Jockey Club Community Project Grant: Musicus Heritage Stories Resonance of Wartime
11.26.2025
(26 November 2025, Hong Kong) On 14 and 15 December, Musicus Society presents four chamber concerts at the Woodside Biodiversity Education Centre and Lei Yue Mun Park. Highlighting two beautifully restored heritage buildings in the Eastern District, Resonance of Wartime invites audiences on a unique cultural journey, where chamber music converges with the living history of Hong Kong and beyond. Acclaimed cellist and Artistic Director Trey Lee, renowned Greek violinist Jonian Ilias Kadesha and talented young Hong Kong musicians – Chow Yip-wai and Sophie Leung on violin, Martin Kuo on viola, Jia Nan on cello and Matthew Yao on clarinet – will perform this classical music series complemented by a Hong Kong history and World War II-themed exhibition and guided tour. This program is funded by The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust and is part of the 2025–26 Eastern District Cultural Festival.
The program features selected movements from three unique works, starting with Shostakovich’s String Quartet No. 3 – a gripping musical testament to the turmoil of war, composed in the devastating aftermath of World War II. The ensemble also revives two rarely performed gems by Komitas, the Ottoman-Armenian priest and ethnomusicologist, and Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, the celebrated British composer. Both drew deeply on folk songs to write strikingly original and evocative music.
In addition to the concerts, audiences can also look forward to a guided tour in and around Woodside and an exhibition, each curated by the local heritage research collective Urban Studies Institute. These enrich the program by revealing layered stories of the Eastern District’s wartime legacy and its ongoing urban transformation. Step into these unique heritage architecture environments to discover the resonance between music and history, and to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.
Program Details
* Parking and barrier-free facilities and services are not available at the venues. Each concert features a different set of excerpts from the following: Fourteen Pieces on Themes of Armenian Folk Songs by Komitas, String Quartet No. 3 in F, Op. 73, by Shostakovich and Clarinet Quintet in F-sharp minor, Op. 10, by Coleridge-Taylor. Please refer to Musicus’s website for full details. The presenter reserves the rights to change the program and substitute artists should unavoidable circumstances make it necessary.
Additional Educational Program
Jonian Ilias Kadesha will conduct a master class (6:00pm, 12 December at Dance Studio, Youth Square) to share advice and insights with violin students. This event is open for observation, with free registration.
Ticketing and Registration
Tickets and registration for the concerts and master class open on POPTICKET from 25 November. Concessions at 50% off for Senior citizens aged 60 or above, people with disabilities and their minder, full time students and Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) recipients. Available on a first-come first-served basis.
POPTICKET: popticket.hk/event/resonance-of-wartime
Musicus Society: www.musicussociety.org
Downloadable images here.
For media enquiries, please contact Musicus Society:
Sherlock Lam, Marketing Manager
Tel: (852) 3758 2734 | Email: sherlock.lam@musicussociety.org
Scarlet Cheng, Project Manager
Tel: (852) 3793 3356 | Email: scarlet.cheng@musicussociety.org
About Musicus Heritage
Since 2013, Musicus Society has presented the Musicus Heritage community concert series at local historic sites in order to celebrate Hong Kong’s history through music. The series also provides opportunities for young Hong Kong musicians to elevate their artistry by collaborating with internationally renowned artists.
This hugely popularseries has received support from the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust since 2019 and was recognized in the 2022 Global Awards for World Heritage Education Innovative Cases, organized by the World Heritage Institute of Training and Research for Asia and the Pacific under the auspices of UNESCO. The Hong Kong Jockey Club Community Project Grant: Musicus Heritage Stories is now a comprehensive yearly program, encompassing thematic concerts, open rehearsals, guided tours of heritage sites, master classes, school visits, and ambassador sharing sessions. By combining classical music with heritage stories and engaging the community through various educational projects, it encourages the public to gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of Hong Kong’s history and culture.
About Woodside Biodiversity Education Centre
Built in the 1920s, the Woodside Biodiversity Education Centre, which is a Grade II historic building, was originally named as Woodside (also known as Red House). This two-story red-brick building was initially used as senior staff quarters for the Taikoo Sugar Refinery. After the closure of the refinery, the building was taken over by the Government in 1976, and from 1985 to 2001, it was leased to the Institute of Cultural Affairs for exhibitions and concerts. In 2002, Woodside was handed over to the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, and the site was revitalized into the first biodiversity education center in Hong Kong in 2012. The Centre comprises three thematic exhibition galleries, a multi-function conference room, a resources center, and an activity room.
About Lei Yue Mun Park
The old Lei Yue Mun Barracks was one of the earliest and most important British Army fortifications in Hong Kong, consisting of the central area (main barracks), the western ridge (upper fort) and the headland (lower fort). The Barracks fell to the Japanese hands in 1941, and was used by the British Army in the post-war period as a training ground until 1987 when the site was returned to the Government. The central area and the western ridge have been the Lei Yue Mun Park since 1988. Blocks 7 and 10 were built between 1890 and 1895, with the former originally built as officers' quarters for the Royal Artillery and was used by the Hong Kong Military Service Corps as a training center in the post-war period, while the latter was originally built as soldiers' quarters for the Royal Artillery. Block 25, used as the Officers’ Mess, is believed to have been built in the late 1890s to early 1900s. These three blocks, which are declared monuments, are believed to be one of the earliest buildings constructed in the Barracks.
About Musicus Society
Musicus Society was founded in 2010 to become an international music organization featuring quality performances and world-class homegrown artists. The Society’s mission is to promote cross-cultural collaboration of music internationally between top local and overseas artists through performances and by nurturing the next generation of talent. Apart from the annual Musicus Fest, which provides a meeting point for artists from across the world, the Musicus Heritage Community Concert Series brings world-class artists to local heritage sites. Moreover, the Musicus Inspires! educational program aims to nurture aspiring young musicians in Hong Kong, as well as cultivate students from all social backgrounds. Directed and initiated by renowned cellist Trey Lee, Musicus Soloists Hong Kong (MSHK) comprises some of Hong Kong’s top next-generation artists who are based all over the world. They are focused on becoming a leading chamber ensemble representing Hong Kong internationally. Musicus Society is a registered charity and financially supported by the Art Development Matching Grants Scheme of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
None of The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust, The Hong Kong Jockey Club, their respective affiliates or any other person involved in or related to the compilation of the contents herein (collectively, “the HKJC Parties”) makes any express or implied warranties or representations with respect to the accuracy, timeliness or completeness of the contents or as to the results that may be obtained by the use thereof. In no event shall any HKJC Party have any liability of any kind to any person or entity arising from or related to any actions taken or not taken as a result of any of the contents herein.
The program features selected movements from three unique works, starting with Shostakovich’s String Quartet No. 3 – a gripping musical testament to the turmoil of war, composed in the devastating aftermath of World War II. The ensemble also revives two rarely performed gems by Komitas, the Ottoman-Armenian priest and ethnomusicologist, and Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, the celebrated British composer. Both drew deeply on folk songs to write strikingly original and evocative music.
In addition to the concerts, audiences can also look forward to a guided tour in and around Woodside and an exhibition, each curated by the local heritage research collective Urban Studies Institute. These enrich the program by revealing layered stories of the Eastern District’s wartime legacy and its ongoing urban transformation. Step into these unique heritage architecture environments to discover the resonance between music and history, and to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.
Program Details
| Woodside Biodiversity Education Centre (50 Mount Parker Road, Quarry Bay) | |
| Concert 1 | 1:00pm, 14 December 2025 (Sun) | HK$250 |
| Concert 2 | 2:30pm, 14 December 2025 (Sun) | HK$250 |
| Concert 3 | 4:00pm, 14 December 2025 (Sun) | HK$250 |
| Guided Tour and Remarks | Each program is approximately 1 hour 30 minutes long, including a 45-minute concert (free seating and with no intermission) and a 45-minute heritage guided tour in Cantonese, with the option to visit the relics of Wartime Stove. Participants should consider whether they are physically capable of joining the Guided Tour. Audiences are also welcome to visit the on-site exhibition. |
| Lei Yue Mun Park (75 Chai Wan Road) | |
| Concert 4 | 7:30pm, 15 December 2025 (Mon) | Free admission (HK$100 refundable deposit) |
| Remarks | The concert is approximately 1 hour long, with free seating and no intermission. Audiences are also welcome to visit the on-site exhibition. |
* Parking and barrier-free facilities and services are not available at the venues. Each concert features a different set of excerpts from the following: Fourteen Pieces on Themes of Armenian Folk Songs by Komitas, String Quartet No. 3 in F, Op. 73, by Shostakovich and Clarinet Quintet in F-sharp minor, Op. 10, by Coleridge-Taylor. Please refer to Musicus’s website for full details. The presenter reserves the rights to change the program and substitute artists should unavoidable circumstances make it necessary.
Additional Educational Program
Jonian Ilias Kadesha will conduct a master class (6:00pm, 12 December at Dance Studio, Youth Square) to share advice and insights with violin students. This event is open for observation, with free registration.
Ticketing and Registration
Tickets and registration for the concerts and master class open on POPTICKET from 25 November. Concessions at 50% off for Senior citizens aged 60 or above, people with disabilities and their minder, full time students and Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) recipients. Available on a first-come first-served basis.
POPTICKET: popticket.hk/event/resonance-of-wartime
Musicus Society: www.musicussociety.org
Downloadable images here.
For media enquiries, please contact Musicus Society:
Sherlock Lam, Marketing Manager
Tel: (852) 3758 2734 | Email: sherlock.lam@musicussociety.org
Scarlet Cheng, Project Manager
Tel: (852) 3793 3356 | Email: scarlet.cheng@musicussociety.org
About Musicus Heritage
Since 2013, Musicus Society has presented the Musicus Heritage community concert series at local historic sites in order to celebrate Hong Kong’s history through music. The series also provides opportunities for young Hong Kong musicians to elevate their artistry by collaborating with internationally renowned artists.
This hugely popularseries has received support from the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust since 2019 and was recognized in the 2022 Global Awards for World Heritage Education Innovative Cases, organized by the World Heritage Institute of Training and Research for Asia and the Pacific under the auspices of UNESCO. The Hong Kong Jockey Club Community Project Grant: Musicus Heritage Stories is now a comprehensive yearly program, encompassing thematic concerts, open rehearsals, guided tours of heritage sites, master classes, school visits, and ambassador sharing sessions. By combining classical music with heritage stories and engaging the community through various educational projects, it encourages the public to gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of Hong Kong’s history and culture.
About Woodside Biodiversity Education Centre
Built in the 1920s, the Woodside Biodiversity Education Centre, which is a Grade II historic building, was originally named as Woodside (also known as Red House). This two-story red-brick building was initially used as senior staff quarters for the Taikoo Sugar Refinery. After the closure of the refinery, the building was taken over by the Government in 1976, and from 1985 to 2001, it was leased to the Institute of Cultural Affairs for exhibitions and concerts. In 2002, Woodside was handed over to the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, and the site was revitalized into the first biodiversity education center in Hong Kong in 2012. The Centre comprises three thematic exhibition galleries, a multi-function conference room, a resources center, and an activity room.
About Lei Yue Mun Park
The old Lei Yue Mun Barracks was one of the earliest and most important British Army fortifications in Hong Kong, consisting of the central area (main barracks), the western ridge (upper fort) and the headland (lower fort). The Barracks fell to the Japanese hands in 1941, and was used by the British Army in the post-war period as a training ground until 1987 when the site was returned to the Government. The central area and the western ridge have been the Lei Yue Mun Park since 1988. Blocks 7 and 10 were built between 1890 and 1895, with the former originally built as officers' quarters for the Royal Artillery and was used by the Hong Kong Military Service Corps as a training center in the post-war period, while the latter was originally built as soldiers' quarters for the Royal Artillery. Block 25, used as the Officers’ Mess, is believed to have been built in the late 1890s to early 1900s. These three blocks, which are declared monuments, are believed to be one of the earliest buildings constructed in the Barracks.
About Musicus Society
Musicus Society was founded in 2010 to become an international music organization featuring quality performances and world-class homegrown artists. The Society’s mission is to promote cross-cultural collaboration of music internationally between top local and overseas artists through performances and by nurturing the next generation of talent. Apart from the annual Musicus Fest, which provides a meeting point for artists from across the world, the Musicus Heritage Community Concert Series brings world-class artists to local heritage sites. Moreover, the Musicus Inspires! educational program aims to nurture aspiring young musicians in Hong Kong, as well as cultivate students from all social backgrounds. Directed and initiated by renowned cellist Trey Lee, Musicus Soloists Hong Kong (MSHK) comprises some of Hong Kong’s top next-generation artists who are based all over the world. They are focused on becoming a leading chamber ensemble representing Hong Kong internationally. Musicus Society is a registered charity and financially supported by the Art Development Matching Grants Scheme of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
None of The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust, The Hong Kong Jockey Club, their respective affiliates or any other person involved in or related to the compilation of the contents herein (collectively, “the HKJC Parties”) makes any express or implied warranties or representations with respect to the accuracy, timeliness or completeness of the contents or as to the results that may be obtained by the use thereof. In no event shall any HKJC Party have any liability of any kind to any person or entity arising from or related to any actions taken or not taken as a result of any of the contents herein.