Cultural and artistic exchange - 2016
The School of Digital Arts and Media held a series of academic exchange activities.
2016.03.18
On March 18th, faculty and students from the School of Digital Arts and Media held an academic exchange activity with the University of Utah at the International Lecture Hall of the Changqing Campus of Shandong University of Arts and Design. During the event, they delivered lectures on "Digital Art and Cultural Communication" and "Music Appreciation in Animated Films." Professor Raymond Temas-Jones, Assistant Vice President and Dean of the College of Arts at the University of Utah, Editor-in-Chief Yu Tianzhu, Dr. Dong Rongcan, Dean Gu Qunye of the School of Digital Arts and Media, Vice Dean Wu Xiangyang, and over one hundred faculty and students from the Digital Media Art and Animation programs of the School of Digital Arts and Media participated in the event.
Professor Raymond pointed out that the purpose of his trip was to expand cultural and artistic exchanges with the faculty and students of Shandong University of Arts and Crafts. He highly praised the teaching facilities and museum collections of Shandong University of Arts and Crafts, and showcased the charm of the University of Utah College of Art in a short film.
Editor-in-Chief Yu Tianzhu, as a cultural and artistic communicator, shared her experiences and insights in disseminating digital art and culture. She believes that art forms can be digitized, and that digital art possesses excellent communicability and media value, enabling collaboration across various fields. She also pointed out that "culture is the soul of art." Yu Tianzhu discussed the importance of cultural soft power, illustrating her experience in using art activities for cultural dissemination, and expressed regret that much of excellent traditional culture has not been disseminated overseas.
Dr. Dong Rongcan compared the soundtracks of animated films from China, Japan, and the United States during the same period, briefly introducing the structural names of music in animated films and suggesting a correspondence with the concepts of introduction, development, transition, and turning point in classical Chinese poetry. He used the example of Japanese composer Joe Hisaishi to illustrate the importance of music in animated films. Dr. Dong Rongcan played representative excerpts of animated soundtracks from various countries and historical periods. He argued that the lavishness of American animation and the professionalism of Japanese animation inspired Chinese animated film score production to innovate in subject matter and orchestration techniques while maintaining a strong connection to the theme, and not to abandon China's national characteristics.
Full text of the Shandong University of Arts and Crafts website >>
Reprinted from the official website of Zhejiang Conservatory of Music: The Department of Composition and Conducting invites Professor Raymond Temas Jones and Mr. Dong Rongcan to give lectures at our conservatory.
2016.03.16
Lecture Time: 1:30 PM, March 16th
Lecture Venue: Room 103, Humanities Building, Zhejiang Conservatory of Music
Organizer: Department of Composition and Conducting
Speaker Introduction:
Professor Raymond Temas Jones is currently the Assistant Vice Chancellor and Dean of the College of Arts at the University of Utah, holding a Ph.D. He also serves as the Executive Director of the Utah Museum of Fine Arts, the Vanguard Theatre Company, Tanner Dance, and Kingsbury Concert Hall. He previously served as Dean of the College of Humanities and Arts at Buffalo State University (1990-93), Dean of the School of Music at Cedar Falls University in Iowa (1993-98), and Dean of the College of Arts at Ohio University (1998-2005).
Professor Raymond Temas Jones has received the University of Buffalo Alumni Association's "Teaching Excellence Award" and "Distinguished Service Award." He is an accomplished soloist who has collaborated with outstanding orchestras such as the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, the German Youth Symphony Orchestra, the Pennsylvania Chamber Orchestra, and the Waterloo/Cedar Executive Orchestra. He has also served as conductor for the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, the choir at the closing ceremony of the 1993 World University Games, and the World University Games.
Dong Rongcan graduated from the Piano and Composition Departments of the Shanghai Conservatory of Music (1974-1981), studying under composers Chen Gang and Professor Deng Erjing. He was later selected to serve as a composer for the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra. From 1981 to 1985, Dong Rongcan composed over 200 vocal and instrumental pieces, which were widely adopted and won numerous awards in China. In 1985, he went abroad for further studies, studying under David Del Tredici, a leading figure in the American Neoclassical school, earning a Master of Music degree in Composition and a Doctor of Music Education degree from the City University of New York. He won first prize in the Mark Brunswick Composition Competition in New York in 1989 and 1990. He was the second Chinese composer to hold a solo concert at Carnegie Hall in New York, after Tan Dun's concert at Lincoln Center in 1991. In 1992, the Chinese Consul General in New York called Dong Rongcan "an important Chinese composer"; and in 2000, he held a romantic piano concert. He later composed over 100 vocal works and the oratorio "I Love China". On March 10, 2014, the University of California performed his large-scale symphonic choral work "Di Zi Gui".
He dedicated 22 years to Sino-US cultural and educational exchanges in the United States, making numerous successful efforts to promote understanding and recognition of Chinese culture in mainstream American society. He was hailed by Chinese media as a "friendly ambassador for Sino-US cultural exchanges."
His major works include "Theme and Variations", "Overture: The Story of the Past, Riverside", "Scherzo", "Yellow Earth", "Orchestra and Soprano (Musical Story): The Happy Prince", "Symphony: Angel", "Piano and Bass: Night Mooring at Maple Bridge", "Solo Songs Music Album" (Volumes 1-6), the album of works composed for the Wenchuan earthquake "Holding Hands, Walking Together Through Wind and Rain", the oratorio "I Love China", and the symphonic chorus "Standards for Being a Good Student and Child".
Awards received:
In 1983, "The Party, My Dear Party" was shortlisted for the national new song competition published by Shanghai's "Wenhui Daily";
In 1983, the song "Gesang Flower" won first place in the Shanghai division of the national "National Unity" song competition;
In 1984, he composed the vocal and orchestral suite "Looking Afar" for Shanghai People's Radio Station's Spring Festival broadcast to Taiwan.
In 1984, he composed music for the Shanghai Television Spring Festival Gala Drama "Springtime is Beautiful";
In 1985, he created the musical fairy tale "The Happy Prince" for the Shanghai Film Dubbing Studio, which was selected as a teaching material by UNESCO.
In 1989, his chamber symphony "Ballade" won first prize in the Mark Brunswick Composition Competition in New York City;
In 1990, the chamber music piece "Rhapsody" won first prize in the Mark Brunswick Composition Competition in New York City;
The chamber music piece "Early Spring Impressions" also received an honorable mention.
University of Utah School Profile:
The University of Utah, located in Salt Lake City, Utah, was founded in 1850. It is a Tier 1 research university in the United States, a comprehensive university with a strong research focus. Its programs in medicine, pharmacy, chemistry, nuclear physics, computer science, earth sciences, architecture, and the arts are among the best in the nation. As of 2012, the university had approximately 30,000 students and over 4,000 faculty and staff. The university comprises 11 departments, with highly regarded programs in business, communication, arts, computer science, engineering, mining, earth sciences, and chemistry. The University of Utah is a member of the Pacific-12 Conference, a consortium of twelve prestigious universities in the western United States, including the University of California, Berkeley (UCB), the University of Southern California (USC), the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Stanford University, the University of Arizona (UA), the University of Colorado, the University of Washington (UW-Seattle), and the University of Oregon (OU).
The University of Utah has 33,000 students and 17 colleges. The College of the Arts comprises six departments: Fine Arts, Ballet, Film and Media, Music, Modern Dance, and Drama. Its Ballet department is ranked #22 nationally, its Music department #60, and its College of the Arts #112. The University of Utah is ranked #140 globally, close to Shanghai Jiao Tong University. It is ranked #115 among all universities in the United States.
Special features in the field of arts:
The University of Utah is most renowned for its ballet, vocal, opera, and symphony programs. Its ballet department was the first of its kind in the United States. The university boasts five large, modern buildings dedicated to ballet, symphony, and opera performances. Every September, the Pioneer Theatre at the University of Utah hosts one of the largest opera series in the nation. The college's film and television production program is also highly regarded.