Location:
Grace Dodge Hall 179
Teachers’ College, Columbia University
525 West 120th Street, New York, NY 10027
Jointly presented by the Renwen Society at China Institute in America and the Center on Chinese Education at Teachers College, Columbia University
With a sonic transcendence that evokes not only the beauty of sound but also the power of silence, the guqin (古琴), a seven-string zither, is often considered the paterfamilias of Chinese music. How and why did a Caucasian immerse himself in its sound world and emerge as a world-known expert and master player? Veteran filmmaker Lau Shing-hon’s documentary, Music Beyond Sound: An American’s World of Guqin (《希声：一个美国琴人的境界》, 2019), explores this captivating journey. It chronicles John Thompson’s study of the Chinese language and the guqin, which began in 1974, and follows his evolution into one of the 10 masters—yet the only non-Chinese one—invited by the Zhejiang Museum in 2010 to perform in a program featuring millennia-old guqins. Now, half a century after he began, Thompson remains a leading player and researcher of this quintessential Chinese instrument, long associated with ancient sages. The screening will be preceded by a brief guqin performance by Thompson and followed by a Q&A moderated by filmmaker Evans Chan, whose documentary, Sorceress of the New Piano: The Artistry of Margaret Leng Tan, delves into the sonic innovations of Cage, Cowell, and Crumb.
Free, but registration is required.
A reception will follow the event.
地点：
Grace Dodge Hall 179
Teachers’ College, Columbia University
525 West 120th Street，New York, NY 10027
主办：华美人文学会、哥伦比亚大学中国教育研究中心
古琴，一种七弦琴，以其声音之美和沉静之力而闻名，被誉为中国音乐之祖。为何一位西方人会沉浸于古琴的音乐世界，最终成为世界知名的大师级演奏家？资深导演刘成汉的纪录片《希声：一个美国琴人的境界》（2019）记录了这一奇妙旅程。该片讲述了约翰·汤普森（John Thompson，中文名“唐世璋”）自1974年开始学习中文与古琴的经历，并追踪他如何成为2010年浙江博物馆邀请的十位古琴大师之一——也是唯一的非华人琴家。时至今日，半个世纪后，他仍然是古琴演奏和研究的领军人物，致力于传承这一与古代贤哲息息相关的中国乐器。
放映前，唐世璋将为听众带来一场简短的古琴演奏；放映后，著名导演陈耀成将主持问答环节。陈耀成曾执导《灵琴新韵——华裔前卫钢琴家陈灵》（Sorceress of the New Piano: The Artistry of Margaret Leng Tan），探讨约翰·凯奇（John Cage）、考威尔（Henry Cowell）和克伦（George Crumb）等作曲家的声乐创新。
活动免费，结束后有茶点招待。
Film Director
LAU Shing-hon 刘成汉
LAU Shing-hon (刘成汉), a USC graduate, is a producer, writer, and director whose filmography includes House of the Lute (1979), The Headhunter (1983), and The Final Night of the Royal Hong Kong Police (1997). Lau served as the chair of the School of Film & TV at The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts from 1994 to 2006. Prior to that, he directed the acclaimed ICAC (anti-corruption) TV drama series. A film theorist, Lau frequently lectures in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Mainland China.
导演： 刘成汉，毕业于南加州大学，著名制片人、编剧和导演，代表作包括《慾火焚琴》（1979）、《猎头》（1983）和《皇家香港警察的最后一夜》（1997）。刘成汉曾于1994年至2006年担任香港演艺学院电影电视学院院长，并曾执导知名的廉政公署（ICAC）电视剧《廉政先锋》及《廉政行动》。作为电影理论家，他常在香港、台湾和中国大陆讲学。
