21 NOV 2026 (SAT, 8:00pm) Tsuen Wan Town Hall Auditorium
HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 7 November 2026 – City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong (CCOHK) presents the Hong Kong debut of the acclaimed Norwegian violinist and hardanger fiddle player Ragnhild Hemsing on Saturday, 21 November 2026, at the Tsuen Wan Town Hall Auditorium, 8:00pm. Entitled "Nordic Seasons", the concert will feature well-loved works by Antonio Vivaldi and Edvard Grieg performed with unexpectedly fresh colours on both the violin and the hardanger fiddle, the national instrument of Norway.
Ragnhild Hemsing is an exceptionally original artist steeped in the performance of both classical music and Norwegian folk music. Her ability to move effortlessly between the two musical traditions has shaped her unique musical profile. Moreover, she is at the forefront in introducing the hardanger fiddle to new audiences beyond her homeland. The hardanger fiddle originates from the Hardanger region in western Norway in the mid-17th century. It has nine strings in total: four upper strings that are played and five understrings that are not played directly. The understrings vibrate in tandem with the upper strings to produce the fiddle's beautifully resonant sound. The decorations on the wood are made from mother of pearl giving the instrument its distinctive look.
Ragnhild Hemsing will draw on her folk roots and the evocative sound world of the hardanger fiddle to offer new interpretations of well-loved Norwegian and Baroque works. The programme includes Vivaldi/Hemsing's The Norwegian Seasons and arrangements of Grieg's incidental music to Peer Gynt by Tormod Tvete Vik including Morning Mood, In the Hall of the Mountain King, Anitra's Dance, Solveig's Song and Arabian Dance. Vivaldi's Four Seasons with its rhythmic swing, rich ornamentation and references to birdsong and icy winter chills also resonates in Ragnhild Hemsing'sNordic world.
Tickets priced at $450, $300 and $200 are available from all URBTIX outlets, with half-price concessions for full-time students, senior citizens aged 60 and above, Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) recipients and people with disabilities and their accompanying minders. For ticketing enquiries, call 3166 1100; for credit card telephone booking, call 3166 1288; for internet booking, visit www.urbtix.hk; for programme or media enquiries, call 2864 2156 or email info@ccohk.com. The programme is suitable for ages six and above. Further information: www.ccohk.com
City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong presents NORDIC SEASONS
Ragnhild Hemsing violin/hardanger fiddle/guest conductor
City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong presents NORDIC SEASONS
Norwegian violinist and Hardanger fiddle player Ragnhild Hemsing is deeply rooted in the musical traditions of her homeland. She has played a pivotal role in raising the profile of the Hardanger fiddle far beyond Norway's borders. This season she will give the world premieres of three new concertos for Hardanger fiddle by Kim André Arnesen, Gordon Hamilton, and Ola Kvernberg. She has appeared as soloist with the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, the Trondheim Symphony Orchestra, the Trondheim Soloists, the Residentie Orkest, the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra and the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra. She has performed at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., the Tonhalle Zurich, the Musée d'Orsay and the Mariinsky Theatre Concert Hall in St. Petersburg. Her festival appearances include the Beethovenfest Bonn, the Risør Chamber Music Festival and the Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Ragnhild Hemsing's CDs are released on the Berlin Classics label. Her recordings of Grieg's Peer Gynt achieved great success on digital platforms and in concerts. Vetra ("Winter") was released in 2023 and features traditional music alongside her own compositions. In 2024 she released The Norwegian Seasons, Vivaldi's Four Seasons arranged for Hardanger fiddle. Her most recent album, Unbound, was recorded with her folk-jazz ensemble Vetra and showcases her stylistic versatility.
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City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong presents NORDIC SEASONS
HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 7 November 2026 – Prof. Nancy IP, President and The Morningside Professor of Life Science at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), has been awarded the 2026 UNESCO-Equatorial Guinea International Prize for Research in the Life Sciences in recognition of her pioneering contributions to neuroscience and Alzheimer's disease research. The award ceremony was held on November 6 at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, France.
Prof. Nancy Ip, President and Morningside Professor of Life Science at HKUST, has been awarded the 2026 UNESCO-Equatorial Guinea International Prize for Research in the Life Sciences in recognition of her pioneering contributions to neuroscience and Alzheimer's disease research. Prof. Ip accepts the award at a ceremony held on November 6 at the UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, France.
In announcing the award, UNESCO recognized Prof. Ip as an internationally renowned neuroscientist whose research has significantly advanced the understanding of brain function and neurodegenerative diseases. It highlighted her team's discoveries of novel biomarkers and genetic risk factors for Alzheimer's disease, the development of an innovative blood-based diagnostic technology that enables earlier detection and monitoring of the disease, and her pioneering advances in gene therapy research that have opened new avenues for the prevention and treatment of neurodegenerative disorders.
Receiving the award in Paris, Prof. Ip expressed her heartfelt gratitude to her research team, collaborators and colleagues, and thanked HKUST for its steadfast support throughout her scientific journey.
Prof. Nancy Ip (middle) joins the 2026 UNESCO-Equatorial Guinea International Prize laureates and Fellowship Programme for Young Women Scientists in Africa recipients for a group photo.
Prof. Ip said: "I am deeply honored to receive the UNESCO-Equatorial Guinea International Prize for Research in the Life Sciences. This recognition belongs not only to me, but also to the many talented and dedicated team members, collaborators and colleagues who have contributed to these achievements. It reflects our shared commitment to advancing knowledge, deepening our understanding of Alzheimer's disease, and translating scientific discoveries into meaningful benefits for patients and society."
She added: "Alzheimer's disease is not just a scientific and medical challenge. It is also a deeply human one, profoundly affecting the lives of those living with the disease and their families. Their courage reminds us why our work matters and inspires us to reach higher."
Prof. Ip also emphasized the importance of global scientific collaboration and nurturing future generations of researchers. "Science is a collective endeavor," she said. "Every breakthrough is built on collaboration across disciplines, institutions and borders. As a scientist and university president, I believe we must also empower young researchers by giving them the freedom to pursue their curiosity, the confidence to take intellectual risks, and the support they need to tackle the grand challenges facing humanity."
Prof. Nancy Ip expressed her heartfelt gratitude to her research team, collaborators and colleagues, and thanked HKUST for its steadfast support throughout her scientific journey.
Breakthrough Contributions to Neuroscience and Alzheimer's Disease Research
Prof. Ip has devoted more than three decades to advancing research on neurodegenerative diseases. To date, she has published over 350 scholarly papers and holds 144 patents. Her pioneering work has significantly deepened scientific understanding of intercellular communication in the nervous system, synaptic signaling, and the molecular mechanisms underlying neurodegenerative diseases. Her research team has also achieved a series of breakthroughs in identifying protein targets associated with these disorders, opening new avenues for their diagnosis and treatment.
Recognizing that Alzheimer's disease research has historically relied heavily on data from Western populations, with Asian populations being relatively underrepresented, Prof. Ip led her team in establishing a large-scale Chinese Alzheimer's disease biobank. By integrating clinical data, neuroimaging information, and multi-omics datasets from Chinese populations, the team successfully identified multiple genetic risk factors prevalent among Chinese individuals. These findings have provided important scientific insights into disease mechanisms and laid a foundation for the development of precision diagnostic and therapeutic strategies.
In recent years, Prof. Ip and her team have made significant advances in the early detection of Alzheimer's disease and the clinical translation of related research. They co-developed a highly accurate, minimally invasive, and efficient blood-based diagnostic test that can aid early detection of Alzheimer's disease and help identify individuals with mild cognitive impairment, thereby supporting timely clinical assessment and intervention planning, as well as the identification of suitable participants for clinical trials. The technology has been adopted by multiple healthcare institutions in Hong Kong and has since been expanded into community settings, helping to inform more effective disease management and risk-reduction strategies. Meanwhile, the team is actively exploring novel gene therapy approaches for familial Alzheimer's disease through gene-editing technologies, with the goal of developing an integrated innovation pipeline spanning early diagnosis to next-generation therapeutics.
An Internationally Acclaimed Scientist
Prof. Ip is President of The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) and concurrently serves as Director of the State Key Laboratory of Nervous System Disorders and Director of the Hong Kong Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases. Prior to joining HKUST, she was a Senior Staff Scientist at Regeneron Pharmaceuticals in the United States. Since joining HKUST, she has held a number of key leadership positions, including Head of the Department of Biochemistry, Dean of Science, and Vice-President for Research and Development, before assuming the presidency of the University in 2022.
Renowned internationally for her scientific achievements and academic leadership, Prof. Ip is an elected member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the US National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS), Academia Europaea, and the Hong Kong Academy of Sciences. Her many honors include the L'Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Award, the State Natural Science Award of China (twice), and recognition by Nature as one of China's "Ten Science Stars". She was also appointed Chevalier de l'Ordre National du Mérite by the French Government and awarded both the Silver Bauhinia Star and Bronze Bauhinia Star by the HKSAR Government.
The UNESCO-Equatorial Guinea International Prize for Research in the Life Sciences was established by UNESCO to recognize outstanding scientific achievements that advance human health and improve quality of life. The Prize promotes scientific excellence, international collaboration, and the development of research networks worldwide. This year's prize is shared by three laureates, who jointly receive US$300,000 and an Integración Tribal statuette created by Equatorial Guinean artist Leandro Mbomio Nsue.
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