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To showcase the young classical music scene in Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, Berlin (HKETO Berlin) supported a performance of the Hong Kong Children's Symphony Orchestra (HKCSO) at MuTh - the Vienna Boys' Choir (VBC) Concert Hall - on August 11 (Vienna time). More than 100 guests attended the concert, in which the young talents from Hong Kong gave a high-quality classical music performance under the baton of VBC music conductor Jimmy Chiang and with the featured soloist Lukas Sternath, a recent member of the VBC.
Welcoming the guests and young music ambassadors at the reception prior to the concert, the Director of HKETO Berlin, Ms Betty Ho, highlighted the orchestra's contributions to the flourishing cultural development in Hong Kong. "Founded in 1996, the Hong Kong Children's Symphony Orchestra recruits members aged 7 to 18 through highly competitive open auditions and rewards them with an opportunity to study under Yip Wing-sie, the Music Director of the Hong Kong Sinfonietta. We are very proud to bring the young ambassadors from Hong Kong here to Vienna tonight," she said.
With its thriving creative community, Hong Kong is an ideal place for artistic expression and pursues the vision of becoming an international creative hub. Performing arts play a big role in the city's cultural identity. Ranging from classical music to contemporary dance, they together showcase Hong Kong's artistic diversity and unique character as the place where East meets West. The Government promotes participation in all aspects of cultural life. Among others, there are large-scale development projects such as the West Kowloon Cultural District and non-profit initiatives such as PMQ, the former Police Married Quarters, a creative hub for local brands and talents.
The HKCSO has performed with young prestigious soloists and international award winners such as Lu Wei, Yang Tianwa, Yang Xiaoyu, Shun Wenyu, Zhang Haochen, Tang Yun, Wong Wai-yin, Huang Mengla and Angela Cheng. In recent years, orchestra members had the good fortune of learning from and performing with iconic master-class musicians Xue Wei, Charles Castleman, Li Chuanyun and Chen Xi. The orchestra has been mesmerising audiences all over the world since 2001 through concert tours and exchange programmes.
The HKCSO will have several performances in Vienna as part of its Austria-Hong Kong Music and Cultural Tour from August 2 to 17, and will perform on August 14 in Bratislava, the Slovak Republic. In October this year, the HKCSO will perform on the same stage with the VBC in its concert tour in Hong Kong.
Ends/Wednesday, August 12, 2015
Issued at HKT 20:14
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