*******************************************

The Leisure and Cultural Services Department will present a Flamenco Guitar Concert by Raymond Au & Friends on March 17 (Saturday) at the Cultural Activities Hall, Tsuen Wan Town Hall at 8 pm for all music lovers and local guitarists.

The concert will be performed by guitarists Raymond Au, Samuel Au, Arian Au, Liu Lin, Sunny Kwok and Sylvia Siu. Apart from performing their own works, they will also perform works by Paco Pena, Paco de Lucia and etc. Spectacular programmes include "Whispering", "Twisted Flamenco" and "Solea Flamenca" by Raymond Au; "Sevillanas" and " Alegrias de Cordoba" by Paco Pena and "Tientos" by Paco de Lucia, etc.

Raymond Au was one of the seven guitarists and the only Asian chosen by Paco Pena from more than 50 countries to enter the master class held in 1983 in Spain. He was frequently invited to give performances and lectures in Beijing. Being the first Flamenco guitarist to perform in the Beijing Concert Hall, he was named one of the important Chinese guitarists of the year by the Friends of Guitar in 1994. Au is currently the Honorary Director, Artistic Advisor and Instructor of Guitar Ensemble for a number of guitar schools and societies in Macau and China.

Samuel Au and Adrian Au are devoted flamenco guitar music lovers. Samuel Au was a founding member of the Hong Kong Guitar Association and is an editor of the Guitar News, a guitar magazine published by the Hong Kong Guitar Society. Adrian Au has participated into the Second Guitar Music Camp in Xiamen and concerts presented by the former Provisional Regional Council in 1998. Liu Lin from China also studied flamenco guitar with Raymond Au and performed with him in a recital at the Shandong University in 1999, which was warmly received. She is currently a guitar teacher and performer and is actively engaged in the promotion of Flamenco guitar music in China. Sylvia Siu and Sunny Kwok have also learned Flamenco guitar with Raymond Au for many years and have participated in the concerts held in Hong Kong and China including the Tsuen Wan Arts Festival, Kwun Tong Arts Festival, Flamenco Guitar Festival of the Jinan University and the Guangzhou University concerts. For the promotion of flamenco music, they set up "El Duende Flamenco Guitar Trio" in 1993 with Raymond Au and were invited by the former Regional Council to perform in concerts in 1993 and 1995 respectively.

Tickets priced at $100 are now available at all URBTIX outlets, with half-price concessions for senior citizens, people with disabilities and full-time students.

Programme enquiries can be made on 2734 2935 while ticketing enquiries and reservations on 2734 9009.

End/Saturday, February 17, 2001

NNNN