************************************************************
The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (ETO), London brought Hong Kong musical talent to the fore as it presented two concerts by Hong Kong musicians in the United Kingdom on March 23-24. Pianist Ms Colleen Lee and cellist Mr Alvin Wong played at the Town Hall, Birmingham yesterday March 23 and again this evening (March 24) at St George's Hall, Liverpool.
The Birmingham Concert was organised in conjunction with the Birmingham Chinatown Lions Club. The Lions Club is also using the concert as a fund-raising event to support two Chinese schools in the city: the Birmingham Overseas Chinese Association School; and the Birmingham Chinese School. The programme comprises a wide range of different pieces from the classical piano and cello repertoire, including pieces by Bach, Schumann, Debussy, Brahms and Chopin.
The Liverpool Concert today is organised by the ETO with local music school, the Liverpool Saturday Music Centre, and 50 students from the centre will play alongside Colleen and Alvin for some of the programme. It is the first cultural event organised by the London ETO in Liverpool. The event is also supported by the Wai Yin Chinese Women Society which is based in Manchester. The programme comprises classical piano and cello pieces but also includes an excerpt from Paul McCartney's Liverpool Oratorio.
Director General of the London ETO Ms Sarah Wu said: "We are very proud of Hong Kong's artistic and creative talent. It gives me great pleasure to present these two concerts. Colleen and Alvin, both graduates from the Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts, have given performances all over the world, and are a fine example of the kind of talent Hong Kong has to offer. We are also delighted to work closely with local organisations and have a chance to promote Hong Kong and reach out to new audiences in the UK through music and culture. Our commitment to promoting Hong Kong's cultural heritage is demonstrated in the West Kowloon Cultural District, which has attracted some of the world's best development consultants and advisors, keen to take part in such a major development and contribute to the cultural life of Hong Kong."
Ends/Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Issued at HKT 22:38
NNNN
