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The Hong Kong Children's Symphony Orchestra, serving as Hong Kong's youth ambassadors, will perform in Toronto in August to raise funds for the Hong Kong Veterans Commemorative Association (HKVCA). The Orchestra will also travel to Ottawa to take part in the unveiling ceremony of the veterans' Memorial Wall.
The HKVCA, with the support of Veterans Affairs Canada, is building a Memorial Wall in Ottawa. All the names of the 1,975 Canadian soldiers who were sent to Hong Kong to help defend it against attacks by the Imperial Japanese Army, will be engraved on the wall.
Speaking at the media launch of the project yesterday (April 30, Toronto time), the Director of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade, Toronto, Ms Maureen Siu said her office was delighted to initiate the project because apart from serving as a "thank you" from Hong Kong to the soldiers from the Royal Rifles of Canada and the Winnipeg Grenadiers who took part in defending Hong Kong during World War II between 1941 and 1945, it will further enhance the relationship between Hong Kong and Canada.
"Through their courage and sacrifice, we are now living in freedom, peace and prosperity," she said. "At the same time, we appreciate very much the HKVCA's effort in educating Canadian students about World War II history, our pursuit for peace, as well as the importance of preserving this Canadian-Hong Kong legacy by passing the torch of remembrance to future generations."
The Canadian tour of the Orchestra is organised by the Hong Kong-Canada Business Association and the Toronto Hong Kong Lions Club, with support from the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Toronto. The Organising Committee is co-chaired by Ms Anita Kwan and Mr Adidy Yu.
The two co-chairs said they were proud to bring the Hong Kong Children's Symphony Orchestra, one of the top youth orchestras in Asia, to Canada to take part in this meaningful project. They also thanked Senator Vivienne Poy for agreeing to be the Honorary Patron of the Toronto Concert, and Tour East Holidays for becoming the first major sponsor of the event.
The Orchestra, a registered non-profit-making organisation in Hong Kong, was established by Dr Yip Wai-hong in 1996. Its members, aged from seven to 16, are recruited under highly competitive open auditions.
The Orchestra has held many internationally acclaimed performances, including a concert in Bangkok in 2001 in celebration of the birthday of the King of Thailand; the 2nd International Children's Choral Festival in 2005; and a demonstration performance at the 2006 International Society of Music Education Conference in Kuala Lumpur in front of music educators from all over the world.
In the summer of 2007, the Orchestra toured San Francisco, Los Angeles, Portland, and Vancouver in a North American tour sponsored by the Hong Kong Government's representative offices in San Francisco and Toronto, presenting concerts to mark the 10th Anniversary of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
Mr Michael Babin, Regional Director (Ontario) of the HKVCA, thanked the organizers for bringing the group to Canada.
"We are the sons, daughters and grandchildren of those Canadian soldiers who were sent to Hong Kong during World War II," he said. "We have been collecting funds to erect a permanent memorial in our capital, Ottawa, and we plan to unveil the Hong Kong Veterans' Memorial Wall on August 15."
"The visit of the Orchestra will provide a wonderful opportunity to educate our community about this story and to help raise funds for the Memorial Wall," Mr Babin added.
He said many of these Canadian soldiers died in Hong Kong during an 18-day battle against overwhelming odds. "Those who did not were imprisoned for the rest of the war and were brutally treated by their captors, and many died in the POW camps," Mr Babin said. "The survivors returned to Canada in 1945 in very poor health. Few than 100 of them remain alive today."
"Working together on this project would provide a wonderful opportunity to highlight an important chapter in our joint history," he said.
Mr Babin said several books have been written about the Battle of Hong Kong, including "One Soldier's Story - from the Fall of Hong Kong to the Defeat of Japan" written by Mr George MacDonell who actually fought in the battle.
The Orchestra's Toronto concert will be held at the George Weston Recital Hall of the Toronto Centre for the Arts on August 8 at 7.30pm. The Orchestra will travel to Ottawa to take part at the unveiling ceremony of the Hong Kong Veterans' Memorial Wall on August 15. A free concert will also be given at the Canadian War Museum that afternoon.
The repertoire of the Toronto concert includes the "Yellow River Piano Concerto"; "Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto; "New World Symphony"; "Let There be Peace on Earth" and "Ocean My Homeland", etc.
Ends/Saturday, May 2, 2009
Issued at HKT 06:27
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