********************************************
Wang Kwong Chinese Orchestra, under the baton of guest conductor Xia Feiyun, will feature erhu virtuosi Wang Yongde and Zhang Chongxue in a concert in next month.
The enriching programme includes "Celebration Overture", "The Sun Shines on Taxkorgan", "A Sunan Tune", "Scenes and Sounds of Jiangnan", "Capriccio on Theme from Hong Lake", "Capriccio", "Going to the Fair", "Genghis Khan" and Cantonese Music Medley (Folk Music).
Xia Feiyun was born in 1936 in Zhejiang. In 1956, he entered the Shanghai Conservatory of Music to study Chinese music conducting under Yang Jiaren and Wei Zhongle. Upon graduation, he joined the faculty to teach while at the same time training ensembles in Shanxi and Jiangsu. He has conducted many ensembles and orchestras, including the Chinese Music Ensemble of the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, the Shanghai Chinese Orchestra, the Chinese National Orchestra of China and the ensemble of the Shanghai Peking Opera Troupe. He was also formerly the resident conductor of the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra. He has been on several overseas tours to perform and to give talks.
Wang Yongde is a famous teacher of erhu music and also an erhu virtuoso. He is a member of the Chinese Musiciansˇ¦ Association, a member of the Standing Committee of the China Nationalities Orchestra Society, Vice President of the Erhu Society under the Chinese Musicians' Association, and Professor in Chinese Music at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. Years of performing experience and teaching of the erhu have allowed him to gain professional and academic insights. He advocates teaching by aptitude and a graded curriculum.
Zhang Chongxue is currently a member of the Erhu Professional Committee of the Shanghai Musicians' Association. She has started learned erhu from the age of five with Cao Yuanlong, Cao Yuande, Wang Yongde, Lu Jianye and Chen Chunyuan. In 2002, she was admitted to the Shanghai Conservatory of Music to study ethnic music. During her studies, she was the erhu principal of the conservatory's Chinese Orchestra, and participated in the orchestra's major performances in China and abroad. Her outstanding performance won her numerous scholarships. Zhang joined the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra in 2006 as an erhu musician. She has performed with the orchestra on its tours to Canada, the UK, Macao, Guangzhou and Beijing. In May 2008 she won the second prize at the ˇ§Spring in Shanghaiˇ¨ International Erhu Competition.
Presented by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, the concert by the Wang Kwong Chinese Orchestra will be at 8pm on November 21(Sunday), at the Auditorium, Yuen Long Theatre. Tickets priced at $90, $120 and $150 are now available at URBTIX outlets. Half-price concessions will be granted to senior citizens aged 60 or above, people with disabilities, full-time students and Comprehensive Social Security Assistance recipients. (Limited tickets for Comprehensive Social Security Assistance recipients are available on a first-come, first-served basis.) Please refer to programme leaflets for details of the group booking discount.
For programme enquiries, call 2268 7321; for ticketing enquiries and reservations, call 2734 9009; for credit card telephone booking, call 2111 5999; for Internet booking, visit www.urbtix.hk; for more information, visit www.lcsd.gov.hk/cp.
Ends/Thursday, October 21, 2010
Issued at HKT 19:17
NNNN
