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The Leisure and Cultural Services Department will present two concerts titled Dazzle of the Rising Stars in March. The show will feature two talented young classical musicians, guest conductor Lio Kuokman and violin soloist Josef Špaček, performing with the Pan Asia Symphony Orchestra.
The programme will include Haydn's "Symphony No. 95 in C minor", Ravel's "Tzigane" and Bruch's "Violin Concerto No. 1 in G minor, Op. 26". Music lovers can expect Lio and Špaček to deliver stunning performances of these renowned musical works.
Praised by the Philadelphia Inquirer as "a startling conducting talent", guest conductor Lio Kuokman is a recent graduate from the Curtis Institute of Music with a double major in orchestral conducting under the instruction of Otto-Werner Mueller. Lio pursued a master's degree at the Juilliard School of Music, where he studied conducting with Virginia Allen. He was an assistant conductor in the Curtis Symphony Orchestra for guest conductors including James Conlon and Christoph Eschenbach. Lio has also been the assistant conductor of the Curtis Opera Theatre for productions such as "Don Giovanni", "Le Nozze di Figaro", "Carmen" and "Wozzeck". He has conducted in master classes for renowned conductors such as Eschenbach, Sir Simon Rattle, Michael Tilson Thomas and Alan Gilbert.
Violin soloist Josef Špaček ranks among the foremost representatives of today's young violin generation. Špaček has been guided by some of the most highly regarded teachers, including Ida Kavafian and Jaime Laredo at the Curtis Institute of Music and Itzhak Perlman at the Juilliard School. As a soloist, he has appeared with the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, the Prague Philharmonia and the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra. He has soloed under conductors including Eschenbach, Manfred Honeck, Asher Fisch and Jirí Belohlávek. Spacek has released his own CDs in recent years.
The Dazzle of the Rising Stars concerts by the Pan Asia Symphony Orchestra will be staged at 8pm on March 24 (Saturday) at the Auditorium, Tsuen Wan Town Hall, and at 3pm on March 25 (Sunday) at the Auditorium, Tuen Mun Town Hall. Tickets priced at $140, $110 and $80 are available at all URBTIX outlets, on the Internet and by credit card telephone booking. Half-price tickets are available for senior citizens aged 60 or above, people with disabilities and their minders, full-time students and Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) recipients (limited tickets for CSSA recipients 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, call 2734 9009. For credit card telephone booking, call 2111 5999. Internet booking is available at www.urbtix.hk. For more information, visit www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/CulturalService/Programme/en/music/0000037c.html.
Ends/Friday, February 17, 2012
Issued at HKT 11:44
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