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The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, London (London ETO) continued its celebrations for the 15th anniversary of the return of Hong Kong to the Motherland with a special concert by the Hong Kong Children's Choir (HKCC) in Helsinki, Finland on August 18.
The "Hong Kong SAR 15th Anniversary Concert", held at the Sonore Hall of the Helsinki Music Centre in Helsinki, was co-presented by the London ETO and the HKCC in celebration of the 15th anniversary of the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. It also featured a special performance by Finland's renowned Tapiola Choir.
The audience of about 250 included guests from the cultural and business communities as well as government contacts in Finland. His Excellency Mr Huang Xing, Ambassador of the People's Republic of China in the Republic of Finland; Ms Annikki Arponen, Consul General of Finland in Hong Kong; and a representative of the London ETO attended the concert and delivered welcome remarks.
During the concert, the HKCC sang in different languages including Cantonese, Putonghua, English, Finnish, and Latin. The HKCC and the Tapiola Choir also sang together a Finnish folksong as the finale of the concert.
This concert is partly sponsored by the London ETO. It was part of a European tour by the HKCC, and the 54 children aged between 11 and 17 went on to sing again in Finland at a promenade concert at the famous Temppeliaukio Church (Rock Church) on August 20 before leaving to perform in Berlin and Hamburg, Germany.
Founded in 1969, the HKCC is the biggest children's choir in the world and has grown into a diversified arts education organisation for children. It is a non-profit-making charitable organisation and has staged numerous performances overseas.
The London ETO is responsible for fostering Hong Kong's relations with Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Russia, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
Ends/Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Issued at HKT 03:16
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