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The Music Office Youth Choir of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department has been awarded a Gold Diploma and presented with the Category Winner Award in the Mixed Youth Choirs competition of the 29th International Franz Schubert Choir Competition at the Sing'n'joy Vienna 2014 festival held in Vienna, Austria, from June 5 to 9. The Choir was also awarded another Gold Diploma in the Sacred Choral Music competition.
As part of the Music Office's International Youth Music Exchange Programme, the 60-member Youth Choir, led by conductor and Senior Music Officer (Musicianship and Training Support) Dr Angelina Au, went on a tour to Vienna to participate in various activities in Sing'n'joy Vienna 2014, among which was the reputable International Franz Schubert Choir Competition, first held in 1984.
The Choir's programme selections ranged from traditional choral classics including Schubert's "Psalm 23", Victoria's "Ave Maria" and Parry's "My Soul, There is a Country" to Russian sacred choral music, South African Zulu folksong, New Zealand's Maori lullaby and the Chinese folk song "Herdsmen's Song".
Sing'n'joy Vienna 2014, which included a large-scale choral competition divided into eight categories and friendship concerts, drew the participation of 18 choirs from 14 nations, including Austria, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Russia, Italy and the Philippines. Besides singing for the Festival, the Choir also visited the world-famous training school of the Vienna Boys' Choir and the Vienna State Opera.
Ends/Thursday, June 12, 2014
Issued at HKT 19:00
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