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The following is issued on behalf of the Board of Trustees of the Hong Kong Jockey Club Music and Dance Fund:
Three young talents in music and dance received Hong Kong Jockey Club Music and Dance Fund (HKJCMDF) Scholarships today (June 29).
The scholarships, totalling about $1.42 million, will support these scholars to pursue further education in the fields of music or dance, enabling them to contribute to the development of arts in Hong Kong upon completion of their studies.
The three young talents, namely Mr Chor Kai-hei, Mr Jacky Leung and Miss Cherry Leung, stood out among many applicants. They shared their thoughts during the awarding ceremony, gratefully acknowledged the funding support from the HKJCMDF and undertook to make the best of the opportunity to pursue further studies.
Cellist Mr Chor, a graduate of the bachelor programme in music at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, will be going to the United Kingdom to pursue master studies in music performance. Miss Leung, the only dance scholarship awardee this year, is a freelance dancer. She will undertake master studies in choreography in the United Kingdom.
This year, the HKJCMDF launched the local scholarship scheme with additional funding support from the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust. Mr Leung is the first candidate to receive a scholarship under this new scheme to continue the second year of his master studies in music performance locally at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts.
Joining the ceremony were the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Fund, Dr Pang King-chee; the Executive Director, Charities and Community, the Hong Kong Jockey Club, Mr Cheung Leong; the Principal Assistant Secretary for Home Affairs, Miss Wong Yuet-wah; the Chairperson of the music audition panel, Ms Yip Wing-sie; members of the music audition panel Dr Mary Wu and Dr Sharon Choa; the Chairperson of the dance audition panel, Mr Yang Yuntao; member of the dance audition panel Dr Pearl Chan; and a few members of the Board of Trustees of the Fund.
The HKJCMDF was set up in 1980 with a $10 million donation from the Trust for the promotion and development of music and dance education and training in Hong Kong. In 1994, a further capital injection of $22 million was provided by the Trust to meet the increasing demand for support. In 2014, the total donation was increased to $49 million upon the Trust's approval of additional funding support of around $17 million for the HKJCMDF to implement a six-year pilot project which includes the launching of a local scholarship scheme and setting up of an alumni association for the scholars of the Fund. The HKJCMDF has so far (including this year) awarded 296 music and dance scholarships amounting to about $53.02 million.
Ends/Monday, June 29, 2015
Issued at HKT 15:43
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