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The Shanghai Jazz Orchestra will bring Chinese jazz music to Hong Kong next month.
"Passion for Shanghai Concert - A Nite of Chinese Jazz Music", presented by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, will be staged on September 2, 3 and 4 (Thursday, Friday and Saturday) at 8pm at the Auditorium of the Sha Tin Town Hall; the Auditorium of the Kwai Tsing Theatre and the Auditorium of the Tuen Mun Town Hall respectively.
During the concert, the orchestra will perform many popular jazz oldies. The programme includes "Rose Rose I Love You", "Shanghai in the Night", "La Nuit", "The Wandering Songstress", "Shangri-la", "When Will You Return?", "Love Through Thick and Thin". "Everlasting Smile", "Beautiful Flowers and the Full Moon", "The Merry Widow Waltz", "Give Me a Kiss", "Three Years", "New York, New York", "Heaven on Earth" and "American Patrol".
The Shanghai Jazz Orchestra, led by Artistic Director Zheng Deren, is made up of members from the Shanghai Light Music Ensemble and professional jazz performers in major hotels and nightclubs in Shanghai, including the Paramount Ballroom, the Shanghai Hotel, the Grand Hyatt Hotel, the Pudong Shangri-La Hotel, and the Shanghai Jinjiang Hotel. They specialise in their respective fields including drums, electric guitar, keyboards, saxophone, trombone, trumpet.
The members also have appeared with different performing groups in concerts and exchange activities held in various countries and major cities of the world and received unanimous recognition and acclaim. Vocalist Yang Lan is an experienced singer blessed with a sweet angelic voice, which has won her the appellations "The Golden Voice of Shanghai" and "Little Zhou Xuan", while Yang Shanting, renowned for her magnetic voice, is a remarkable singer of jazz classics and an excellent performer in competitions.
Tickets priced at $160, $120 and $80 for Shatin Town Hall and Kwai Tsing Theatre and $140, $100 and $60 for Tuen Mun Town Hall are available at URBTIX outlets. Half-price tickets are available for senior citizens, people with disabilities, full-time students and Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) recipients (limited tickets for students and CSSA recipients available on a first-come, first-served basis). For purchases of full-price tickets, the following discounts apply: 4-9 tickets, 10%; 10-19 tickets, 15%; 20 tickets or more, 20%. A 10% discount is offered to Friends of LCSD performing venues.
Box Seats and Lounge Packages are available for private gatherings at Shatin Town Hall and Tuen Mun Town Hall. For details, call 2268 7238.
In addition, a pre-concert talk (in Putonghua) will be held on September 1 (Wednesday) at 7.30pm at the GR1, 6/F of the Grand Theatre Backstage, Hong Kong Cultural Centre. Zheng Deren, Artistic Director of the Shanghai Jazz Orchestra, will speak about "The Development of Jazz Music in China". Free admission voucher will be available from August 14 onwards at the Enquiry Counters of Hong Kong Cultural Centre, Shatin Town Hall, Kwai Tsing Theatre and Tuen Mun Town Hall on a first-come, first-served basis.
For programme enquiries, call 2268 7321, and for ticketing enquiries and reservations, call 2734 9009. For Internet bookings, go to www.urbtix.gov.hk. For credit card telephone bookings, call 2111 5999. Visit www.lcsd.gov.hk/cp for more information on the programme.
Ends/Monday, August 2, 2004
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