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Renowned conductor Charles Dutoit and world class pianist Martha Argerich will give a concert next month (July) in Hong Kong with the Canton International Summer Music Academy (CISMA) Orchestra.
The two great masters are both dedicated to music education. While Dutoit has always been interested in working closely with student orchestras like the Orchestra of the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia, the Juilliard Orchestra in New York, and the UBS Verbier Festival Orchestra in Switzerland, Argerich has created the International Piano Competition and Festival Martha Argerich in Buenos Aires, and the Progetto Martha Argerich in Lugano to encourage youngsters to develop their music talent.
Dutoit is one of the world's leading conductors. His energetic career has spanned the globe and mined the riches of the orchestral repertoire. Since his debut with the Philadelphia Orchestra in 1980, he has been invited each season to conduct all the major orchestras of the United States, Europe, Japan, Israel, South America and Australia. He is currently the music director of CISMA Orchestra.
Born in Argentina, Martha Argerich was considered a child prodigy and soon began performing in public. In 1957 she won the Bolzano and Geneva Piano Competitions, and in 1965 the Warsaw International Chopin Piano Competition. Since then, she has developed a career as one of the most prominent pianists in the world both in popularity and ability. Argerich is highly regarded for her performances of virtuoso piano literature from the 19th and 20th centuries. Her large repertoire includes Bach and Barok, Beethoven and Messiaen, as well as Chopin, Schumann, Liszt, Debussy, Ravel, Franck, Prokofiev, Stravinsky, Shostakovich, and Tchaikovsky.
The CISMA Orchestra is made up of 100 musicians aged between 16 and 32 from China and other countries in Asia. Each year the orchestra selects new members through auditions in a number of cities in China and the region. Under the direction of its Music Director, Charles Dutoit; its Artistic Associate and Director of the Chamber Music Faculty, Chantal Juillet; and a faculty of principal musicians from some of the world's best orchestras, the CISMA Orchestra has achieved a high standard of performance.
Programme of the Hong Kong concert includes Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 1 in C, Op. 15 and Shostakovich Symphony No. 5 in D Minor, Op. 47.
The concert will be staged at 8pm, July 27 (Thursday) at the Concert Hall, Hong Kong Cultural Centre. Tickets priced at $550, $450, $350, $250 and $150 will be available at all URBTIX outlets from June 27 (Tuesday) onwards. Patrons can purchase a maximum of 10 tickets on the first counter booking date, June 27.
Half-price concessions will be granted to senior citizens, people with disabilities, full-time students and Comprehensive Social Security Assistance recipients. (Limited tickets for Comprehensive Social Security Assistance recipients are available on a first-come, first-served basis.)
For programme enquiries, call 2268 7321; for ticketing enquiries and reservations call 2734 9009. Internet bookings are available at www.urbtix.hk. For credit card telephone bookings, call 2111 5999. Visit www.lcsd.gov.hk/cp for more information on the programme.
A pre-concert talk hosted by Professor Li Mingqiang (conducted in Putonghua) will be held at 7.30pm, July 12 (Wednesday) at AC1, Level 4, Administration Building, Hong Kong Cultural Centre. Admission is free on a first-come-first-served basis
Ends/Monday, June 26, 2006
Issued at HKT 17:15
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