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The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in London, together with the Arts Development Fund of Home Affairs Bureau, are pleased to sponsor the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra (HKCO), in its first major tour of the UK as a complete 85 piece orchestra.
The HKCO tour started today (March 14, UK time) with a concert at the Royal Festival Hall in London, followed by The Bridgewater Hall in Manchester (March 15), the Town Hall, Birmingham (March 17) and finishes at The Sage in Gateshead (March 18).
As part of the tour, the Orchestra also presented a lecture-demonstration on Chinese music to students and music teachers at the School Of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, on Wednesday (March 12).
The objective of the tour is to highlight the fascinating and vibrant cultural and musical heritage of Hong Kong to audiences in the UK. The Orchestra's repertoire for the tour is a mixture of traditional and contemporary pieces chosen to represent different ethnic flavours from different areas of China.
It includes modern classics such as Tracing our roots with the Old Pagoda Tree by Zhao Jiping, the composer of the film score of the award-winning movie Raise the Red Lantern, A Thousand Brushstrokes for pipa and orchestra by Hong Kong composer, Law Wing-fai, a pipa solo performed by the renowned pipa virtuoso, Wong Chi-ching, and Terracotta Warriors Fantasia by Maestro Peng Xiuwen.
Miss Sarah Wu, Director General of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, said,"We are proud to sponsor this tour of the UK by the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra. Since it was established in 1997, the HKCO has been unmatched as a cultural and goodwill envoy for Hong Kong, showcasing our vibrancy, cultural diversity and achievements. These talented musicians have given performances all over the world, bringing the magic and mystique of Chinese classic and contemporary music to new audiences. I hope that this tour will enable them to reach out to make new friends and reach out to new audiences in the UK."
Ends/Saturday, March 15, 2008
Issued at HKT 01:38
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