Lim Kek-han leads orchestra in concert
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    Renowned conductor and violinist Lim Kek-han will lead the Hong Kong China Philharmonic Orchestra next month in a concert featuring baritone soloist Petrus Cheung and guest conductor Vincent Liauw.

    The programme will present Dvorak's "Symphony No.9 in E Minor 'From the New World' (Op.95), Rossini's Overture to "La Gazza Ladra", Xian Xinghai's "Ode to the Yellow River", Kazakh folk song "Hand in Hand", Bizet's "Votre toast, je peux vous le render" and Sibelius's "Violin Concerto in D Minor, Op.47".

    Baritone soloist Petrus Cheung Kin-wah is an outstanding vocalist in Hong Kong who was trained under the tutelage of the renowned tenor Yung Ho-do. Cheung performed in Tam Dun's "Nine Songs" at its Hong Kong premiere in 1991. With his rich and powerful voice, he has performed with many renowned orchestras and musicians with critical acclaim.

    Guest conductor Vincent Liauw was born in Beijing and moved to Hong Kong at a young age. Liauw studied violin and composition theory in Vienna. He was the assistant conductor to Chinese conductor Wang Jin and has collaborated with renowned orchestras including the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra and London Mozart player orchestra. He joined the Vienna Youth Orchestra and became principal second violinist with the Wiener Jeunesse Orchestra and Pro Arte Orchestra.

    Conductor and violinist Lim studied violin under renowned Russian violinist Ywan Federoff and Dutch master Frits Hinse, and later graduated from the Royal Academy of Music in Amsterdam. Lim was the concertmaster of the Netherlands Symphony Orchestra and the Conductor and Music Director of the Central Radio Symphony Orchestra. He founded the Lim Kek-han Philharmonic Orchestra in 1977, with himself as Music Director and Principal Conductor.

    Past performances of the Hong Kong China Philharmonic Orchestra, which was formerly the Lim Kek-han Philharmonic Orchestra, include the "Yellow River Cantata" concert and an outdoor concert performed with a 300-member choir in the Festival of Asian Arts 1982, which was recorded by the Beijing Central People's Broadcasting and Television Unit and broadcast nation-wide on mainland China.

    Presented by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, "Hong Kong China Philharmonic Orchestra Concert" will be held at 8pm on July 12 (Saturday) at the Concert Hall, Hong Kong City Hall. Tickets priced at $100, $140 and $180, are now available at URBTIX outlets. Half-price tickets are available for senior citizens aged 60 or above, people with disabilities, full-time students and Comprehensive Social Security Assistance recipients (limited tickets for CSSA recipients available on a first-come, first-served basis).

    For programme enquiries, call 2268 7321; for ticketing enquiries and reservations, call 2734 9009; for credit card telephone bookings, call 2111 5999; for Internet bookings, visit www.urbtix.hk. For more information, visit www.lcsd.gov.hk/cp.

Ends/Thursday, June 12, 2008
Issued at HKT 11:11

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