Hong Kong Youth Symphony Orchestra to visit Sydney for musical exchange

 

The Hong Kong Youth Symphony Orchestra of the Music Office visited Australia from 4 to 11 July 2019 to participate in the 2019 Australian International Music Festival in Sydney, meeting young musicians from all over the world.

 

The Orchestra took 69 members on tour, which was led by the Chief Music Officer, Mr James Leung, together with six accompanying staff. The delegation performed in four festival concerts, including at Angel Place on 4 July, the Sydney Opera House on 6 July, Darling Harbour on 7 July, and the Concourse in Chatswood. Highlights included ‘Symphony No. 2’ by Brahms; ‘Symphonic Dances’ by Rachmaninoff; ‘L'Arlésienne Suites No. 1 & No. 2’ by Bizet; and ‘Slavonic March’ by Tchaikovsky, which gave a taste of Russian music; famous Chinese folk 'Jasmine' arranged by Li Wen-ping; 'Good News from Beijing Reaches the Frontier' by Zhenglu and Ma Hong-ye, which describes the fun and joy of the ethnic minorities in China. For details, please refer to the tour pamphlet and photos taken.

 

Since its establishment in 1978, the Orchestra has played the role of music ambassador for Hong Kong and completed successful concert tours to France, Israel, Cyprus, the UK, Australia, the USA, Singapore and the cities in China. The Orchestra went on a concert tour to Shanghai, China in 2010 to perform at the Hong Kong Week of Shanghai Expo. In 2015, the Orchestra participated in the International Music Festival EURASIA in Yekaterinburg, Russia. In 2017, the Orchestra participated and performed in a series of concerts and cultural exchange activities in Daqing and Harbin, China.