| CITY RHYTHM is the newsletter of the CITY CHAMBER ORCHESTRA of Hong Kong (CCOHK) sent to Friends of the orchestra. ***************************************************************** Dear Friends of the CCOHK, Contents of This Issue A. Coming Events B. Spotlight C. Sounding Board D. Director's Notes E. Artist Scoop F. Music Amuses G. CD Corner H. Quiz
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ A. Coming Events Tickets available at URBTIX $ 180 $ 120 $ 80 10% discount for Friends of LCSD performing venues @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ B. Spotlight Interview with Ms. Lily Koh, first violinist of the CCOHK. Where are you from and how long have you been in Hong Kong? What brought you to Hong Kong? What do you enjoy most about playing in the CCOHK? Which CCOHK guest artist has made the biggest impression on you? What CCOHK concert has been the most memorable for you? Why did you choose to play the violin? Name one of the most important milestones in your music career. What message do you have for our friends? @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ C. Sounding Board Friends who attend our concerts and are successful in having their comments published will win TWO FREE TICKETS to one of our future concerts. In this issue we are pleased to share with you COMMENTS FROM OUR AUDIENCE MEMBERS who attended our "A Spanish Fiesta" concert on 21 March 2005. Here are comments from some of the audience members: A well-arranged and excellent performance! I was amazed by the superb quality of the orchestra and regard each member of the orchestra a great soloist. Bravo! The programme was lively and dynamic and offered a lot of variety. Coupled with enjoyable music from the guitar and mezzo-soprano, the performance succeeded in expressing the spirit of the composers. When performing, the whole orchestra was so engaged in their playing. The musicians were always in excellent rapport with the conductor. The programme was well-designed. Congratulations to these six friends, who have each won TWO FREE TICKETS to one of our future concerts. We will be in touch with you soon! @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ D. Director's Notes Dear Friends, It is hard to believe that we are already coming to the end of our 2004/2005 season! Perhaps that is because we have packed in a lot this year: we are now a company on a non-profit basis named "City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong Limited"! This change was set in motion when the orchestra received the One-Year Grant from the Hong Kong Arts Development Council (HKADC). Parallel to this has been the formation of the orchestra's FIRST Board of Directors. I am delighted to announce our Board members as follows: Mr. Bryan Carter (Chairman), Executive Vice President, COUTTS Bank Professor Felice Lieh Mak, CBE, MD, LAH, FRCPsych, FRANZCP, FHKAM (Psych), FAPA, JP, Honorary Clinical Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Hong Kong, Chairman of the Medical Council of Hong Kong and Chairman of the English Schools Foundation Mr. Martin Munz, Senior Legal & Compliance Information Officer in the Corporate Affairs Department at the Australia Council for the Arts Dr. Michael Ryan, Co-ordinator of postgraduate studies in music at the Hong Kong Baptist University Mr. Suberna Shringla, Partner of Orion Associates (Media Investment Bank) A big "Thank You" to all our Board members who are supporting the CCOHK in a most important way! Funding support from the HKADC has made it possible for the orchestra to expand its repertoire this season and to continue to produce several "out of the ordinary" programmes. Highlights for the orchestra have included Rautavaara's "Concerto for birds and orchestra" (a Hong Kong premiere), De Falla's "El amor brujo" plus a rare opportunity to play harmonica concertos with some of the world's top harmonica players at the 2004 Asia Pacific Harmonica Festival. More recently, in March 2005 we had the opportunity to perform the well-loved Rodrigo concerto with the outstanding Chinese guitarist Xue-fei Yang, a performance which was filmed on Spanish Television. Coming up on the 19th of June will be the culmination of two years' work when we stage the Asian premiere of Howard Blake's "Granpa", a concert musical based on the children's book by John Burningham and the original TVC film soundtrack recorded by Peter Ustinov with Sarah Brightman singing the "Make Believe Song". The possibility of doing "Granpa" came to my mind after our tremendously successful performance of Howard Blake's "The Snowman" and "The Bear" in 2003 with guest conductor Anthony Inglis. I guess the subject matter struck a special chord with me personally as I lived with my grandfather for many years before moving out to Hong Kong, and those memories will always be very dear to me. The music in "Granpa" is typical Howard Blake - immediately appealing and which speaks to the heart. As for the story, I would have to say that is not really a story at all but rather a simple reminder of the importance of the young and old spending time together. This aspect makes it something to be cherished at any time of the year. That said, we have programmed it especially for Father's Day with the popular local actor / singer Joe Junior performing the role of Granpa. Competition was stiff for the solo girl-soprano parts who were selected through two rounds of open auditions. Congratulations go to ten-year-old Dorothy Tang from the German-Swiss International School (who sings the part of young Emily) and fifteen-year-old Valerie Chan from Marymount School (who sings the beautiful "Make Believe Song"). The Diocesan Girls' Junior School Choir, trained by Mrs. Christina Chiang, will also be prominently featured. On the same programme is "The Bear" with its charming theme-song "Somewhere a Star Shines for Everyone", sung in this performance by twelve-year-old Michelle Cheung from Diocesan Girls' Junior School with Jim Chim as the story-teller. "The Bear" is all about a girl named Tilly who strikes up a magical friendship with a polar bear. Children will love the story coupled with Howard Blake's glorious music. My elder son is only two and is totally captivated by "The Bear", so much so that he wants to listen to it all the time! Thanks to the genius of Howard Blake, I never tire of listening to the music too!! We are thus very excited to learn that Howard Blake himself will be coming to Hong Kong to attend the performance!! Expect great music and a wonderful day out for the WHOLE family, but make sure you book your tickets early. Our previous programme of "The Snowman" and "The Bear" was a sell-out!! I look forward to seeing you on the 19th of June! Leanne Nicholls Founder & Artistic Director City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong Limited Editor's Note: Congratulations to Leanne Nicholls on the birth of her second son Harry just prior to Christmas - and only a few months before our "A Spanish Fiesta" concert! @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ E. Artist Scoop Howard Blake grew up in Brighton and won a piano scholarship at the age of eighteen to the Royal Academy of Music, where he also studied composition. He has written numerous film scores, including "The Duellists" with Ridley Scott, which gained the Special Jury Award at the Cannes Festival; "A Month in the Country" with Kenneth Branagh, which gained him the British Film Institute Anthony Asquith Award for musical excellence; and "The Snowman", an animated film for children composed in 1982 and nominated for an Oscar, which won the British Academy Award for Best Children's Film and many other prizes. The CBS Masterworks album of "The Snowman" gained him a platinum album whilst the concert version for narrator and orchestra is a Christmas classic performed worldwide. Howard Blake has composed many concert works, including a piano concerto commissioned by the Philharmonia for a performance on Princess Diana's birthday in 1991 at the Royal Festival Hall in which he also featured as soloist, a violin concerto for the City of Leeds in 1993 and "Benedictus", a large-scale choral and orchestral work championed by Sir David Willcocks and the London Bach Choir in 2003. In conjunction with the same producers of "The Snowman", Howard Blake has also written the music for two other animated films, "Granpa" (1988) and "The Bear" (1997) which are frequently broadcast on TV and are popular in concerts. His latest CD release is "Lifecycle", piano music of imagination and reflection which was recorded in 2004 by the brilliant young Chinese pianist William Chen under his supervision in the Eugene Goossens Hall in Sydney. In 1994 Howard Blake received the OBE for his services to music. Don't miss a performance of TWO of Howard Blake's masterpieces at the CCOHK's upcoming GRANPA & THE BEAR concert! @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ F. Music Amuses Did you know that Howard Blake, the composer of "Granpa" and "The Bear", wrote a piano concerto for Princess Diana? It is not widely known that Princess Diana's grandmother - Ruth, Lady Fermoy - was a notable pianist and that the Princess knew the classical repertoire and played the piano herself. In 1989, after attending a concert given by the Philharmonia Orchestra of which she was the patron, the Princess lamented that British composers no longer wrote music for the royal family. "What would you like?" asked Rodney Stewart, the orchestra's then chairman. "A piano concerto," she replied. Subsequently the Philharmonia Orchestra commissioned Howard Blake to write a piano concerto to celebrate the thirtieth birthday of the Princess. The premiere was given in her presence at the Royal Festival Hall in 1991 with the composer as soloist. Howard Blake will make a special trip to Hong Kong to attend the CCOHK's upcoming GRANPA & THE BEAR concert. Be sure not to miss it! @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ G. CD Corner The CD version of Howard Blake's "The Bear" is currently unavailable. What is highly recommended is the original film of "The Bear" available on video as follows: Title : The Bear Composer : Howard Blake Catalogue Number: CC9136 Release Date : 1998 It is available at Amazon.co.uk. The video also features the making of the film as well as Charlotte Church, aged twelve, recording the song "Somewhere a Star Shines for Everyone" in the studio. The animated film, which is wordless, together with its fabulous soundtrack is suitable for children aged two and above. In fact the whole family will love it! @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ H. Quiz Answer the quiz and win a FREE CD! Question 1 Question 2 (For answers to these questions please check our website: http://www.ccohk.com ) The first TWO persons to submit the correct answers to all the questions together with his/her name, telephone number and postal address will win a FREE CD entitled "Classical Guitar" by guitarist Xue-fei Yang, the soloist featured in the CCOHK's "A Spanish Fiesta" concert on 21 March 2005. @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ We hope you have enjoyed this newsletter. Do feel free to forward this newsletter to others so that they can join in the fun and win free concert tickets too! The editor of CITY RHYTHM is Mary Anne Pun. If you have any questions, please e-mail her at maryanne@ccohk.com @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ |
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