The Hong Kong Festival Orchestra (HKFO) is one of the biggest youth orchestra and choir organisations in

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...

History

Founded in 2009 by Sean Li, HKFO is now one of the largest youth orchestra groups in Hong Kong with over 300 instrumentalists and choristers and five conductors of different backgrounds and experiences. HKFO was initially established in response to the boom of musical education in Hong Kong that began in the 1980s. With the staggering increase of Hong-Kong-born young musical professionals and semi-professionals educated locally and internationally returning to their home city of Hong Kong by the 2000s, the orchestra was set up as a platform where young musical professionals can build their careers, reconnect with their common past, share and learn from one another in a friendly and rewarding atmosphere.

Membership

While HKFO does not have an official age restriction, the average age of its members range from 13 to 30 years of age, chosen through highly competitive annual auditions held locally and online. Prospective members may apply for membership as an instrumentalist, chorister or intern.

Organisation's vision

HKFO positions itself differently from conventional orchestras in the region in that the orchestra focuses heavily on conversion of non-classical-music-listeners to classical-music-listeners. Apart from giving conventional performances, the orchestra also engages in audience-interacting activities and cross-media performances, ranging from drama, comedy, popular music and other art forms. In 2013, HKFO hosted the largest choral-orchestral flash mob in Hong Kong. The orchestra regularly collaborates with internationally and locally renowned artists, including in the past, conductor Vassily Sinaisky, cellists Jian Wang and

Trey Lee Trey Lee (Chinese:李垂誼; pinyin: Chui-yee Lee) is a Hong Kong-born cellist based in Berlin, Germany. A laureate of major international competitions, he appears as a featured soloist with orchestras and festivals all over the world. He is also ...

, pianists

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Aristo Sham Aristo Sham () (born 12 March 1996) is a pianist born in Hong Kong. He has won numerous prizes and awards in Hong Kong and overseas, and has performed in several countries. He has been featured in the Channel 4 programme, The World's Greatest Musi ...

, Kajeng Wong, Dr. Helen Cha, Dr. Mary Wu and Rachel Cheung; violinist Leung Kin Fung; saxophonist Timothy Sun; violist Born Lau; popular singer

George Lam George Lam Tsz-Cheung (born 12 October 1947), also known professionally by his surname Lam, is a Hong Kong-based veteran Cantopop singer, singer-songwriter, music producer and actor, with a career that has so far lasted more than four decades. Lam ...

,"文化快訊：貝九﹒以後." RTHK. 2013. http://app3.rthk.org.hk/cultureweb/details.php?id=834 and comedian Jim Chim. The orchestra mainly gives its annual performances in the summer in various venues including the

Hong Kong Cultural Centre The Hong Kong Cultural Centre () is a multipurpose performance facility in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong. Located at Salisbury Road, it was built by the former Urban Council and, since 2000, has been administered by the Leisure and Cultural Servi ...

Concert Hall and the Hong Kong City Hall Concert Hall.

References

{{authority control Hong Kong orchestras Youth orchestras Youth organisations based in Hong Kong

History

Membership

Organisation's vision

See also

References