208
RECREATION AND THE ARTS
ment presents various cultural and artistic programmes of its own. During the year, about 417 000 people attended 355 performances and 38 exhibitions in the town hall. Among the performances, 215 were presented by the town hall or jointly presented with other non-profit-making cultural organisations.
Hong Kong Arts Centre
The three auditoria at the Hong Kong Arts Centre were used for more than 1 700 sessions, and its art galleries hosted nearly a hundred exhibitions during the year. Its two rehearsal rooms, art and crafts studios, music practice rooms and other areas were used for more than 6 000 separate sessions.
Since its opening in 1977, the Arts Centre has continued to grow with public support and participation. A survey during the year showed an average daily attendance of about 3 500 people.
The main event of the year was the Dow Summer School of the Arts which lasted four weeks and included a wide variety of courses, lectures, workshops and special performances, including events for children. There were some 700 sessions during the school, mostly held within the Arts Centre with lecturers and performers from Hong Kong and overseas.
Another principal event was the Asian Composers Conference and Festival. Guest composers came from the United States, Europe, China, Australasia as well as other Asian countries. A highlight of the festival was the Music Fair, a whole-day marathon during which all venues in the Arts Centre were used continously for concerts, exhibitions, demonstrations and workshops.
Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra
During 1981, the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra expanded its membership from 74 to 82 players. This marked the first step in a major five-year development plan which aims to establish the orchestra very firmly within the community as a first-class international orchestral ensemble.
Throughout the year, the orchestra's principal activity continued to be its Friday and Saturday subscription concerts at the City Hall Concert Hall which attracted average attendances of over 85 per cent. Regular series of concerts also took place at the Academic Community Hall in Kowloon and at the Tsuen Wan Town Hall. For the first time, a Philharmonic Pops Concert was presented in the Queen Elizabeth Stadium, with such a resounding success that this type of concert will become a feature of future orchestral
seasons.
The highlight of the year was the appearance with the orchestra of the world-renowned mezzo soprano, Teresa Berganza, in April. Other guest artistes included conductors Gaetano Delogu, Brian Priestman, Kenneth Schermerhorn and Varujan Kojian, and pianists Peter Frankl, Deszoe Ranki and the Russian emigre Oxana Yablonskaya.
The orchestra also performed with several local organisations, including the Hong Kong Oratorio Society, at concerts to mark its 25th anniversary in June, and two Urban Council opera productions, Don Pasquale and La Boheme.
Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra
Formed by the Urban Council in 1977, the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra has achieved significant success in combining Western orchestral works with Chinese music and traditional Chinese musical instruments. It has also introduced the works of many contemporary composers into its repertoire.