RECREATION AND THE ARTS
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his third season as principal guest conductor and was joined by the Hong Kong-born conductor, Kenneth Jean, as co-principal guest conductor.
Regular, highly successful subscription concerts were given in the City Hall Concert Hall, Tsuen Wan Town Hall and the Academic Community Hall. Pop concerts at the Queen Elizabeth Stadium and the Hong Kong Coliseum continued to attract big audiences.
Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra
The Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra is a professional orchestra formed by the Urban Council in 1977. The orchestra has been innovative in introducing new musical works by commissioning local and overseas composers to undertake compositions or arrangements. It combines Western orchestrations with the music and instruments of the East, and to encourage various styles of musical interpretations, local and overseas guest conductors are invited to appear with the orchestra. During the year, the orchestra gave 69 concerts, mainly at the City Hall, which attracted 70 650 people. The orchestra also toured schools and participated in district festivals to promote Chinese music.
Hong Kong Repertory Theatre
The Hong Kong Repertory Theatre, a professional Urban Council company, continued to gain popularity with its Cantonese productions and played to near capacity audiences at the City Hall Theatre, Recital Hall, and Ko Shan Theatre. Its 77 major performances attracted 39 200 people during the year. The company also toured schools and community centres and took part in district festivals. The company organised a Shakespeare festival in January and a drama festival in July and August.
Chung Ying Theatre Company
The Chung Ying Theatre Company is a government-subsidised professional drama com- pany presenting both English and Cantonese productions. Its main thrust is in schools. work and it has continued to promote theatre in education throughout the territory. The company also aims at developing community theatre at district level through the support of the district boards.
Hong Kong Academy of Ballet
The Hong Kong Academy of Ballet reached a milestone in its six-year history with the separation of its two components, a vocational ballet school and a professional classical ballet company. The ballet school moved into the temporary premises of the Academy for Performing Arts and will be fully intregated with the APA by 1987. The classical ballet company also moved into new premises, provided by the Royal Hong Kong Jockey Club, and during the year its presentations included Madame Butterfly and the full-length Nutcracker, both performed to live music.
Hong Kong Dance Company
Formed by the Urban Council in 1981, the Hong Kong Dance Company aims at promoting traditional Chinese dance and at presenting newly choreographed works on historical Chinese themes and contemporary Hong Kong subjects. During the year, the 32-member company gave 18 major and 32 small performances which included touring in districts, to schools and overseas. The total attendance was over 40 300. The most popular programme was the dance drama Hua Pi – Ghost Under a Beauty's Skin.