RECREATION, SPORTS AND THE ARTS
Distinguished artists appearing with the orchestra included Cristina Ortiz, Alberto Lysy, Frans Helmerson, Earl Wild, Anna Queffelec, Young-Uck Kim, Angel Romero, Michael Roll and Alexander Toradze. Accompaniment was provided to the opera production Turandot, the Hong Kong Ballet and Scottish Ballet.
The orchestra continued its ambitious audience development programme. School concerts were played for some 7 200 students. Fringe activities were organised for the Friends of the Philharmonic whose membership stood at 1 400. The newsletter Upbeat appeared regularly, reporting and supporting the orchestra's activities.
Since April 1989, the Urban Council has been the sole source of public funding for the orchestra.
Hong Kong Repertory Theatre
Local audiences continued to give enthusiastic support to the Hong Kong Repertory Theatre which was established by the Urban Council in 1977. In 1990, the company staged eight new productions - five Western, two Chinese and one adaptation - in 107 performances. Including free student performances and lecture demonstrations in schools and district community centres, the company gave a total of 127 performances, attracting 5 300 patrons.
Dr Daniel S. P. Yang was appointed as the company's Artistic Director with effect from mid-June 1990.
Confucius, Jesus Christ and John Lennon of the Beatles, staged by Dr Yang at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre was the highlight of the year, and was the company's entry in the Festival of Asian Arts.
Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra
The Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra, founded in 1977 by the Urban Council, is Hong Kong's only professional Chinese music orchestra. In 1990, the 85-member orchestra gave 115 performances under the baton of different local, mainland and overseas conductors, attracting a total audience of 99 680.
Apart from regular and subscription concerts, the orchestra also provided live accom- paniment to the Hong Kong Dance Company, presented concerts in small ensembles, participated in district arts festivals and organised free outreach performances at civic centres, district community arts centres and schools.
The orchestra went on two overseas tours early in 1990. In March, it visited Tokyo and Sendai, Japan, to participate in the 1990 Asian Music Festival, winning high acclaim. In April, the orchestra visited Taiwan for the second time and gave three performances.
As one of the world's leading Chinese orchestras, it contributes greatly towards explor- ing new frontiers in music by experimenting with new techniques and styles. It continues to expand the Chinese orchestral music repertoire by commissioning local, mainland and overseas composers to undertake various new compositions and arrangements.
Hong Kong Dance Company
The Hong Kong Dance Company, founded by the Urban Council in 1981, is the only professional Chinese dance company in the territory to present traditional and Chinese folk dances and new dance dramas choreographed on Chinese and Hong Kong themes.
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