ENG-1988 — Page 362

RECREATION AND THE ARTS

305

Some 30 000 visitors were received at the Academy Open Day in April, in addition to the 5 530 who visited the academy during the year, including the Duke of Gloucester and the President of Iceland, who spoke highly of the facilities provided by the academy for the training of young artists.

The academy also continued its outreach activities by offering part-time music and dance courses to professionals as well as the general public.

Music Office

The Music Office has played an active and important role in providing instrumental music training and promoting interest in music among young people in Hong Kong.

Music training classes for 4 119 young people aged from 6 to 23 were held in the eight music training centres located in various districts in the territory. Under the Instrumental Music Training Scheme, 713 classes for both Western and Chinese music were run in the year. Aural and theory training were provided to complement instrumental tuition. In addition, masterclasses and seminars were conducted by visiting overseas musicians, including Professor Michael Rosen on percussion, Christian Linderg on trombone and Ziao Hing Mei on viola. A ‘musical instruments hire scheme' was introduced in 1979. With the exception of a few expensive and bulky instruments, the Music Office provides each trainee with a musical instrument for home practice upon payment of a small monthly rental. When the total sum paid meets the purchase cost of the instrument, the instrument becomes the property of the trainee.

An integral part of the instrumental music training is orchestral and band training for trainees who have attained an acceptable standard. During the year, the Music Office managed_one youth symphony orchestra, five youth string orchestras, five youth Chinese orchestras, six youth symphonic bands, and one children's symphonic band. The office also has two instructors' orchestras - one Chinese and one Western and two choirs. Whenever possible, the groups are given the opportunity for cultural exchange with visiting musicians as well as orchestras and bands.

The Hong Kong Youth Symphony Orchestra which is made up of the best talents in the Music Office, had a successful annual concert in June, and the Hong Kong Youth Chinese Orchestra staged an impressive performance at the Young Musicians Platform in August which was organised by the Urban Council and Radio Television Hong Kong.

The Music Office organises a programme of international music exchange to foster international understanding and to widen young musicians' horizons. Such activities provide local and overseas youth music groups with the chance to rehearse and perform together and an opportunity for cultural and musical exchange. In 1988, visiting youth groups included the East Herts Youth Chamber Orchestra, Singapore Victoria Junior College Choir, Singapore Keat Hong Chinese Orchestra and Takaoka Commercial High School Band from Japan.

In July, the 70-member Hong Kong Youth Chinese Orchestra went on a concert tour of Australia. It performed at the 18th International Conference of the International Society for Music Education in Canberra, the International Chamber Ensemble Festival and at the Opera House in Sydney, as well as at the International Festival of Youth Orchestras and the World Expo 88 in Brisbane. Through the tour, the young cultural ambassadors helped bring Chinese music to an international audience.

Each summer the Music Office organises a music camp to provide intensive music training for young people over a period of two weeks. This year, the camp was again held at the Pak Tam Chung Holiday Camp run by Po Leung Kuk and some 310 young musicians