ENG-1990 — Page 372

RECREATION, SPORTS AND THE ARTS

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Regional Councils run arts venues throughout Hong Kong, so that access to culture is no longer confined to people living in the main urban areas. The two councils have also become patrons of the arts in their own right, either by funding performing groups directly, or assisting them with presentations.

The government's support to the performing arts is co-ordinated by the Secretary for Recreation and Culture, who works closely with the Council for the Performing Arts. The council, which comprises fourteen appointed and two official members, is responsible for advising the government on the development of the performing arts and the disbursement of funds on performing arts activities. It has expert committees on specific aspects of the arts, including music, drama, dance and Chinese opera, and also advises on general issues such as arts services and business sponsorship.

The need to promote business sponsorship systematically came more sharply into focus this year as it became clear that government funding for the arts could not continue to grow at its previous rate. To encourage more business sponsorship, the council introduced a matching grant scheme in April, under which arts groups receive a dollar for each dollar of business sponsorship they secure, up to a maximum of $50,000 for each project. The council also co-operated with the Urban and Regional Councils to stage a one-day conference on business sponsorship in September, at which business people and arts administrators were able to learn from local and overseas experience. As a result of private sector initiative, the Foundation of Businesses in Support of the Arts was established in the summer, with the objective of bringing together businesss and the arts to their mutual benefit. The foundation plans to promote all forms of art, organise events, lectures, and activities, help arts projects find sponsors and subsidise local and international cul- tural events.

On the advice of the Council for the Performing Arts, five performing arts organisations, the Chung Ying Theatre Company, the Hong Kong Ballet, the City Contemporary Dance Company, the Hong Kong Arts Festival and the Hong Kong Festival Fringe, received general support grants totalling about $28 million in 1990–91. In addition, about $1 million was awarded as a Seeding Grant to the Exploration Theatre and a further $5 million was awarded to other local performing arts groups as grants for individual projects.

With the council's support, government subsidies were provided for improvement works to the theatre and studios of the Hong Kong Festival Fringe, as well as to the fifth Hong Kong International Dance Conference and Festival 1990.

Performing Groups

Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra

The Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra celebrated its 15th anniversary as a fully professional body of 94 musicians and in September 1989 moved into its permanent home in the Hong Kong Cultural Centre.

The orchestra appointed the British-born conductor David Atherton as Music Director. He was assisted by Principal Guest Conductor Kenneth Jean and Resident Conductor Yip Wing-sie.

In 1990, the orchestra co-operated with many artists and performing groups. Guest conductors included Kenneth Schermerhorn, Chen Zuohuang, Tang Mu-hai, Alexander Rahbari, Jorge Mester, Peter Maag and Yoshikazu Fukumura.