ENG-2009 — Page 456

380 Recreation, Sport and the Arts

Under the leadership of its Artistic Director and Principal Conductor Yan Huichang, in 2009 the orchestra organised a large scale event, the 2nd 'Huqin Festival of Hong Kong', which brought together famous huqin players for a series of concert to showcase the beauty of the music produced by huqin, the Chinese two- string lute. The orchestra was also invited to perform at Carnegie Hall in New York in October, receiving excellent reviews.

Hong Kong Dance Company

Established in 1981 with the aim of promoting Chinese dance, the Hong Kong Dance Company was formally incorporated in April 2001

incorporated in April 2001 as a charitable and non-profit-making institution. Since its inception, it has staged over 100 productions.

During 2009, the company staged 37 performances, attracting a total audience of more than 22 000. The productions included a re-run of Qingming Riverside, Princess Changping, Everlasting Love, Lingnan Impressions and Eagle Companions. The company gave six performances in Macao at the invitation of the Education and Youth Affairs Bureau of the Macao Special Administrative Region. It also gave two performances and a series of dance activities in Tsuen Wan as a venue partner of Tsuen Wan Town Hall.

Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra

Under the leadership of its Artistic Director and Chief Conductor Edo de Waart, the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra continued to scale new heights in musical excellence. Each year it attracts some 200 000 music lovers to about 150 performances. In addition to its concerts in Hong Kong in January, the 90-strong ensemble undertook a major six-concert tour of China, including performances at the Xinghai Concert Hall in Guangzhou, the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing and the Shanghai Grand Theatre. It also collaborated with major artists including conductors Gennadi Rozhdestvensky and David Zinman, soprano Deborah Voigt, pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet and violinist Viktoria Mullova. The orchestra also ran a comprehensive education programme that benefited over 45 000 students.

Hong Kong Repertory Theatre

The Hong Kong Repertory Theatre staged 12 productions in 2009. Highlights included Caligula by Albert Camus, Stan Lai's new poetic production Writing in Water, the classic French farce A Flea in Her Ear by Feydeau, Shakespeare's Richard III, Raymond To's Boundless Movement, the Broadway musical SCROOGE and the original plays Beautiful Connection by Cheung Tat-ming and Bun in the Cave by Paul Poon. In addition, The Gin Game by D L Coburn was taken on tour to Beijing, Shanghai, Xian, Wuhan and Shenzhen in November and December.

The company continued its commitment to drama education and audience building with an extensive range of educational, community and outreach activities. Its partnership with Hong Kong City Hall provided the public with some new theatrical experiences through free performances of Caligula Overture, Silk Road Reborn An Exploratory Journey exhibitions, and the monthly script-reading

Reader's Theatre.