Programme

Programme and artists subject to change without prior notice

Established in 1978, the Hong Kong Youth Chinese Orchestra (HKYCO) is one of the flagship music groups trained and managed by the Music Office. With members aged 25 and below, recruitment of the HKYCO is held through open audition in April every year.

Over the past four decades, the HKYCO has performed in major events such as the Hong Kong Arts Festival, the Festival Fringe, the Hong Kong International Youth Arts Festival, and the “Music of the Dragons” concert in celebration of the 5th anniversary of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. They were invited to perform in the live broadcast “Caritas Charity TV Show” in 2014 and 2021, and the variety shows in celebration of the 66th and the 69th anniversaries of the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 2015 and 2018. These highly acclaimed performances were also joined by celebrities. The HKYCO celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2018 with the performance of a 90-member alumni orchestra, joined by renowned percussionist and Music Office alumnus Chin Kwok-wai, under the baton of Ho Man-chuen, former Music Officer of the Chinese Section of the Music Office.

The HKYCO has also played the role of music ambassador of Hong Kong and toured extensively, from neighbouring Macao to Malaysia, the UK, France, Australia, the USA, and Canada. Since 2000, the orchestra also toured to the Mainland and Taiwan. In 2000, the HKYCO visited Beijing and Xi’an on a concert performance and music exchange tour titled Tour to the Ancient Cities. In 2007, the orchestra participated in folk music festivals of Nanjing, Wuxi and Jiangyin in Jiangsu province and gave three well-received concerts in the festivals. The HKYCO made its Taiwan debut at the 2011 Contemporary Chinese Orchestra Festival in Taichung Changhua. The orchestra also performed in Shanghai and Shenyang music conservatories in 2016. In 2018, the orchestra embarked on an invited Singapore tour, in which they exchanged with local young musicians, and staged a highly acclaimed joint performance with the Singapore National Youth Chinese Orchestra.

Conductors

Tsui Ying-fai Tsui Ying-fai obtained his bachelor’s degree with first-class honor and master’s degree (Ethnomusicology – Chinese Music) in the Chinese University of Hong Kong and has studied ethnomusicology in the University of Pittsburgh, USA. Tsui has been active in the field of Chinese music as a conductor. Since 2000, he led the Hong Kong Youth Chinese Orchestra to perform in Beijing and Xi’an, Jiangsu, Shanghai, Shenyang and Taiwan; and the Hong Kong Youth Chinese Plucked String Orchestra to perform in the Aberdeen International Youth Festival in Scotland, UK in 2005. Besides his official conducting duties in the Music Office, Tsui also conducted in concerts of numerous local Chinese orchestras and was invited to conduct in the Taipei Youth Chinese Orchestra Concert in Taipei. He was also invited to serve on the adjudicating panel of the National Chinese Orchestral Contests in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, the Chinese orchestra contest of the Singapore Youth Festival and dizi contest of the Macao Young Musicians Competition. Tsui has also worked as a tutor and research staff of the Music Department of the Chinese University of Hong Kong and has taught at the Music Department and the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts. He published articles on Chinese instrumental music in publications, by the former Hong Kong Provisional Urban Council and the Education and Manpower Bureau, and in music academic journals in the US and the well-known Garland Encyclopedia of World Music. Tsui is currently the Senior Music Officer of the Chinese Music Section of the Music Office and conductor of Hong Kong Youth Chinese Orchestra, Music Office Instructors’ Chinese Orchestra and Music Office Junior Chinese Orchestra.
Kwok Kin-ming Kwok Kin-ming obtained the Master of Music degree with distinction from the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, majoring in Chinese orchestras conducting, under the tutelage of Yan Huichang. Kwok was the second runner-up and awarded Outstanding Young Conductor in the Hong Kong International Conducting Competition for Chinese Music in 2011. As a conductor, Kwok has been invited as guest conductor by many orchestras. In 2013 and 2018, he was invited as conductor at the concerts of the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra. Kwok was invited to conduct the concert of Jilin Chinese Orchestra in Changchun in 2015 and the joint concert of Shanghai Feiyun Chinese Orchestra and Wang Kwong Chinese Orchestra in Shanghai in 2016. He was invited by the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts to conduct the concert of Academy Chinese orchestra in 2017. In 2019, he was invited to conduct the Macao Chinese Orchestra in Macao. Kwok led the Hong Kong Youth Chinese Plucked String Orchestra to participate in the Aberdeen International Youth Festival in Scotland, UK for cultural exchange in 2005 and the Hong Kong Youth Chinese Orchestra for the premiere music tour to Taiwan and participated in the Contemporary Chinese Orchestra Festival in 2011. In 2016, he led the Hong Kong Youth Chinese Orchestra to tour in Shanghai and Shenyang, where the orchestra jointly performed with the Chinese Orchestra of Shenyang Conservatory of Music. In 2018, he led the Hong Kong Youth Chinese Orchestra to tour in Singapore. Kwok is currently the Music Officer of the Chinese Music Section of the Music Office, supervising the Chinese instrumental training and conducting the Hong Kong Youth Chinese Orchestra and Music Office Children’s Chinese Orchestra.

Tickets: $95 $75 $55

Tickets are available at URBTIX from 9 December
Half-price tickets are available for full-time students, senior citizens aged 60 or above, people with disabilities and the minder, Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) recipients
For ages 6 or above

Ticketing Enquiries: 3761 6661
Credit Card Booking: 2111 5999
Internet Booking: www.urbtix.hk
Programme Enquiries: 2796 7523/ 3842 7784