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Press Release
2006-02-26 METAMORPHOSES - CONCERT SPONSORED BY
Founded in 2005, the Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation is dedicated to fostering and promoting arts and culture for the benefit of Chinese people. The Foundation aims to become a significant supporter of the arts, and particularly education in the arts, in Hong Kong and China. Its secondary purpose is to bring a greater understanding of Chinese arts and culture to the rest of the world. It focuses on innovative programs that offer multiple and long lasting benefits to their participants and to the community. In the year of its inauguration, the Foundation established The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Scholarships for Outstanding Merit for music students entering the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts. On 26 February 2006, the Foundation, in co-operation with the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra (HKPO), held a concert which brought together seasoned professionals from the HKPO and budding talent from the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (HKAPA). The event was appropriately titled "Metamorphoses" and for two hours Academy students performed alongside experienced musicians and interpreted the works of Hindemith's Symphonic Metamorphosis of Themes by Carl Maria von Weber, Elgar's Cello Concerto in E minor and Beethoven's Symphony No. 5. HKAPA alumna Colleen Lee and violinist Li Chuanyun also joined HKPO Principal players in a special performance of the Fourth Movement from Schubert's Piano Quintet in A Major 'The Trout'. Both Mr. Kevin Thompson, Director of the HKAPA and Mr. Edward Ho Sing Tin, SBS, OBE, JP, Chairman of the General Committee of the HKPO expressed their appreciation of the Foundation’s continuous and unstinting support for the development of arts education in the Hong Kong SAR. Mr. Robert H.N. Ho, founder of the Robert H.N. Ho Family Foundation, said during the cocktail reception before the concert, “Today’s concert is a very special one, because through this event we hope to attract more world class musicians to Hong Kong. If we can achieve this goal, our young talent will be able to learn from the best performers in the world and Hong Kong will one day become a global centre of musical performance. “Tonight we have the privilege of coming together to appreciate some of the finest pieces of music ever written. This will create a sense of harmony and well being among us. Confucius once said, ‘music is best appreciated in a group of friends’. The Bard once also wrote ‘if music be the food of love, play on.’ The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation will certainly play on into the future for the benefit of all art lovers.” Among the Foundation’s other activities are a joint performance by the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra and Miss Rachel Cheung in a concert titled “A Rising Star - Rachel Cheung”. It also organized a photographic project called Through Our Eyes: A Photographic View of Hong Kong by its Youth. To further develop music education and raise the standards of the musical profession, the Robert H.N. Ho Family Foundation has launched a new project called The Robert H.N. Ho Family Foundation Orchestral Fellowship - in association with the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra. Exclusive relationships have been formed with the Central and Shanghai Music Conservatories, as well as the HKAPA. Up to ten graduates from these leading institutions will join the HKPO in a one year programme to experience professional orchestral performance first hand with the musicians of HKPO. They will perform in major concerts under the direction of Maestro Edo de Waart, Artistic Director and Chief Conductor of HKPO and guest conductors of world renown. When not performing they will hone their skills in repertoire preparation, chamber music and audition preparation under the mentorship of the string principals of HKPO. It is believed that the Maestros’ inspirational conducting and the experience of being part of a top class orchestra will be of great value to the young musicians, not only during their formative times but also for the development of their future careers. Mr. Yang Li Qing, President of Shanghai Conservatory of Music and also Mr. Xu Chang Jun, Vice President of Central Conservatory of Music, Beijing are both in the Hong Kong SAR to work with members of the Foundation in mapping out the details of this ground breaking scheme.
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