“Majestic Drums VII – Mesmerizing Mexico” concert will be held on 22 – 23 September, at 8pm, at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall. This concert will be the opening concert of the 30^th orchestral season of HKCO.

    The EM (EAR MASSAGE) Percussion Quartet, which hails from Mexico, will be the first guest ensemble performing at the concert that marks the opening of the 30^th Orchestral Season of the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra. It will also be the star of the 7^th Majestic Drums concert of the Hong Kong Drum Festival. A winner in the International Percussion Competition Luxemburg (IPCL), the ensemble is made up of four virtuosi who have found fame not only in their native Americas but also in Europe. Their unique sounds and presentation give the audience the sensational ‘ear massage’ – the inspiration to the group’s name.

    EM is making its debut in Hong Kong with a fanfare of Latino favourites: from Descarga Latina which launched them to stardom, to Kuka Ilimoku by Christopher Rose, and Martian Tribes by Emanuel Sejourne. The local audience will be treated to the wondrous sensation that originated from the ancient Mexican culture.

    The Quartet will join two local percussion groups – Four Gig Heads and the father-and-son duo, Lung Heung-wing and Mark Lung – as well as the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra tutti, in a crossover sound bash, Let the Thunder of Drums Roll IV. The Four Gig Heads, a spirited percussion combo from Hong Kong, will give a premiere of the new work by the prolific local composer, Ng Cheuk-yin. The father-and-son Lung’s duo will interpret Water Song and Earth Dance, the abridged version of a well-honed piece, I Am from Earth, by local composer John Chen.

    Audience of “Majestic Drums VII – Mesmerizing Mexico” concert will receive a complimentary Chinese Drum to play with the Orchestra and artists on Let the Thunder of Drums Roll IV to reach the climax of the night. World premiere of World Excursions on Wings of Music - Open, Hong Kong!, the 1^st piece of Cadenza of Hong Kong by Dr Chan Ming-chi will be another highlight of the concert.

    Tickets for “Majestic Drums VII – Mesmerizing Mexico” concert are now available at all URBTIX Outlets at $220, 180, 130 and 100. Half-price tickets are offered for senior citizens, people with disabilities and full-time students. Please refer to the programme leaflet for more details on discount schemes. Enquiries: 3185 1600; Booking Hotline: 2734 9009. Internet Booking: www.urbtix.hk; HKCO website: www.hkco.org .

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Artists Biography

Yan Huichang Conductor
National Class One Conductor. As a conductor who has worked with all professional Chinese orchestras in Beijing, Shanghai, Taiwan, Singapore and Hong Kong, Yan has won the acclaim of the music circles in China and abroad for his artistic and conducting talents. Under his baton, and in collaboration with the famous composer Zhao Jiping, the Symphony Orchestra section of the China National Symphony Orchestra made the soundtrack recordings for such award-winning films as Raise the Red Lantern, Ballad of the Yellow River, and Five Girls and a Rope. Yan was awarded the “Cultural Medallion (Music)” by the National Arts Council of Singapore in September 2001. Since 2004, he has been a Visiting Professor in many music conservatories. Yan was awarded a Bronze Bauhinia Star (BBS) by the Chief Executive of HKSAR in 2004 in recognition of his remarkable achievements in Chinese music as well as his efforts in promoting Chinese music.

Ear Massage Percussion Quartet Percussion
EM Percussion Quartet specializes in the contemporary music repertoire, encompassing a wide range of styles and genres and combining elements of theatre, dance, improvisation including ethnic instruments from different parts of the world, resulting in a unique combination. The group won a Third Prize at the International Percussion Quartet Competition, Luxembourg 2005. The group is committed to working closely with composers, commissioning new pieces as well as creating its own works. EM has performed in Mexico, Holland, and Luxembourg. It opened the Taipei International Percussion Convention 2006 with the Asian premiere of Felipe Waller’s Teguala. Ear Massage is: Jose Garcia, Juan Martinez, Lester Rodriguez, Diego Espinosa.

Lung Heung-wing Percussion
Lung Heung-wing earned his doctorate from West Virginia University, USA. Lung was the Principal Percussionist at the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra for 19 years. As a renowned percussionist, he has given performances in many cities worldwide. He won the Outstanding Young Person Award presented by Hong Kong Commercial Radio and was selected as the Instrumentalist of the Year and one of the Hong Kong's Ten Outstanding Young Persons by the Hong Kong Junior Chamber. Since 1997, Lung has teamed up with his young son Mark as a father and son percussion duo. In February 2003, the duo was featured as soloists in the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra Asian and European tour. The performances won critical acclaim. In July 2002, Lung made a special musical arrangement and led ten thousand percussionists in a performance to celebrate the fifth anniversary of the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. The performance broke the new Guinness world record. Lung is the Artistic Director of the Hong Kong Percussion Centre, the first percussion school in Hong Kong.

Mark Lung Percussion
Mark Lung began learning percussion at the age of four-and-a-half. By the age of six, he was already performing in front of the then Governor of Hong Kong, Chris Patten, and by seven, he was invited by the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra to give a solo performance. He and his father, Dr. Lung Heung-wing, formed the Father and Son Percussion Duo. In 2003, he and his father toured Asia and Europe to perform percussion solo at the invitation of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra. In 2005, Mark received the ‘Young Artist Award’ presented by RTHK and the 8^th ‘Hong Kong Outstanding Student Award’ organised by the Pillar Education Foundation. He was awarded the ATCL Piano Performers’ Diploma with distinction from The Trinity College of Music, London. Previously, he has passed with distinction two examinations for performance in percussion from The Associated Board of the Royal School of Music, and already received the Dip ABRSM and LRSM in 2003 and 2004. Mark is currently studying music at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts on a full scholarship.

Four Gig Heads Percussion
The Four Gig Heads is formed by local percussionists, Ahtung, Ho Yi-on, Angus Fu and Luk Kin-Bun, all graduates of the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts trained in Chinese percussion. The group has often been invited to various types of cultural performances in Hong Kong and overseas, including performances at the arts festivals in London, the Philippines and Berlins. It was also a guest performer at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival. The group has a versatile repertoire. It ranges from gong and drum music in Chinese Peking Opera to the gong and drum music of the eastern part of Zhejiang, American Country Music, Samba, and the daliuzi of the Tujia ethnic minority group in the western part of Hunan.