“A Tribute to Ng Tai-kong” concert will be held on 13 – 14 October, at 8pm, at the Hong Kong City Hall Concert Hall.

    It is an almost indisputable fact that the premier position the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra enjoys in world music today owes a large part to the firm foundation laid by its founding director, Ng Tai-kong (13.11.1943—4.9.2001), during the first eight years of its professional life (1977-1985). Ng led the Orchestra with acumen, vision and an enterprising spirit. It is therefore befitting that on the occasion of its 30th Anniversary, the HKCO pays tribute to Ng in a memorial concert under the baton of its current Artistic Director, Yan Huichang.

    Ng was a genius in music, with a legendary life to match. He was a visionary in music composition, and an inspiring source for many music-makers. This concert highlights his famous compositions such as the magnificent Overture to Romance of the Eastern Sea, a dance drama performed by the Hong Kong Dance Company in 1981; and two works written in the 1980’s in Taiwan - Nuoduoer Riverside, an arrangement for three zhengs and Korean percussion based on the Korean kayageum piece of the same name, and a zheng concerto Seven Fairies in 1987. The HKCO has invited Ng’s widow, the famous zheng recitalist, Shui Wan-kwan, to perform as soloist in this concert.

    The programme also features some of his best works written during his tenure in Hong Kong, such as the glorious Chance Encounter (1981) and Eighteen Variations on a Hu Pipe Melody(1983). Chance Encounter was among the first fifteen works selected for performance at the UNESCO’s International Rostrum of Composers held in Paris in 1982. Eighteen Variations on a Hu Pipe Melody was inspired by the ancient qin song of the same title.

    World premiere of The Tiny Shan Pui River, the 2^nd piece of Cadenza of Hong Kong by Dr Joshua Chan will be another highlight of the concert.

    Tickets for “A Tribute to Ng Tai-kong” concert are now available at all URBTIX Outlets at $220, 150 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.

Shui Wan-kwan Zheng
Shui Wan-kwan was born into a family of musicians in Shanghai, and started learning the pipa and zheng at a young age. She was a former musician with the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra playing the two instruments. She was an instant sensation when she performed Du Shiniang, a pingtan (narrative singing) piece, at the Shanghai Concert Hall in 1982. Shui is an active figure on the music scene of Hong Kong, Taiwan and mainland China, being often invited to perform in orchestral concerts. She has also given zheng solo recitals. Her discography includes CD recordings of The Enchanting Water-logged Land and Zither Forever. She founded the Shanghai Dunhuang Musical Instruments Co. Ltd. in Taipei in 1995 as a distributor of the Shanghai Dunhuang brands of instruments in Taiwan, and the Taipei Dunhuang Zither Musical Band. At the same time, she has been working in music education. She has been assistant professor of the Department of Chinese Music of Tainan National University of the Arts from 2004.

Liu Fangying Vocalist
A star ascendant on the Chinese music scene, Liu Fangying currently teaches at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. She was born into a family of Chinese opera artists, and entered the Shanghai Conservatory of Music to study Vocal Music in 1991. After graduation, she was a soloist with the Shanghai National Music Orchestra. Liu has appeared in many MTV productions, and won awards and critical acclaim in national vocal music competitions. She has collaborated with the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra on two occasions, singing Eighteen Variations on a Hu Pipe Melody in 1998 and 2000. This will be the third time she performs the piece with the Orchestra. Liu has a highly expressive voice that is lyrical and captivating. Her career spans the theatre, the concert stage and the classroom, thus bolstering her experience and professional acumen in singing and teaching.

Hung Ya-ling Zheng
Hung Ya-Ling graduated from the Department of Chinese Music, National Taiwan University of Arts. She was exposed to her mother’s influence and became very fond of music at a young age. She is currently studying at the Graduate Institute of Ethnomusicology of the Tainan National University of the Arts, at the same time teaching music at the Jhanghe Junior High School and performing as a member of the Taipei Dunhuang Zither Musical Band. A dedicated artist in zheng music, Hung has been constantly striving to enhance her professional performance. Apart from sharing the stage with various dizi virtuosi, she is also in demand for touring performances. She has cut a solo album entitled Seven Fairies with the Shanghai National Music Orchestra. In playing the zheng, Hung demonstrates poignancy in sound, lyrical tone colour, and sensitivity in expressions. She is therefore considered a young zheng recitalist with sophisticated performing skills.

Luo Jing Zheng
Luo Jing started to play zheng at ten. She entered the Department of Folk Music of the Shanghai Conservatory of Music in 1992, graduating with distinction in 1995, one year ahead of the full term. She joined the Shanghai National Music Orchestra in the same year as zheng soloist. She has been a member of the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra since 2002. In 2003, she started teaching in the Music Department of The Chinese University of Hong Kong. Trained by virtuosi throughout her studies. By incorporating the different styles of the traditional zheng schools, Luo is able to come into her own - a tranquil, relaxed and refreshing artistic style.