Dragon Boat Festival Celebrations

The annual Dragon Boat Festival and the praises sung for the ancient poet Qu Yuan have become an important part of the cultural activities of the Chinese, or what is referred to as the “Dragon Culture”.
Tong Kin-woon, Hong Kong music circle's talent extraordinaire and self-styled miscellanist, will join forces with fellow musicians Leung Hon-wai in a performance of his new work, Qu Yuan and King Huai of Chu. The accompaniment will be provided by Au Kwan-cheung on the xiao, Ng Wing-mui on the qinqin, and Cheung Kwok-hung on the yehu. At the same concert there will be a performance of other works related to the Dragon Boat Festival such as Li Sao on the seven-string guqin , and the orchestral works The Dragon Boat Race and The Dragon Boat Melody.

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The Street-singer's Song / Nanyin Singing / Guqin - Tong Kin-woon

Nanyin Qu Yuan Lyrics by Tong Kin-woon

¡@Guqin Solo Li Sao The Fabulous Unknown Scores

Cantonese Operatic Aria Singing - Leung Hon-wai
with Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra

Qu Yuan, the Faithful Minister Who Drowned Himself

Performed by the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra

¡@The Dragon Boat Race He Liutang Arr. by Peng Xiuwen
¡@Beautiful Clouds Chasing the Moon Traditional Melody Arr. by Law Wai-lun

¡@In Celebration of Good Times Cantonese Music Arr. by Peng Xiuwen

¡@The Dragon Boat Festival Wu Hua (World Premiere)
¡@One of the entries to the 21st Century International Competition for Chinese Orchestral Composition

The Little Red Peach Traditional Melody Arr. by Li Shek-um

¡@Pacing Horses in the Countryside in Spring
Chen Deju Arr. by Li Zhuxin

Lo Wai-leung and the HKCO Cantonese Music Group

¡@Young Love

¡@Flowing Water and Racing Clouds

Conductor : Yan Huichang

• Yan was conferred the title of National Class One Conductor at the First Professional Appraisal of China in 1987. He was appointed Music Director of the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra in June 1997. Yan was awarded the 'Cultural Medallion (Music)' by the National Arts Council of Singapore in September 2001.
• In collaboration with renowned directors Zhang Yimou, Teng Wenji, the famous composer Zhao Jiping and the Symphony Orchestra section of the Central Philharmonic Orchestra of China, Yan had made soundtrack recordings for such award winning films as Raise the Red Lantern, Ballad of Yellow River, and Five Girls and a Rope.
• Yan is actively engaged in composition. His representative works include the symphonic poem The Sound of Water which won a Class One Prize in the Composition Contest of the Shanghai Conservatory of Music and Class Two Prize in the Third National Music Composition Competition; and the pipa solo work Nostalgia which won a Class One Award at the First National Pipa Contest of Contributing Works.
• The symphonic piece, Buddha's Story, and A Collection of Modern Erhu Music conducted by him won the Gold Tripod Award in Taiwan.
  

Nanyin/Guzheng/Guqin :
Tong Kin-woon

• Famous local artist in dishui nanyin (ballad singing in the Cantonese dialect) and Cantonese operatic tunes, guqin player and musicologist in Chinese music, Tong Kin-woon specializes in narrative singing a la blind artists of the Guangdong region. He is well-known for performing three arts at the same time - playing the zheng with the right hand, the clappers with the left and singing.
• Tong has obtained a B.A. from the National Taiwan Normal University, a M.A. in the study of oracle bone inscriptions from The Chinese University of Hong Kong, and a Ph.D. in Ethnomusicology from Wesleyan University, USA. He has taught in the Department of Music at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (1973-77), Wesleyan University (1979-83), University of Michigan (1983-84), and was Head of the Department of Chinese Music at The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (1984-92).
• His writings on music include Tong's Librettos of Guangdong Operatic Songs, Music of Qin, Music Instruments of Shang Dynasty etc. His recording tapes include Tong's Qin Music, A Female Ghost Haunting Guang Chang Long.
  

Nanyin/Cantonese
Operatic Singing:
Leung Hon-wai

• Leung Hon-wai is a professional actor and composer in Cantonese Opera and operatic music. He is currently Vice-chairman of Pak Wo, the workers' guild of Cantonese Opera, Consultant (Chinese Opera) of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department of Hong Kong, Head of the Hon Fung Cantonese Opera Institute, Company Director and Instructor of Cantonese Operatic Arias of Hon Fung Cantonese Opera Troupe.
• Leung set up the Hon Fung Cantonese Opera Institute in the 1980s in a bid to groom new generations of artists in the field. Leung is also a researcher in the vocal styles of Cantonese singing and the development of music. In recent years, he has appeared on the theatre stage. He was winner of The Best Original Music in Stage Plays 1999, Best Supporting Actor 2000 and Achievement Award 1999 (presented by the Hong Kong Arts Development Council).
• Leung has written several new operas, including The Wu Shu Coup d'etat, Li Xian Who Pierced Her Eyes Blind and A New Version of the Butterfly Lovers, as well as full-length operas on historical themes, such as The Assassination of the First Emperor of Qin, The Tiger-shaped Tally, The Battle on Fei River and Xining Reforms.
  

Houguan:
Lo Wai-leung

• Born in Hong Kong, Lo Wai-leung is a young wind instrumentalist with great potential. Besides the guan, he is also good at playing a number of other Chinese instruments like the dizi and suona. Lo joined the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra in 1983 as a guan player. He is presently the Guan Principal of the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra.
• In 1980, Lo was invited by the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra to perform as dizi soloist and also received instructions on how to play the houguan and suona from houguan master Chen Tainshou of the Guangdong Province Song and Dance Troupe.
• Aside from performance, Lo shows keen interest in music composition, and his works include suona concertos An Adapted Guangdong Melody and Visit of an Old Friend on a Rainy Day, Happy New Year Overture for ensemble, and Song of Sorrow for houguan solo.