“Twin Cities Melodies” Chinese orchestra concert staged in Singapore to celebrate 25th anniversary of establishment of HKSAR (wtih photos)
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In celebration of the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Singapore (Singapore ETO) presented the “Twin Cities Melodies” Chinese orchestra concert today (June 24). The concert, delivered by the Singapore Chinese Orchestra, was well-received by close to 500 guests in the Singapore Conference Hall, which is a national monument.
The audience was led through a memorable journey, experiencing the beauty of traditional and contemporary music in Hong Kong musician Kevin Cheng’s sheng concerto, revisiting classic songs of Hong Kong television drama series and being immersed in the cohesive spirit of the song “Below the Lion Rock”.
Speaking at the opening of the concert, the Director of the Singapore ETO, Mr Wong Chun To, said, “Under the National 14th Five-Year Plan, the Central Government has given support to Hong Kong to develop into an East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchanges. We have a vibrant arts and cultural scene in the city. Annually, our 14 museums and 16 performance venues under the management of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) draw about 3.5 million visitors and 2 million attendants respectively. Over 7 000 cultural programmes or activities organised by the LCSD are on offer in the city each year, attracting over 2 million participants.”
He drew the audience’s attention to the Hong Kong Palace Museum, which will open to the public on July 2. He added that a total of 914 pieces of priceless treasures from the Palace Museum in Beijing will be on display on rotation at the opening exhibitions of the Hong Kong Palace Museum, through the biggest loan of artifacts to another cultural institution outside the Mainland. Some will be shown in Hong Kong for the first time.
An exhibition, “Hong Kong: where art thrives”, was held at the Level 1 concourse of the Singapore Conference Hall to allow the general public in Singapore to learn more about Hong Kong’s various arts and culture events and world-class venues. The exhibition runs from June 21 to June 24. Admission is free.