The Leisure and Cultural Services Department and Xinghai Concert Hall from Guangdong Province will present "ChoreoMusica Soiree" during the 4th Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Culture and Arts Festival. Talented artists from Guangzhou and Hong Kong will deliver a cross-genre performance that blends with music, dance and visual art at the Studio Theatre of the Hong Kong Cultural Centre in October, offering audiences a rich audio-visual experience and showcasing the diverse cultural charm of the region.
"ChoreoMusica Soiree" is originated from a music and dance production presented by Xinghai Concert Hall, featuring outstanding artists from the Greater Bay Area. It premiered to critical acclaim in Guangzhou last year. The Hong Kong version will be led by renowned cross-disciplinary artist Tsang Man-tung as artistic director, director and choreographer. With his unique aesthetic, Tsang will bring a fresh style to the production.
The performance will include two music pieces from the premiere in Guangzhou, namely Ravel's "Sonata for Violin and Cello, M.73" performed by Peng Ke, the concertmaster of Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra (GSO) and Pan Chang, the Associate Principal Cello of the GSO. The GSO chamber music ensemble, under the baton of the GSO's Assistant Conductor Ding Jiaying, will perform Piazzolla's "The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires" (arranged by Desyatnikov). Four young local dancers, Natalie Mak, Alice Ma, Liu Heung-man and Rex Cheng, will weave their way through music, blending seamless movement with pulsating tunes to present multifaceted artistic concepts.
Unlike traditional chamber music concert, the programme will feature a two-sided auditorium design, with the stage set in the centre of the venue. The audience will be able to appreciate the performances of the musicians and dancers up close. With the integration of special multimedia art and stage lighting to create rich visual effects, the performances will guide the audience to feel the emotional resonance of each note and step.
Xinghai Concert Hall is one of the most influential performance venues in Mainland China, showcasing top-tier performing arts and serving as a hub of multiculturalism. Over the years, it has attracted many of the world's leading performing arts groups and musicians to perform there. Xinghai Concert Hall is also committed to bringing music and arts into people's daily lives. Its two major resident orchestras, the Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra and the Guangdong National Orchestra, organise a variety of concerts and arts promotion activities throughout the years. Since its founding in 1957, the GSO has developed into one of the Mainland's most artistically exceptional and vibrant orchestral institutions, praised by the Financial Times in the UK as "China's nexus of musical tradition and innovation". It is now under the leadership of Music Director Huang Yi, a renowned conductor.
Tsang Man-tung is a local interdisciplinary artist whose practice incorporates theatre, visual arts, music, and arts education. He employs a minimalist design approach to achieve spiritual balance and harmony, infusing his designs with the aesthetics of Transcend to the Beyond. He has received numerous local and international awards for scenography, including the Award for Best Artist (Theatre) at the 2008 Hong Kong Arts Development Awards and the Silver Prize for Set Design at 2017 World Stage Design with the dance drama "Storm Clouds". He is renowned for his conceptual and minimalist style, as shown in his theatrical mediation productions, such as "Ashtanga" and "Cankramati".
Natalie Mak was nominated for the "Outstanding Performing Female Dancer" award at the Hong Kong Dance Awards in 2017. Alice Ma is a part-time lecturer at the City Contemporary Dance Company Dance Centre and Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts. Liu Heung-man is a freelance dancer and dance teacher. Rex Cheng is a part-time lecturer at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts and a freelance dancer and choreographer.
"ChoreoMusica Soiree" will be held at 8pm on October 25 and 26 (Friday and Saturday), and at 3pm on October 27 (Sunday) at the Studio Theatre of Hong Kong Cultural Centre. Tickets priced at $300 and $440 are now available at URBTIX (www.urbtix.hk). For telephone bookings, please call 3166 1288. Discount schemes are available for the programmes under the 4th Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Culture and Arts Festival (including "ChoreoMusica Soiree", "POP KONG", Cantonese Opera Film "The Legend of The White Snake", 2024 Zhuhai-Hong Kong-Macao Choral Concert, "Songs Echo My Voice" and Dance Drama "Wing Chun" Special Edition by Shenzhen Opera and Dance Theatre), including group booking discount and package booking discount. For programme enquiries and concessionary schemes, please call 2734 2960 or visit www.gbacxlo.gov.hk/en/programmes/choreomusica-soiree. This programme is also part of the celebratory programmes of the 35th anniversary of the Hong Kong Cultural Centre.
A post-performance talk (in Cantonese and Putonghua) will be held on October 25 (Friday). Members of the audience are welcome to stay behind to join.　
Hong Kong is the host city of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Culture and Arts Festival for the first time this year. It organises and co-ordinates over 260 performances and exchange activities to be held across the "9+2" cities of the Greater Bay Area. The festival aims to showcase the vibrant and diverse cultural richness of the region and foster cultural exchange and co-operation among the cities. For detailed information about the festival, please visit www.gbacxlo.gov.hk.
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