The Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra will return to Australia presenting the "Image China" concert – "From Dream of the Red Chamber to the Terracotta Warriors." at the Melbourne Town Hall, Sydney Town Hall and Brisbane City Hall in mid-December 2023 after a 40-year hiatus.

Around 80 outstanding members of the orchestra will features the "Dream of the Red Chamber Suite," adapted from the iconic 1987 TV series soundtrack, offering a profound taste of this classic tale. Additionally, Peng Xiuwen's "Fantasia, Terracotta Warriors" will convey the weighty historical significance through classical instruments. A special highlight of this performance is the Eco-Huqin developed by Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra, which is more eco-friendly in material, and achieves breakthroughs in the depth, texture, and thickness of traditional string instruments, providing you with a unique and enriching musical experience.

Establishedin 1977, the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra stands as a highly influential force on the international stage. The musicians of the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra will deliver a concert of the highest caliber, brimming with infectious energy. We look forward to seeing you there!

Programme:

1. Song of the General Ancient Melody Arr. by Gu Guanren

2. Essence(The sixth movement from Ji) Ng Cheuk-yin

3. Guanzi Concerto The Silk Road Fantasia Suite (Excerpts) Zhao Jiping

Intermission (15’00")

4. The Dream of the Red Chamber Suite (Excerpts) Wang Liping

5. Fantasia The Terra Cotta Warriors Peng Xiuwen

The concert is hosted by the China Arts and Entertainment Group Ltd. and co-presented by Ausfeng Events.

Announcement

December 18th, 2023

"Image China" Concerts by Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra in Australia will be held at Melbourne Town Hall, Sydney Town Hall and Brisbane City Hall on December 19th, 21st and 23rd respectively.Professor Yan Huichang unfortunately has to withdraw from the performances due to physical discomfort. The above-mentioned three concerts will be conducted by Mr. Rupert Woo Pak Tuen with the same repertoire.We apologize for any inconvenience may cause. Thank you for your understanding and support to the organizer and artists.

Rupert Woo Pak Tuen

Assistant Conductor of the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra and Resident Conductor of the Hong Kong Young Chinese Orchestra. Graduated in 2012, Rupert Woo was the first Master in Conducting of the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (HKAPA). In the Second International Conducting Competition for Chinese Music, Rupert won Second Prize as well as the Outstanding Young Conductor in Hong Kong Award and the Audience Award for the Most Popular Conductor. He guest-conducted the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra (HKCO), the Singapore Chinese Orchestra, the Macao Chinese Orchestra, the Henan National Music Orchestra, the Academy Chinese Orchestra and the Academy Symphony Orchestra of HKAPA, Fanyin Chamber Orchestra of the Tianjin Conservatory of Music, Windpipe Chinese Music Ensemble etc.

Rupert holds a Bachelor of Engineering (Hons) in Computer Science from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (2005), a Bachelor of Music (Hons) in banhu performance from HKAPA (2008), and a Master of Music in banhu and gaohu performance from HKAPA (2010).

In 2018, Rupert became the Assistant Conductor (Education and Outreach) of HKCO through open recruitment, responsible for the conducting of the Hong Kong Young Chinese Orchestra, which is under the jurisdiction of the HKCO. Rupert was the conductor in ‘Our Cantopop’ concert (2023) and ‘Trail of the Blue Dragon’ Community Concert (2022) held by HKCO.