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Kevin Kwong

Tsuen Wan Town Hall 
Aug 16-17, 8pm  
Violinist Sean Li Shing-him  belongs to a new generation whose parents don't believe a career in music  is a waste of time. 'I was actually encouraged,' the 21-year-old musician says. 
This change of attitude, Li  adds, means there are now more young Hongkongers  who can play an instrument and appreciate classical music. 
'That is why we've set up the Hong Kong Festival Orchestra ... to provide a platform for this generation of young performers and audience.'
Set up last year, the troupe will be making its debut on  Monday and Tuesday in two concerts featuring piano prodigy Aristo Sham Ching-tao  and teenage heartthrob/pianist Wong Kajeng  of documentary KJ fame. 
The 80-strong  orchestra - led by Li (below) as music director and artistic director Samuel Pang -  comprises mainly former participants of inter-school music competitions who have either gone on to study music or have continued to practise their instrument despite  pursuing studies or a career in another field.
Li says the orchestra is active only during the holiday seasons  because that is when members who are still studying overseas return. 
On the programme,  Sham will perform Chopin's Piano Concerto No 1 while Wong is the soloist in Beethoven's Piano Concerto No 4. Li says other than being a gifted pianist, Sham represents a new generation of young Hong Kong musicians who face a future of endless possibilities  within and outside  the classical music world. 
And Wong, as seen in his biographical documentary that charts his early years as a musical prodigy, is a typical example of a  youth who faced and overcame the many hurdles that came with his talent. 
The orchestra will play Dvorak's Symphony No 9, From the New World, on both nights. 
'The Dvorak  piece is all about America finding its own musical identity and I think that is what our orchestra is about, to help the post-80s and post-90s generations to find their own cultural and musical identity,' says Li.
72 Tai Ho Rd, Tsuen Wan, HK$80-HK$120 Urbtix. Inquiries: 6489 4914



HK Festival Orchestra