How a joint student orchestra project is avoiding Chinese censorship of religious music

Seven orchestras from mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau will play at Tsuen Wan Town Hall, looking to erase cultural barriers between different parts of the country

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Artistic director Leung Kin-fung conducting the Diocesan Girls’ School Orchestra in Jordan. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Published: 8:01am, 14 Jul 2017Updated: 12:12pm, 15 Jul 2017

Hong Kong will play host to a joint orchestra project with students from across the region aiming to showcase an inclusive culture that is unifying and free of censorship.

After performing in Macau in 2015 and Guangzhou in 2016, the project, called the 3rd School Orchestra Festival of Four Regions Across the Straits, will feature seven orchestras from mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau performing on Friday night and Saturday night at Tsuen Wan Town Hall.

“We have the same roots but our cultures have become different after all these years of separation, and I hope music, being neutral, will be a vehicle to bring our young ones together for a common cause,” Stella Lau, headmistress of Diocesan Girls’ School, the event organiser, told the Post.

Last year, differences over music content stood out when the Guangzhou hosts vetted the programmes to make sure no religious work was performed. The soundtrack to the film Pirates of the Caribbean got the green light instead.

“Guangzhou education and cultural bureaus were the hosts so the event became rather official-like, and that is one reason why we run the event ourselves without involving the government,” Lau said.