Top young musicians from all over Asia got the opportunity to play as an orchestra for the first time.
The Asian Youth Orchestra's (AYO) Year 2000 Rehearsal Camp was officially opened at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts. Over 100 youngsters are in the camp, the fifth one held in the territory since 1990.
Having given two performances here the 104 musicians are set to go on tour for three weeks.
They will start in Tokyo, then go on to Seoul, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Melbourne, Canberra, with Sydney as their final destination. There they will perform in the world-famous Sydney Opera House at the invitation of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Arts Festival.
Officiating at the opening ceremony were Secretary for Financial Services Stephen Ip Shu- Kwan, Standard Chartered Bank group executive director Mervyn Davies, AYO founder and artistic director Richard Pontzious and Cathay Pacific Airways director of sales and marketing James Barrington. Standard Chartered Community Foundation has sponsored this year's camp. At the end of the ceremony Mr Ip and Mr Davies lit a symbolic torch signifying the start of the event.
'We are very delighted to support the Asian Youth Orchestra that represents the region so well, ' said Mr Davies.
