Veteran composer-conductor David Gwilt wooed music lovers with his comic conducting skills at the Cultural Centre to mark the official opening of Operation Santa Claus.
Proceeds this year will go to the Kely Support Group, which supports young people with drugs, sex and family problems.
The concert, Starlight Capriccio, was jointly staged by the South China Morning Post and RTHK, which also organise the annual charity function.
Sponsored by UK-based bank Lloyds TSB, the performance brought together businessmen, professionals and amateur musicians for an evening of laughter and music.
There were roars of laughter when Mr Gwilt, a former professor of music at Chinese University, delighted audiences with his antics, frantically waving his arms and legs and shaking his hips.
At one point he declared: 'There's one thing that musicians must all have. Is that brains? . . . No, it's the baton,' he said as he began pulling out batons from various parts of his costume.
