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Clare Tyrrell

Culture

Music Office Youth Choir

More than 40 members of the Music Office Youth Choir will jet off for Kagoshima, Japan, on Thursday for a cultural-exchange programme with the country's choirs and students. They perform a pre-tour concert today. Under the baton of Stephen Ho, the programme includes Mozart's Ave Verum Corpus, Haydn's The Heavens Are Telling fromThe Creation, Rachmaninoff's Ave Maria and an assortment of Irish and Chinese folk songs. Today, 8pm. City Hall Theatre, Central. Inquiries: 2796 7523 or 2582 5264. $40-$60 Urbtix

Heading West

This absurd black comedy is the most recent collaboration between Ho Yingfung, the artistic director of Theatre Fanatico, and composer John Chen. The play explores the rapidly developing Western regions of China and follows in the footsteps of a traveller who tracks the route the monk Tripitaka took in the ancient Chinese classic The Journey To The West. Along the way the traveller meets three investors who want to develop their own 'nirvana' in the region. The cast includes Chan Ming-long, Yeung Sze-man and Priscilla Leung, with live music by the Omnimus Group and some of Hong Kong's leading names forming the production team. In Cantonese and Putonghua. Friday, 8pm. Saturday-Sunday, 3pm and 8pm. Studio Theatre, Cultural Centre, Tsim Sha Tsui. Inquiries: 2268 7323. $160 Urbtix

Looking Ahead

Ashley Wass

The opening show of the Hong Kong Philharmonic's season starts with the exceptional young British pianist, Ashley Wass. The 25-year-old plays under the baton of Christopher Seaman. Saturday, 8pm. Cultural Centre Concert Hall, Tsim Sha Tsui. Inquiries: 2721 2030 or visit www.hkpo.com. $60-$250 Urbtix

The Spivakov Young Russian Prodigies

Four Russian prodigies perform for one night in aid of Po Leung Kuk, the local organisation that provides assistance to needy youngsters and is celebrating its 125th anniversary. The Spivakov Foundation was founded in 1994 to commemorate Vladmir Spivakov, one of the world's greatest violinists. The four prodigies, aged between 14 and 18, include the balalaika player Pavel Terebilenko, violinist Oleg Yatsyna, flautist Zarema Bekirova and pianist Stanislav Christenko. They will be joined by the City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong with guest conductor, Britain's Philip Walsh. September 12, 8pm. City Hall Theatre, Central. Inquiries: 2857 2402. $120-$250 Urbtix

Korean Fantasy

The National Dance Company of Korea, which performed in the opening celebrations of the 2002 World Cup in Seoul, will perform its traditional dance theatre. Court and folk dances are performed by the South Korean troupe, such as the Crane Dance, Fan Dance and Drum Dance. September 10, 8pm. Kwai Tsing Theatre. Inquiries: 2268 7323. $90-$150 Urbtix

Madame Butterfly

Puccini's opera of the ill-fated Japanese geisha whose heart is broken by American Lieutenant B F Pinkerton, comes to the stage this month. Lo King-man produces and directs the opera with live orchestration by the Hong Kong Philharmonic, the Hong Kong Opera Society chorus and a varied cast of international vocalists. September 12-17, 7.30pm. Cultural Centre Grand Theatre, Tsim Sha Tsui. Inquiries: 2268 7321. $120-$650 Urbtix

Nemesis

One of Britain's cutting-edge theatre companies, the Random Dance Company, will stage Nemesis at the Kwai Tsing Theatre in mid-September. The piece was written by the company's founder and artistic director, Wayne McGregor, to celebrate the troupe's 10th anniversary this year and explores the relationship between the body, the screen and the machine. September 13-14, 8pm. Kwai Tsing Theatre Auditorium. Inquiries: 2268 7323. $100-$230 Cityline

Music Fiesta 2002

Pan Asia Concerts feature four top pianists. On September 6, Russian Boris Petrushansky - the last pupil of the legendary Heinrich Neuhaus - plays a programme of Brahms, Scriabin and Rachmaninov. On September 24, Russian Olga Kern, a gold medallist at last year's 11th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, plays Schumann, Barber, Chopin and Liszt. On September 25, Italy's Alessio Bax plays Bach, Beethoven, Rachmaninov and Brahms. Constantin Lifschitz - one of the most promising Russian pianists of the new generation - plays a programme of Schumann, Bach, Couperin and Ravel on October 2. All concerts at City Hall Concert Hall, Central. Inquiries: 2368 2650. $60-$300 Urbtix

Extra Curricular

Xinran Xue

Xinran Xue, the Chinese-born author of The Good Women Of China, talks at the Foreign Correspondents' Club (FCC) and Fringe Club today. Having suffered a harsh childhood during the Cultural Revolution, Xue started to host a late-night programme on Radio Nanjing in 1989, talking about women's lives and inviting callers to tell their stories. Her eight years on air inspired the book. Xue will be joined in Hong Kong by her husband and agent, Toby Eady, who brought Jung Chang's Wild Swans to the world. Eady will also meet South China Morning Post columnist Annie Wang this week. Today, 12.30pm book lunch. Main Dining Room, 1/F, FCC, Central. FCC members $150; non-members $170 (includes lunch). Booking essential; call 2521 1511 or e-mail banquet@fcchk.org. At 7pm, the Post presents An Evening With Xinran Xue. E & J Gallo Gallery, Fringe Club, Central. Registration from 7pm; talk from 7.30pm. $120 or $80 for students, seniors and members of Women in Publishing Society, the Fringe Club, the Hong Kong Writers' Circle and Dymocks Booklovers. Book by e-mail at bookclub@scmp.com

The Hong Kong Women's Choir

The fall season of the Hong Kong Women's Choir starts on Wednesday. The charitable organisation that donates proceeds from its concerts to local charities, is looking for new members in the alto, mezzo and soprano sections to audition. The group rehearses every Wednesday from 1pm-3pm. Interested parties should contact Lucy Li at 9122 1050 or lucyli@keysbond.com; Caroline Chan at 9491 3313 cscriven@netvigator.com or Jennifer Saran at 9230 2118 jhill@hk.super.net

The World Of Autism

That Drama Society, which was formed in 1999, has organised a multimedia exhibition - with the hopes of raising concern for the people who suffer from autism. There are boards which display information on the nature of the complex developmental disability, drawings by autistic children that highlight their often advanced creativity, and video art screening on monitors and two installation art pieces inspired by the project. Cultural Centre Exhibition Area, Tsim Sha Tsui. Inquiries: 9772 9331. Ends Sep 9

Urbtix: 2734 9009

Urbtix/CityLine credit-

card booking: 2111 5999

Fringe: 2521 7251

CityLine: 2317 6666

TicketNet: 2312 9998

Ticketek: 3128 8288

For a complete listings service visit totallyhk.scmp.com



The Planner