Harbour City's second annual Harp Festival starts today with four days of dreamy string music, including Sunday's 10-hour harp charity marathon for Medecins Sans Frontieres starting at 2pm.
There was a time in the early 1980s when harps were seen only on paintings with cherubic angels. As one of the first local musicians to take up the instrument, Hong Kong Harp Chamber advisory member Angela Yau (right) recalls those often-lonely and tiring days with little community support.
'I played the piano for a long time until I decided I wanted to try another instrument,' says Yau, who was formerly the principal harpist of the Hong Kong Academy Orchestra.
'At the time, there was almost no one else playing it. It was quite hard as I didn't own a harp and to buy one was very expensive. I also lived in the New Territories so I had to go to the Arts Centre on Hong Kong side for lessons and practice. It was very tiring.'
Fortunately, times have changed. For details of this weekend's full schedule of harp performers' shows, the hotline is 21188666.