Fusion music concert to promote harmony and inclusiveness among people of various communities in Hong Kong
- Concert presents scores by award-winning composer Ng Cheuk-yin as part of this year’s No Limits programme
- Thirty people from True Colours Symphony, a city-based orchestra consisting of disabled people, the elderly and members of ethnic minority groups, are taking part
When the conductor gestures for the ensemble to start playing, classical violinist Ding Yi-jie, cued by a tap on the arm from a fellow musician, starts sliding her bow smoothly along the instrument’s strings, despite not being able to see.
The 20-year-old – born visually impaired and becoming completely blind at 15 – was rehearsing for a concert titled Playground, featuring fusion music performed by an orchestra which has people with disabilities among its membership.
Ding, of Hong Kong’s True Colours Symphony, says for every performance she must learn each piece of music by heart, given she cannot read the notations or watch the conductor’s directions.
But compared with other types of music, some of which only take her an afternoon to familiarise herself with, she says the pieces for the new concert prove more challenging, with the tempo fluctuating between slow and fast.
Undaunted, she says: “I feel excited to be part of this concert centred on the idea of inclusiveness.”
The concert is featured in this year’s No Limits programme, co-presented by the Hong Kong Arts Festival and the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust. The programme attracts local and international artists, some of whom are disabled, offering barrier-free environments and promoting inclusiveness and understanding through the arts.