Chance for pianists

AN International Summer Piano Institute will be held in Hong Kong in a bid to start musical exchanges between East and West.

The institute will give young Asian pianists the opportunity to come into contact with musicians from Europe and America and a chance to learn more about the trends of music and music education facilities overseas.

The three-week programme will be co-presented by the Chinese University of Hong Kong and Yale University's School of Music and is a continuation of the Summer Piano Institute held at Yale in the past.

The institute's assistant director, Dr Law Ping-leung, who is also head of the graduate division of music at the Chinese University, said: 'Many young pianists from Asia frequently travel overseas to further their musical development and train for their profession.

'We agreed to host the institute in Hong Kong with the hope of reaching these bright Asian musicians and providing an opportunity for an exchange of ideas among musicians from the East and West.

'The institute will emphasise pianistic training of students through private lessons with distinguished pianists from Yale, and broader musical awareness through lectures, faculty recitals, seminars and master classes,' Dr Law said.

World-renowned pianists from the Yale School of Music, including Boris Berman, Michael Friedmann, Peter Frankl and Claude Frank, as well as faculty members from the music department at Chinese University will be on hand to guide the young musicians.

For more details on the institute - to be held from June 18 to July 9 - call 2838 7885.