Tan Dun Champions Hong Kong's Young Artists in Global Cultural Exchange Initiatives for 2024

Ambassador for Cultural Promotion Tan Dun lines up more local young artists to global stages

With the support of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD), Hong Kong's Ambassador for Cultural Promotion (ACP), internationally renowned composer and conductor Tan Dun continued to curate large-scale performing arts productions in Hong Kong in 2024, and he also lined up a number of local young artists to participate in various international performances in Mainland China, Hungary, Canada and France, consolidating Hong Kong's position as an East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchanges.

Tan today (April 2) shared the achievements of performances in Hong Kong, Mainland China and overseas over the past year. He also introduced this year's major projects and engaged in a dialogue with some local young artists who have moved forward to global stages lined up by Tan, including pianist Rachel Cheung, soprano Candice Chung, percussionist Elise Liu, tenor Henry Ngan and bass-baritone Apollo Wong, sharing their experiences in the performances and how they benefited from them.

Tan expressed that there are many talented young artists in Hong Kong. By introducing them to collaborate with artists from different regions, they can gain a deeper understanding of Hong Kong's unique cultural identity through the lens of arts. With his global perspective, Tan is committed to nurturing more promising local young artists, not only by providing them with a stage but also by fostering intellectual exchange and sharing innovative ideas. This, in turn, generates boundless vitality and possibilities for the future of Hong Kong's art scene.

Last year, Tan curated the opening performance "Sound River" for the 4th Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Cultural and Arts Festival in Hong Kong and also invited numerous local artists to join his performances across the globe, working alongside world-class symphony orchestras and renowned artists. The participating artists expressed heartfelt gratitude for these valuable opportunities, which allowed them to collaborate with Tan and esteemed creatives from around the globe. Highlights from the collaborations include tenor Henry Ngan's participation in the Hungarian premiere of Tan's "Buddha Passion" in Budapest last April, as well as violinist Liu Fangxi's performances in concerts in Changsha and Qingdao last July, collaborating with artists of diverse cultural backgrounds in a string quartet. Soprano Candice Chung and pianist Rachel Cheung, together with the New York Bard Percussion Ensemble and Mainland artists, performed the "Deer of Nine Colours" and "Xuanzan's Return to the East" at the "Opera and Dance Theatre" programme in Qingdao and at a concert in Shanghai last July and August respectively. Soprano Louise Kwong, mezzo-soprano Samantha Chong and bass-baritone Apollo Wong participated in the performance of "Buddha Passion" last November in Vancouver, Canada. Also, Soprano Candice Chung and percussionist Karen Yu took part in the world premiere of "Échos des grottes de Mogao" at the Guimet - National Museum of Asian Arts in France last December, where they presented the rich Chinese culture of Jiuquan's Mogao Caves to local audiences.

Tan has been appointed as Hong Kong's first ACP by the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau since January 1, 2023, and has introduced 15 local young artists to participate in 27 performances in Mainland China, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Hungary, Canada, France and Italy since then.

This year, the "Tan Dun-WE Festival" will return in June as part of the Chinese Culture Festival 2025, featuring three extraordinary performances, ranging from a Zen-inspired opera to dialogues between traditional and modern percussion, as well as ancient Dunhuang music and dances. Tan's newly formed Hong Kong Women's Percussion Ensemble and a number of local young musicians will also join in the performances, under the theme of "tea culture", leading audiences to appreciate the charm of tea through music.

The LCSD aspires for the ACP initiative to provide local young artists with more invaluable opportunities to perform in Mainland China and overseas to enrich their experience and broaden their horizons, while showcasing Hong Kong's cultural soft power to the world through outstanding performances and telling good stories of Hong Kong through the arts.

Ambassador for Cultural Promotion Tan Dun lines up more local young artists to global stages Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Ambassador for Cultural Promotion Tan Dun lines up more local young artists to global stages Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Ambassador for Cultural Promotion Tan Dun lines up more local young artists to global stages Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Ambassador for Cultural Promotion Tan Dun lines up more local young artists to global stages Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Ambassador for Cultural Promotion Tan Dun lines up more local young artists to global stages Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Ambassador for Cultural Promotion Tan Dun lines up more local young artists to global stages Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Ambassador for Cultural Promotion Tan Dun lines up more local young artists to global stages Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Ambassador for Cultural Promotion Tan Dun lines up more local young artists to global stages Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Ambassador for Cultural Promotion Tan Dun lines up more local young artists to global stages Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Ambassador for Cultural Promotion Tan Dun lines up more local young artists to global stages Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Remarks by FS at media session (with photo/video)

The Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan; the Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, Mr Christopher Hui, and the Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Algernon Yau, together with the Chief Executive Officer of the Securities and Futures Commission, Ms Julia Leung, and the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, Mr Eddie Yue, met the media this evening (April 7). Following are Mr Chan's remarks at the media session:

Reporter: What tools does the Government have to handle the situation of the market and will Hong Kong consider a national team investor equivalent to intervene? Should the markets keep dropping, what is the bottom line for the state of the market before countermeasures will be considered?

Financial Secretary: I think Julia has explained very clearly the situation in the Hong Kong stock market. Basically, the market has been functioning orderly. There are substantial selling but also buying interests. The spread between the two has been very tight, indicating that the buying power remains very strong.

Hong Kong is a free port, and we encourage capital and investors from different parts of the world to take part in our capital market. Over the years, we have been taking a number of measures to enhance the competitiveness and attractiveness of our capital market, no matter whether it is improving the listing regime, lowering the transaction costs, expanding the markets, attracting investors and capital from around the world, or offering new products such as the ETF (exchange-traded fund) listed on the Saudi stock exchange (and investing in the Hong Kong stock market). All in all, we will persistently and consistently push forward initiatives on various fronts. With an expanding market and more participants from different parts of the world, the liquidity and resilience of our market will be enhanced. The resilience of our market has been very strong. We do not think the current volatility in the market warrants the taking of any drastic measures.

(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the remarks.)

Remarks by FS at media session (with photo/video) Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases