2019 Asian Youth Orchestra Rehearsal Camp -- Week 2

Dear AYO Friends,

What a week! Not sure if the lead story should be music (the Orchestra sounding incredibly fantastic), a signal 8 tropical depression closing the city (we were able to continue rehearsals for all but two hours of our 9-hour days), or city-wide public action.

We are safe and continue our daily rehearsal routines, the orchestra’s growth especially phenomenal. We are so proud of kids and appreciative of our artist-faculty and the techniques they share that raise the standard of playing to new heights!

Friday was great fun as our woodwind, brass and percussion sections staged a flash mob and pops performances in the lobby of Cathay Pacific’s Cathay City. Our thanks to the Cathay team that invited us and helped set it all up. The reaction from Cathay’s Simon Large: “It lifted our spirits.”

We closed the week with a dinner for the full orchestra, stage team and artist faculty (130 in total) seafood dinner hosted by AYO friend David Tran in the Renaissance Harbour View Hotel. A big thanks, David.

Sunday, we put a shine on our Hong Kong Music Summer kids with in a side-by-side concert project conducted in brilliant fashion by our guest conductor Joseph Bastian. More than 60 Music Summer kids participated, the youngest 9 years old with a tiny violin. This was the 10thyear for this project, which involves AYO alumnae as teachers, who then pass the Music Summer kids to the AYO artist faculty for master classes. It’s a win-win all round.

Post-concert the Orchestra, faculty, AYO Board Chairman Jim Thompson and his wife Sally and staff gathered for yet another dinner, this hosted for the 29thyear by Sino Land as a faculty appreciation dinner. A fantastic evening in the Royal Pacific Hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui. It took some rerouting to get us home, but once again with smart planning by our staff and we were home safely.

Now the final push. Four days of rehearsal to go here in Hong Kong and then we’re off to Shanghai for the first of four concerts on the mainland.

Keith Lau

General Manager

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