Celebrating music and artists

The Society, first registered under the Societies Ordinance in 1995 and later on incorporated as a non-profit making company, is a well-established institution in Hong Kong, dedicated to the promotion of music and music related activities. These include public recitals and concerts, an extensive outreach program involving master classes, workshops, lectures and presentations, an annual music festival and a triennial international piano competition. Topping it all up, the Society counts with its own recording label, the Alpha Omega Sound, which is releasing a varied and unusual series of archival CDs, re-mastered at the famous Abbey Road Studios, as well as recordings made specifically for its label. No wonder that the Society is nowadays recognized as a major contributor in augmenting the reputation of Hong Kong as a major cultural hub in Asia.

The Society believes that classical music is neither an elitist nor a minority interest. The success of the Society’s activities is based on the notion that Hong Kong audiences deserve nothing but the highest quality that the local and international music scenes can offer. The Society’s activities are closely interrelated in order to offer a diverse set of performances and outreach activities drawing on continuity of themes and of participants. The Society believes that, building up audience loyalty and following requires not only consistent high quality of what is being presented but also continuity of the presentations.

Every third year since 2005, that is, in 2005, 2008, 2011 and 2016, the Society ran its biggest event, The Hong Kong International Piano Competition, with a truly exceptional, if not unique jury. The Competition aims at presenting not only an exceptional group of candidates but also an exceptional music-making and music related event. Other innovations included the members of jury performing as well as judging.

We will be soon announcing important changes in the way we are going to be running our next Hong Kong International Piano Competition, scheduled to run in Hong Kong between the 7th and the 24th October 2019.

As part of the Society’s plan to offer an integrated and continuous series of activities, the triennial Competitions have been linked by annual Joy of Music Festivals taking place in-between Competitions and, since 2011, also during the Competitions. Festivals were presented in 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, a special substitute event in 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017.

The Festivals bring together (in performances, master classes, workshops and presentations), members of the Jury of the Competition, all the Members of the Club of the First Prize Winners of the Hong Kong International Piano Competition, first prize winners of other important music competitions, as well as invited world-class artists from all over the world. We are now inviting you to join us when we will be presenting our Joy of Music Festival later this year to run between the 15th and the 25th October 2018.

Having Hong Kong as our home challenges us to be continuously finding ways of rediscovering ourselves, to make sure that we keep taking the pulse of the world, continuously acquiring new knowledge and information and blending it all with the wonderful potential that new talents provide. This way we will be able to keep our place among the leaders in the world, of those who define the shape of what is to come, without forgetting that the strength and flexibility of innovation lies in the solidity of the foundations on which we build our projects. Paraphrasing a familiar expression by Isaac Newton: If we want to see further, it will be by standing on the shoulders of Giants.

One last although perhaps most important remark: all what we have said above would not make any sense unless it is part of a discourse in which you, members of the audience, have an equally important role to play.

Come and be part of this dialogue of the senses. We hope you will enjoy it as much as we do enjoy preparing it with you in mind.