The Joy of Music Festival: A Brief Introduction

Following the success of the Joy of Music Festival held in December 2006, the Society is delighted to present again to the music lovers in Hong Kong an unusual, and in some cases unique, programme of chamber and solo music featuring piano and guitar solos as well as a piano quartets and quintets, guitar quintets and, rarely performed, guitar and piano duos.

The Festival also brings to Hong Kong the following four well-established series of the Society:

• The Masters Series, sponsored by Lady Muriel Kadoorie, featuring major artists in performance and in master classes open for free to music students in Hong Kong and the PRC.
  Prof. Gary Graffman will give masterclasses in piano and Prof. Alvaro Pierri in guitar.
  
• The Winners Series, sponsored by Teresa Li-Lai, presenting the first prize winners of major international piano competitions. In this Festival we will present Anna Vinnitskaya, first prize winner of the 2007 Queen Elisabeth Competition, and Ilya Rashkovskiy, first prize winner of the 2005 Hong Kong International Piano Competition.
  
• LCO (London Chamber Orchestra) in residence in Hong Kong.
  As in last year, the LCO Chamber Group will be in residence in Hong Kong and will perform string quartets as well as play together chamber recitals with several of our featured artists.
  The LCO is one of UK’s premier chamber orchestras, unusual in its composition as it brings together in an independent association some of the best players from all the major symphonic orchestras in the UK.
  The LCO is the official orchestra of the forthcoming Second Hong Kong International Piano Competition, organized by the Society, to be held in October 2008.
  
• And finally, our Highly Recommended Series, which presents young and promising artists to the discerning Hong Kong audience. This year we present Wu, Mu-Ye, recommended by the BNP Paribas Foundation and The Piano en Valois Festival and sponsored by BNP Paribas Private Bank.

In the following pages you will find details of the individual performances as well as the timetable of the workshops/master classes in piano and in guitar.

Dr Andrew Freris
Chairman
The Chopin Society of Hong Kong Ltd