2022 HKAF：Young Friends 30th Anniversary Special – Young Composer ShowcaseYoung Friends of the Hong Kong Arts Festival

Classic literature from different historical periods can provide limitless inspiration for artists seeking to express their emotions through music. Shakespeare’sRomeo and Juliet, for example, has inspired various composers to create their own unique versions of the tragic love story. How about the romance between Yang Guo and Little Dragon Maiden in The Return of the Condor Heroes, written by famous Hong Kong writer Jin Yong, or even the story of Noah’s Ark in the Bible? Stories as disparate as these can also be re-interpreted in music.

The 2nd Young Composer Workshop, organised by the Young Friends of the Hong Kong Arts Festival, invited renowned Hong Kong composers Dr Phoebus Lee and Dr Daniel Lo to instruct students at 10 local secondary schools in music composition. The students were taught music theory and compositional techniques, and were guided in composing ensemble pieces for their chosen works of literature. We have now invited conductor Mark Hui and six professional musicians to perform these 10 compositions at the Young Composer Showcase.

Admission to the concert is free, so please join us in celebrating the achievements of these young composers. They will retell the classics of Shakespeare, manifest the brutality of war seen in classical Chinese poetry and explore the world of contemporary literature by Haruki Murakami using the power of music.