Hong Kong Arts Festival

HKAF logo
Hong Kong Arts Festival in 2013

The Hong Kong Arts Festival (香港藝術節) (HKAF), founded in 1973, is an annual series of cultural programmes in Hong Kong, with many performances from other parts of the world.

Held every February/March, HKAF has become an important focus of Hong Kong cultural life and promoter of the performing arts. Programme highlights are announced in August each year, with full line up and advance booking from October to December.

Genres seen and heard at the Hong Kong Arts Festival include classical music, Chinese music, world music, Western opera, Chinese opera, drama and dance. HKAF presented top international artists and ensembles, such as Cecilia Bartoli, Jose Carreras, Yo-Yo Ma, Philip Glass, Kurt Masur, Riccardo Chailly, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Sylvie Guillem, Kevin Spacey, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Mariinsky Theatre, Bavarian State Opera, New York City Ballet, Paris Opera Ballet, Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch, Cloud Gate Dance Theatre, Zingaro, Royal Shakespeare Company, Moscow Art Theatre, and Beijing People's Art Theatre.

The Hong Kong Arts Festival also commissions, produces and publishes new works in theatre, chamber opera and contemporary dance by Hong Kong's creative talents and emerging artists, many with successful subsequent runs in Hong Kong and overseas. The 2014 festival featured FILTH by Jingan Young, the first English language play ever commissioned by the festival.[1]

HKAF invests in arts education for young people through various projects. The "HKAF Young Friends" has reached about 700,000 secondary and tertiary school students since 1992.[2] Close to 9,000 half-price student tickets are issued each year.

Over 100 Festival PLUS activities are organised in community locations each year to enhance the engagement between artists and audiences. These include lecture demonstrations, masterclasses, workshops, symposia, backstage visits, exhibitions, meet-the-artist sessions, and guided tours.[3]

The Hong Kong Arts Festival Society Limited is a non-profit organisation, with about 30% of annual revenue from government funding, around 40% from the box office, and the remaining 30% from sponsorships and donations from corporations, individuals, and charitable foundations.[4][5]

List of committee members

The Executive Director is Tisa Ho. Run Run Shaw was its Honorary Life President

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References

  1. ↑ Lok, Evelyn (16 January 2014). "Jingan Young". HK Magazine. Retrieved 13 January 2015.
  2. ↑ Young Friends of the Hong Kong Arts Fetival website
  3. ↑ Festival PLUS website
  4. ↑ About Us, Hong Kong Arts Festival
  5. ↑ Hong Kong Arts Festival promises stellar line-up of performances SCMP, 14 October 2014

External links

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