Category: Music

Leisure and Pleasure: Events in Hong Kong this November

Whether you’re a music lover, ballet aficionado, avid reader or artist at heart, Hong Kong has something for everyone to enjoy this month. Here are some exciting events happening this November. 

Clockenflap

Hong Kong’s biggest music and arts festival is going all out for its 10th anniversary along the waterfront. This year’s line-up is headlined by international acts including Massive Attack (UK), Feist (Canada) and MØ (Denmark). “Festivals like Clockenflap occupy a very important place in the cultural and creative landscape of the city,” says founder Justin Sweeting. “This is our 10th year and we’re very much staying true to our vision and spirit as always. You’ll have to come to see for yourself – the only way to experience the magic.”

17-19 November
Central Harbourfront Event Space
9 Lung Wo Road, Central
HK$570-1,720
clockenflap.com

Arts in the Park

Calling all kids and kids at heart – this popular annual outdoor youth arts festival and puppet parade is back, this time celebrating all things Roald Dahl. The British novelist’s works (Matilda, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) will come alive in the form of giant characters and storytelling sessions. Interactive activities like the African Drum Jam and free art stalls will allow youngsters to unleash their creative energy in projects like mask and headdress making or face painting.

11-12 November
Victoria Park, Causeway Bay
Free
hkyaf.com

Rugby Charity Ball

Now in its 16th year, the prestigious Hong Kong Rugby Union Charity Ball continues its gala-for-a-cause. This year’s event will be headlined by World Classic Rockers, a supergroup composed of former members of Santana, Kansas, Boston and other legendary bands. The annual fundraiser has contributed over HK$88 million to education and rugby programmes serving underprivileged children since 2002. The black tie affair includes pre-dinner cocktails, a four-course dinner, a live concert and an auction (starring a custom-painted Harley- Davidson bike!) to cap off the night.

11 November
Convention Hall, Hong Kong Convention
& Exhibition Centre, Wan Chai. 6pm
HK$2,488
hkrucharityball.org

World Cultures Festival

Thumping beats and tribal arts travel to Hong Kong from the cradle of civilisation: Africa. The colourful World Cultures Festival is set to showcase the continent’s most distinctive music, dance and theatre acts in a line-up opened by none other than “African artist of the century” Youssou N’Dour (Senegal). The closing performance by Cape Town Opera pays tribute to South Africa’s first black president in a stirring folk opera entitled Mandela Trilogy.

Until 19 November
Schedule and venues vary
HK$80-$580
worldfestival.gov.hk/2017

Secret Theatre’s Project Mayhem

If you’ve been bemoaning the lack of an edgy arts scene in the 852 reminiscent of London and New York, maybe you haven’t been looking hard enough. Secret Theatre – which got its start with a production of Edward Scissorhands in an abandoned New York City factory – is in town for another round of immersive storytelling. While details on this experiential dinner and theatre show are intentionally scant, audiences can expect to be placed in a warehouse with devious characters who will act out “one of modern history’s most twisted tales of fraternity, violence and all-out psychological warfare”. You’ve been warned!

3 November – 10 December
Location to be announced upon ticket purchase
From HK$850
secretstudiolab.com, ticketflap.com/projectmayhemhk

Hong Kong International Literary Festival

Established and emerging writers from around the world come to Hong Kong for a 10-day programme of discussions, literary-themed lunches, workshops, debates, book signings, lectures and readings. The annual festival embraces creative writing in English, with an emphasis on connections to Asia. Look out for Amy Tan (author of The Joy Luck Club) at the gala dinner.

3-12 November
Venues and prices vary
festival.org.hk

Le Corsaire

Emmy Award-winning choreographer Anna-Marie Holmes is the creative force behind Hong Kong Ballet’s premiere of Le Corsaire. This staging stars Moscow-born Maria Kochetkova (San Francisco Ballet) and Canadian Matthew Golding (The Royal Ballet). Audiences can follow the romance between a dashing pirate and the beautiful harem girl he rescues – a classic adventure with a side of pas de trois.

3-12 November
Grand Theatre, Hong Kong Cultural Centre
10 Salisbury Rd, Tsim Sha Tsui
2:30pm & 7:30pm
HK$140-$1,000
hkballet.com

 

Singing for a cause: Charity concert in November supports HK Spinal Cord Injury Fund

 

Come end of November and we’ll get to see an unknown side of some of Hong Kong’s most recognisable faces. On 25 November, prominent political personalities, business tycoons, doctors, etc. are coming together to host a charity concert in collaboration with Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra. The charity lends support to HK Spinal Cord Injury Fund, which aims to accelerate the recovery rate among patients with permanent spinal cord injuries.

The charity concert, which sees esteemed members from different walks of life join hands with the full body of Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra, also aims to raise awareness among the younger generation about Hong Kong’s own musical heritage.

As Ella Lau, the concert’s organiser explained, “This concert hopes to promote the education programme developed by HK Chinese Orchestra and, at the same time, support the HK Spinal Cord Injury Fund. Our performers are all amateur singers united by a common passion for charity. It is also our mission to spread Hong Kong’s music tradition among younger people.”

One of the most prominent faces to lend his voice to the cause is celebrated doctor and former Secretary of Food and Health, Ko Wing-man, who feels this is a creative and effective way to spread awareness about spinal cord injury.

Another well-known personality to support the cause is William Louey, Director of Kowloon Motor Bus Company. He says, “Doing all kinds of charity makes me happy. In this charity event, you’ll see me singing, taking photos and doing a lot of other creative work.”

Text: Suchetana Mukhopadhyay

Taylor-made bathtub brims with bling

Vengeance is the order of the day in the music video for Look What You Made Me Do, the latest single from reigning pop monarch Taylor Swift.

Directed by longtime collaborator Joseph Kahn, the video opens with a zombified Swift literally digging her own grave, replete with a headstone that solemnly proclaims “Here Lies Taylor Swift’s Reputation”. The American pop star’s excoriating flair is dialled up to 11 as the video then cuts to her partially submerged in a bathtub full of diamonds.

To achieve the music video’s over-the-top visuals, Kahn and Swift enlisted the help of celebrity jeweller Neil Lane, who gave the duo “unprecedented access” to his private collection. Swift’s designer reportedly “cleaned out” one of Lane’s stores, forcing the jeweller to fetch more items from a vault.

Pop culture commentators have interpreted the scene as a mocking allusion to the robbery of Kim Kardashian West. In 2016, the American TV celebrity was restrained in a bathtub at gunpoint while thieves stole an estimated HK$78.2 million worth of jewellery. In an entirely unsurprising twist, it is reported that the diamonds used in Swift’s controversial new music video are worth the aforementioned amount.

Lianne La Havas’s stellar performance captivates hearts at Hong Kong

The Landmark Mandarin Oriental recently played host to the super-talented British singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist sensation Lianne La Havas, known for her riveting live performances.

Organised at MO Bar to celebrate the launch of the hotel’s newest and largest Entertainment Suite, the Lianne La Havas Solo Acoustic Concert drew hordes of music lovers, including socialites like Amanda Lui, Celia Wong, Deborah Sims, Esther Ma, Gaile Lok, Joyce Wang, Kayla Wong, Paul Sunga, Rosemary Vandenbroucke, Shirley Hiranand, Tia Ray, Vanessa Yeung and many more.

The atmosphere at the packed MO Bar was electrifying as La Havas crooned popular numbers from her latest chartbusters. Earlier in the evening, the mood was set by the equally engaging opening acts by DJ Roger ReFlex de Leon and Cornish born singer-songwriter Samuel J.

Talking about the event, Torsten van Dullemen, GM of Landmark Mandarin Oriental, said, “La Havas’ stellar performance has further established MO Bar as a key cultural destination in Hong Kong with a reputation for distinctive musical events.”

MOre Music: MO Sound-Bites Concert

The second MO Sound-Bites concert, featuring New York DJ Com Truise, was held at the Landmark Mandarin Oriental. MO Bar collaborated with music promoter Jason Swamy to bring Truise to Hong Kong for the first time. More than 200 people made an appearance, including Angie Ng, Barrett Leung, Carl Ng, Charles Lam, Geri Steenkamp and more.