HONG KONG, May 5 (Xinhua) -- The Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra (HK Phil) has made its debut in Australia to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), the HKSAR government said Friday.
The HK Phil put up two performances, respectively at the Arts Centre Melbourne on Thursday and at Sydney Opera House on Friday, according to a press release from the HKSAR government's Economic and Trade Office (HKETO).
"This is the first ever tour to Melbourne and Sydney by the HK Phil. We are all thrilled to have received such enthusiastic and overwhelming responses from the audience," said Y. S. Liu, the chairman of the HK Phil's board of governors.
The performance of the HK Phil, one of Asia's leading orchestras, "marks the beginning of a series of events arranged by the HKETO in Australia to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the HKSAR," said Arthur Au, the director of the HKETO, Sydney, the representative office of the HKSAR government in Australia and New Zealand.
According to Au, Hong Kong has been progressing during the past two decades as "a thriving arts hub with vibrancy and diversity", with over 8,000 performances put up here every year and attracting an audience of more than 3 million.
Following the launch of a large cultural project in the West Kowloon area in Hong Kong, a host of world-class facilities will open in the coming years, which will provide "an excellent platform for both Hong Kong and international artists to showcase their talent and create more collaboration opportunities between Hong Kong and the rest of the world," he said.
