The Chopin Society of Hong Kong Ltd.

The Chopin Society of Hong Kong, first registered under the Societies Ordinance in 1995 and now incorporated since 2006 as a non- profit making company, is a well-established institution in Hong Kong dedicated to the promotion of classical musical activities, including the organization of public recitals and concerts, master classes and a major international piano competition which has helped to augment further the reputation of Hong Kong as a major cultural centre in Asia.

The Society believes that classical music is neither an elitist nor a minority interest in Hong Kong. The success of the Society’s activities is based precisely on the notion that Hong Kong audiences deserve nothing but the highest quality that the international music scene can offer. In return, the audiences reward these activities with their loyalty and growing size of attendances. The combination of world- class artists centering their activities in Hong Kong and working closely with the wonderful pool of talent available in the territory, achieves the twin aims of fostering the musical arts at home while drawing on the best that the world can offer.

The Honorary President of the Society is Mr. Vladimir Ashkenazy.

In 1999 the Society launched an annual series of recitals, The Winners Series, which brings to Hong Kong the first prizewinners of major international music competitions. The Society believes that Hong Kong, a city of winners itself, should have the opportunity to experience the performance of these young and promising artists at an early stage in their careers. Important bodies, such as CLP Holdings, Bank of America and BNP Paribas, as well as individuals, such as Teresa Li-Lai, have sponsored the Series.
Following a generous offer of patronage, the Series has now been named The Teresa Li-Lai Winners Series.

In 2001 the Society launched a new series, which following a generous offer of patronage, is now named The Lady Kadoorie Masters Series. These events bring to Hong Kong master teachers to perform in recitals and to run workshops/master classes for music students in Hong Kong, and whenever possible, from the PRC and from other countries in Asia. The series so far has featured masterclasses in piano, cello, guitar, string quartet and conducting, all open to students and teachers completely free of charge.

In September 2005 and in October 2008, the Society ran its biggest events to date: The Hong Kong International Piano Competition, a triennial event, the next one of which will take place between the 15th Oct. and the 2nd. Nov. 2011. These event were sponsored by, among others, Lady Kadoorie, the Government of Hong Kong (through its Leisure and Cultural Services Department), CLP Holdings, Teresa Li-Lai, Tom Lee Music, the Tom Lee Music Foundation, Cathay Pacific (2005) and Tom Tang (2008).

In the years between Competitions, the Society presents the Joy of Music Festival, which ran in 2006, 2007 and 2009 with the next one scheduled to run in October 2010. The Festival brings together the artists from the two Series mentioned above: The Teresa Li-Lai Winners Series and The Lady Kadoorie Masters Series (including the first prize winners and members of the Jury of the Competition, as well as invited world-class musicians) in recitals and in master classes.

In 2008 the Chopin Society launched its own recording label, the Alpha Omega Sound which will be releasing a varied and unusual series of archival CDs, remastered at the famous Abbey Road Studios, as well as recordings made specifically for its label. The Society has issued the first two of a series of music treasures which have laid undiscovered for over half a century in the sound archives of the SODRE, the State Radio and TV Organization of Uruguay. The Series includes completely unknown live performances by artists such as Heifetz, Kogan, Arrau and Segovia, among others.

Already released: From the SODRE COLLECTION:
	* The Sampler * JASCHA HEIFETZ ( violin) Brooks Smith ( piano) * DAVID OISTRAKH (violin) Vladimir Yampolsky (piano)
Specifically recorded for its label:
*	Alvaro Pierri (guitar) Guitar Sonatas, Vol. 1, works by Paganini, Ponce, Torroba and Ginastera.
	With the present CD, Alvaro Pierri, one of the best guitarists in the world, is embarking on a long term project with The Alpha Omega Sound, to record a comprehensive series of sonatas specifically composed for guitar and spanning the 19th to the 21st centuries. This Cd was recorded as well as mastered at the Abbey Road Studios
*	Ilya Rashkovskiy (piano) Fantasias for Piano. Works by Mozart, Chopin, Liszt and Scriabin.
	Ilya won the first prize in the first Hong Kong International Piano Competition organized by the Society in 2005. This is a studio recording made in Hong Kong and remastered at the Abbey Road Studios
*	Rachel Cheung (piano) compositions by Mozart, Chopin, Schubert, Liszt and Poulenc.
	Rachel is an exceptionally talented young pianist from Hong Kong, a first prize-winner of several competitions and a frequently sponsored artist by the Chopin Society of Hong Kong Ltd. This is a studio recording made in Hong Kong and remastered at the Abbey Road Studios.

The Society has also issued a CLP Holdings sponsored double CD, later to be released under the Society’s own label, featuring Li Mingqiang, one of the leading piano teachers and music advisors in Hong Kong who was, at the time of these recordings, one of the major pianists in the PRC.

We hope that music lovers in Hong Kong will continue to support the Society’s future activities.

Dr Andrew Freris

The Chopin Society of Hong Kong Ltd.