Art Preview: Gala Concert, by Opera Hong Kong
A lot can happen in 10 years. Just ask tenor Warren Mok Wah-lun about the local opera scene before he co-founded Opera Hong Kong a decade ago.
Opera Hong Kong
A lot can happen in 10 years. Just ask tenor Warren Mok Wah-lun about the local opera scene before he co-founded Opera Hong Kong a decade ago.
The Leisure and Cultural Services Department would put on perhaps one opera a year, Mok recalls, and another one was presented by the Hong Kong Arts Festival - and that was it. "Now, over the past 10 years, we've done 16 major productions plus numerous concerts and school tours," says the artistic director of the city's first professional opera company.
Tonight, Mok joins 22 local and international singers - including bass baritone Shenyang and soprano Jennifer Rowley - for Opera Hong Kong's 10th anniversary Gala Concert. They will be accompanied by the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, Opera Hong Kong Chorus and Opera Hong Kong Children Chorus, with Perry So on the conductor's podium.
The programme contains excerpts from well-known operas such as Carmen, Don Giovanni, La Boheme, Madame Butterfly and Rigoletto. It also includes tunes and performances by what Mok calls "opera lovers", or non-professional singers, who serve on the company's board.
"I'm going to sing ensembles, duets with the opera lovers and a trio," says Mok. "On stage we'll have close to 250 people performing, from choral singing to duets to trios. And it's going to be a very vast repertoire."