“Ｓｏｎｇ ｏｆ Ｐｅａｃｅ” Ｃｏｎｃｅｒｔｓ Ｈｅｌｄ ｉｎ Ｈｏｎｇ Ｋｏｎｇ

In celebration of the 50th founding anniversary of the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries， the 89-member Children and Young Women’s Chorus of the China National Symphony Orchestra， headed by CPAFFC Vice President Li Xiaolin， paid a goodwill visit to Hong Kong from December 17 to 21， 2004 at the invitation of Yip’s Children’s Choir， and held the “Song of Peace” Youth Choir Concerts at the Jockey Club Auditorium of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University on December 18 and 19. It was the largest choral delegation the CPAFFC had ever dispatched.

The Children and Young Women’s Chorus of the China National Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1983 at the initiative of Professor Yang Hongnian of the Central Conservatory of Music. In the past 20-odd years， the chorus has offered nearly 400 concerts in Asia， Europe and Americas. As a winner of 6 international prizes， it is reputed as one of the world’s top 7 children’s choruses.

As Vice President Li Xiaolin expressed in her opening speech at the concert， the purposes of the “Song of Peace” Concerts were to publicize the aims of the CPAFFC， namely “enhancing people’s friendship， furthering international cooperation， safeguarding world peace and promoting common development”， promote mutual understanding and cultural exchange between the mainland and Hong Kong and between China and Asia and the world， and convey to the world the Chinese people’s love for peace.

The “Song of Peace” Concert started with Three Stanzas in Celebration of the CPAFFC 50th Anniversary， lyrics by CPAFFC President Chen Haosu. The chorus presented such well-known Chinese and foreign songs as Song of Youth， Pastoral Song， On Wings of Songs， Jingle Bells. The string orchestra of Yip’s Children’s Choir performed Hora Staccato， Spring of Xinjiang， etc. The exquisite melodies and entrancing singing gave the audience a perfect artistic treat. At the end of the concert， there was long enthusiastic applause and several encores by the singers.

During the visit， Lam Kin Chung Morning Sun Charity Fund， MasterCard International， Giordano International Ltd.， among others offered generous sponsorship to the concerts， held welcoming receptions for the chorus and had discussions with CPAFFC Vice President Li Xiaolin on future collaboration. “The tour by the Children and Young Women’s Chorus of the China National Symphony Orchestra， led by Vice President Li Xiaolin， has given a push to the musical and cultural exchanges between Hong Kong and the mainland，” said Mr. Danny Cheung， vice president and greater China business manager of MasterCard International. “It has been a very successful joint production by your chorus and Yip’s Children’s Choir. I wish to bring our concerts to Macao， Taiwan as well as other countries and regions in future， to extend the positive influence，” suggested Dr Yip Wai-hong， renowned musical educator， founder of Yip’s Children’s Choir and chairman of the International Society for Children’s Choral and Performing Arts.