New programmes to celebrate Jockey Club's 40-year support of Arts Festival

10/03/2011

To celebrate The Hong Kong Jockey Club’s support of the Hong Kong Arts Festival (AFS) for the past 40 years, the Jockey Club will sponsor two innovative new programmes at the upcoming Festival, in addition to the three world-class performances it supports annually. Today (3 October) Club Steward Anthony W K Chow joined AFS Chairman Charles Lee at a press conference to announce details of the 2012 Hong Kong Arts Festival.

One of the new sponsored programmes is “World of WearableArt” (WOW), New Zealand’s biggest art event being staged in Hong Kong for the first time from the end of January. The event allows local and overseas designers and performers to showcase hundreds of wearable art pieces in colourful and surreal performances at KITEC, the international trade and exhibition centre in Kowloon Bay.

The other new programme, “The Hong Kong Jockey Club Contemporary Dance Series” is designed to promote local dance development by showcasing the new works of five of Hong Kong’s latest generation of dance talents.

The Jockey Club has supported the Hong Kong Arts Festival for four decades, taking the initiative to enrich the cultural experiences of local audiences and foster the public’s appreciation of arts and culture.  To assist the Hong Kong Arts Festival Society in planning ahead and securing the participation of leading world-class artists and ensembles, the Club’s Charities Trust introduced a new funding mode in 2008 whereby funds are approved three years in advance.  This arrangement provides an average of HK$8 million each year for the AFS to bring in three main pillar programmes for each year’s Festival. One performance of each programme is designated “The Hong Kong Jockey Club Series”, so as to allow local citizens and overseas audiences to enjoy more world-class performances.

This year, “The Hong Kong Jockey Club Series” features a concert by Myung-whun Chung and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, a ballet version of “A Streetcar Named Desire” and the opera “Cosi Fan Tutte” by the Bavarian State Opera.

In addition, the Jockey Club funds “The Hong Kong Jockey Club Student Matinee” programme.  Before the students enjoy the performance, AFS organises pre-performance briefings for them to give them basic knowledge and theatre etiquette, and enrich their understanding of the story and performing group involved. Details of the Hong Kong Arts Festival are available at www.hk.artsfestival.org.

Over the years, the Jockey Club has made a strong commitment to the development of local arts and culture. In the past decade, the Jockey Club donations to arts and culture have totalled some HK$1.55 billion, including the establishment of The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (HKAPA) and the Jockey Club Creative Arts Centre (JCCAC), as well as the renovation of the Hong Kong Arts Centre.  It has also launched the Jockey Club Performing Arts Venue Subsidy Scheme and an outreach project, “Behind the Scenes” with HKAPA.  In addition, the Club has funded various projects to encourage people with disabilities to participate in arts and cultural programmes, such as the Jockey Club Arts for the Disabled Scheme and the creation of an Inclusive Arts Studio at JCCAC.

The Hong Kong Jockey Club

Founded in 1884, The Hong Kong Jockey Club has become one of Hong Kong’s best known and respected organisations, providing the public with world-class sporting entertainment as well as being the city’s major non-Government community benefactor, now donating more than HK$1 billion a year to charitable and community projects.  It has been a part of Hong Kong through good times and bad, sharing the city’s growth and development with its people, and is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for future generations.