The 29th of January marked this year’s Lunar New Year, also known as the Chinese New Year, a most important moment in the Chinese calendar. The arrival of the Lunar New Year also marks the beginning of spring in China, and it’s accompanied by many days of celebrations known as “Guo Nian”.

To celebrate this joyous occasion, the 20-piece Hong Kong String Orchestra, comprising mainly young musicians, kicked off its inaugural Australian tour with an uplifting concert intended to appeal to a broad public. The stage at Her Majesty’s Theatre was appropriately adorned with red lanterns and plush red drapes.

The MC for the evening was the artistic director of Adelaide’s OzAsia Festival, Joon-Yee Kwok, and her rousing introduction whipped the culturally diverse audience into anticipation. The annual OzAsia Festival is a major event in South Australia’s artistic calendar, and it has made the music, art, dance, theatre, cinema, literature and cuisine of Asian countries accessible to the South Australian public for many years.

Hong Kong String Orchestra, His Majesty’s Theatre, Adelaide.

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