ENSEMBLES 2008
Good Hope School Choir
Good Hope School Choir has a long history and is well known for its choral technique, tradition and spirit. Through choral training, the Choir aims at teaching its members to be confident young women, enhancing their autonomous leadership, strengthening their sense of commitment to the school and society and nurturing a proactive learning environment to inculcate in its members a positive attitude to life and a readiness to reach their full potential. All choir members are expected to attend practices, rehearsals and activities which are arranged for the development of cognitive and generic skills as well as giving them musical exposure.
To cater for diversified learners, students are given different opportunities to suit individual needs and interests, including solo, duet and ensemble singing, dancing and conductor training. Since 1974, the Choir has participated in a variety of musical activities such as competitions, performances and special tuition by visiting expert musicians to develop its strengths and talents.
Local performances and activities include the Caroling Programme, the Service for the Opening of the Legal Year, the Annual Music Camp and the Annual New Year Concert. These are major events where the Choir members work under the batons of renowned musicians who have included (in alphabetical order) Pro. Dr. Victor Chan (Hong Kong), Mr. Durk Duhei (Taiwan), Mr. David Fanshawe (England), Ms Kathy Fok (Hong Kong), Ms Jeanette Gallent (Hong Kong), Mr. Kwok Hangkei (Hong Kong), Professor Lai Kwong Yik (China), Mr. Lai Yuen Kwai (China), Professor Q i Li (China), Dr. Leung Chi Cheung (Hong Kong), Dr. Gabriel Leung (Hong Kong), the late Dr. Nelson (Australia), Dr. Shi Jian Gao (Hong Kong), Dr. Ronald Smart (Australia), Professor Jing Ling Tam (USA) and Dr. Willian Weinert (USA).
In the past, the choir members have been trained by: (in alphabetical order) Mrs. Eleanor Hum, Mrs. Daisy Tai, Mrs. Cindy Tai and Mrs. Betty Tham. For more than 30 years, the choir has achieved outstanding results in the Hong Kong Schools Music Festival Competition, the Hon Kong International Youth Festival of Performing Arts where it was awarded championships at different levels and "The Most Outstanding Choir Award".
The Choir has made many overseas tours such as the Pan Pacific Music Camp in Australia, the Pacific Basin Music Choral Competition in Hawaii, the 2nd China's National Choral Competition, the World Youth Day in the Philippines, the Joliette Music Festival in Canada, the Bela Bartok International Choir Competition in Hungary, the Youth Music Festival Girls' Choir Category in Vienna, and the Aurora Choral and Band Competition Festival in New Zealand and cultural exchange tours to Beijing and Shanghai. Wherever the Choir has visited, it has received highly positive feedback for their choral singing skills and passion for music.
While building on its solid foundations, the Good Hope School Choir continues to strive to excellence and further development with the contribution from its dedicated music educators, enthusiastic support from parents and most importantly, self-motivation from the choir members themselves.
Betty Fung Pui-Ling
Conductor
Specializing in music teaching, Betty Fung Pui-Ling, read her Master of Music Education in the Hong Kong Institute of Education. Fung started her career 30 years ago in Hong Kong in Good Hope School as a music teacher and choir conductor. Fung stressed on laying solid foundation training for the choir members and providing them with opportunities to see the world through the window of music. She has witnessed the growth of the school choir from 80 to nearly 300 members today. On top of training the choir to participate in the local schools' music festival and wining numerous prizes, she has arranged many overseas musical tours for the choir and accompanied the choir to different music festivals in Sydney, Christchurch, Montreal, Vancouver, Beijing, Shanghai, the Philippines, Hawaii, Debrecen, Vienna, Koriyama, and Singapore in the past years. Under her headship, the music curriculum and co-curricular activities in the school have been restructured and integrated arts projects have been launched to cater for diversified learners and as well as to enhance the strength of the talented students. Fung, together with her colleagues in the music panel, started the strong tradition of choral singing, contributed to the upholding of the tradition and to the development of choral education in school.
Competition Program
F. Schubert: "Das Leben ist ein Traum" D 269
K. Schiske: "Sieh nicht, was andere tun" op. 22
Gail Kubik: "Oh, dear! What can the matter be?"
Yang Shu Zheng: "Yao Yuan Di Xiao Yu Chun" (A Small Fish Village)
Zhang Yi Da: "Dong Dong Kui"