Five Favourites
Singing star and Broadway diva Lea Salonga

What is your all-time favourite song from a Broadway musical?
Oh goodness... I have quite a few favourites for different reasons. My favourite Act I finales would have to be One Day More from Les Miserables and Defying Gravity from Wicked. These send chills up my spine and tears running down my face. They are electric moments for me, and I love watching them from a great seat in the house. As for the best solo, I’ll be biased and say any solo from Les Miz does it for me! And Miss Saigon!

What is your favourite song from a Walt Disney movie?
Besides A Whole New World from Aladdin, you mean? I love
the music from The Hunchback of Notre Dame... very musical theatre. As for the older classics, I love A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes from Cinderella and Someone’s Waiting for You from The Rescuers.
Who is your favourite pop singer or group of all time?
It would have to be Michael Jackson. Sure, he’s had his share of hard knocks in his later life, but you must admit and agree that the music he made (especially the albums Thriller and Off The Wall) is timeless. I’ve played the songs over and over and over again and know that I’ll never ever get tired of them. I would probably choose those albums over all else to take to an island if I could take nothing else.

Who is your favourite character in a Walt Disney movie?
Hmmm... Lumiere in Beauty and the Beast. Such style! Such flair! Such romance! He’s just a fun character to watch, and Jerry Orbach infused such life into him when he created that voice. I also love the villains, especially Maleficent in Sleeping Beauty and Jafar in Aladdin. They were so delicious! Makes it seem that playing the bad guy is so much more fun!

What is your favourite film at the moment?
I haven’t had any time to go out and watch a movie since I gave birth almost two years ago, so I’ve been buying DVDs or movies on iTunes. I loved Ratatouille, thought it was a sweet film. I also love Hairspray! It’s just a fun, fun romp through Baltimore in the 1960s, and my daughter just dances to the music every time we play the DVD for her. I don’t remember ever seeing a kid her age react to a film in that way. I play that movie just to watch my little girl dance. It’s too cute!

Laurence Olivier and Tony Award winner Lea Salonga made her professional debut at the age of seven in her native Philippines and then rose to international fame at 17 with her highly acclaimed portrayal of Kim in the musical Miss Saigon. This February 9 and 10, she will perform with the HK Philharmonic Orchestra in Lea Salonga – The Voice of Mulan at the HK Cultural Centre’s Concert Hall. Evening performances will commence at 8pm. An additional show has been scheduled for 3pm on Sunday, February 10. Tickets are $480 to $180 from URBTIX, 2734 9009.

Siren Songs
Every step you take to get tickets to The Police at the Venetian, Macau, on February 7 should be quick before the show sells out! The band only existed for a little over six years but became one of the world’s most recognized musical acts, selling over 50 million albums globally. A highly publicized split occurred in 1984 but, after the release of their recent greatest hits CD, The Police are back together again to celebrate their 30th anniversary with a world tour. During 2007, the legendary group sold out concerts in North and South America and Europe but fans who missed out then can catch them live this year in New Zealand, Australia and Japan. And, of course, at Macau’s Venetian Arena with a special guest appearance by Fiction Plane. The show starts at 7:30pm and will last about two hours. Tickets are MOP$1,200 to MOP$600 and bookable online at www.venetianmacaotickets.com or in person at the Sands Macau lobby and the Venetian Arena box offices. Ticket purchases are limited to six per person. For further details, call the Venetian Arena, +853 2882 8818.

Ozone Dreams
Have any good night visions lately? No worries if you haven’t because you can catch Dream 5 at Ozone (12/F, Ozone Stage at Langham Place, Mongkok) on Wednesday, February 6. The band will be performing sounds heavily influenced by jazz, blues, funk and indie rock vocals. On guitar will be Samson with Marvin on the drums, Miranda playing the piano, Ka-Ho pumping the sounds from the saxophone/flute and Kristal on the bass. The show runs from 9:45-10:30pm and admission is free. For more information log onto www.dream5.hk or contact Kristal at 9100 4167.

Underground 52
Moving to a different venue with a whole new line-up, Underground 52 will be invading Club Cixi (G/F, On Hing Bldg, 1 On Hing Terrace, Central) on Saturday, February 2. What would the show be without a bit of international ‘flava’ to cling to the eardrums of the crowd? Providing punk and ska laced with Latin and African beats, headlining band Transnoodle will be schooling the audience in some original tunes. Then the British-influenced band known as F.T.T will also rustle up a few tricks to stimulate the crowd with a blend of punk, pop, ska, rockabilly and blues, while Les Ailes with their pop-rock rhythms should continue to keep toes wiggling. Finally Luxury throw some indie rock into the blender and shine with style. The show runs from 8-10pm for ages 18 and over. The cover charge is $80. For enquiries, call Chris B at 9486 4648.

Classic Champions
The Pan Asia Symphony Orchestra’s concerts on February 2 and 3 won’t only be occasions in which East meets West but also When The Two World Champions Meet. The two in question are soloist Frederieke Saeijs, the winner of several international violin-playing competitions, and maestro Jimmy Chiang, first-prize winner of the 4th International Competition of Young Conductors “Lovro von Matacic” in Croatia, 2007. Both musicians will be special guest performers for a pair of concerts of Mozart’s Adagio in E, K261, and Tschaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet Overture and Violin Concerto in D, Op 35. The Saturday, February 2, concert at the Tsuen Wan Town Hall’s Auditorium is set to start at 8pm while the Sunday, February 3, performance at the Yuen Long Theatre’s Auditorium will begin at 3pm. Tickets are $100 to $60 from URBTIX, 2734 9009.

Volta Björk
Love Björk? Then revel in the fact that the Icelandic singer-songwriter, composer, sometime actress and music producer with the unique fashion sense as well as distinctive style of singing is coming back to Hong Kong for a one-night only show on Thursday, February 28. The Volta Tour concert is named for her 2007 Volta album Showtime is at 8pm at the AsiaWorld-Expo’s Hall 6. Tickets are $780 and $480 from HK Ticketing, 31 288 288.

Priscilla Performs
Whether absence makes fans’ hearts grow fonder will have to be seen when Priscilla Chan makes a comeback on the weekend of Chinese New Year. This Cantopop singer entered the music scene when she was only 18 years old in 1983 and recorded many hits, including Forgotten Promise. Following that, she released albums, among them The Feelings of a Story (1984), Priscilla (1985), and Always be your Friend (1989), which resulted in her success being compared to that of megastars Alan Tam and the late Anita Mui. At the height of her fame, Chan made a life-changing decision to end her music career and finish her degree in psychology at New York’s Syracuse University. Career suicide? Maybe not, for now she returns to the HITEC Star Hall in Kowloon Bay to sing a couple of charity shows for children with diabetes on February 8 and 9. Tickets for $480 to $150 from HK Ticketing 31 288 288.

Valentine Tunes
The beauty of live music during dinner is that it can either enhance the stimulating conversation or fill the space of an awkward silence. Violinist Pui-Teoong Yung and pianist Benedict Lee, soloists who were previously part of a group known as the People’s Republic of Originality, will be adding the spice or soothing the speechless at Backstage Live on Valentine’s Day, February 14. They will be joined by local vocalists Vicky Fung and Jone Chui. Guests can make song requests when reserving a table ($1,314 buys a special Valentine dinner set for two) and the musicians will oblige during their 8-10pm gig. Admission is $200 and includes two standard drinks. For reservations, call 2167 8985.