Tag: music

This Week at The AIA Great European Carnival

Come down to the AIA Great European Carnival and see Ryan Higa in person, interviewed by Dom Lau from Asia Pop 40, at 4pm this Friday 13th February, on the main stage!
Come down to the AIA Great European Carnival and see Ryan Higa in person, interviewed by Dom Lau from Asia Pop 40, at 4pm this Friday 13th February, on the main stage!

Community Programs are Winners at The AIA Great European Carnival

The AIA Great European Carnival will continue to thrill and entertain people all walks of life within the Hong Kong community up until February 22.

A range of community outreach programs have been taking place on weekdays which have enabled participation from a range of local and international schools, underprivileged children and charitable organisations in Hong Kong. These groups not only had the opportunity to enjoy the fun of the Carnival, but were offered a range of unique educational experiences and behind the scenes tours.

Several prominent Hong Kong-based charities – including the Mother’s Choice, Project WeCan, ShelterBox, Po Leung Kuk and the Nesbitt Centre – have held special events and open days for their clients, volunteers and supporters. During these days guests were given special one-on-one time with the Carnival’s colourful array of street performers. Others used the Live Stage for public dance and drama performances.

As title sponsor of the AIA Great European Carnival, AIA also facilitated days on which their Hong Kong staff accompanied students from Po Leung Kuk schools on daytime visits to the Carnival.

As part of the Carnival’s community programs, school groups have been invited to visit the Carnival and choose from a range of packaged excursions specially designed for Primary and Secondary school students.

“We established the schools programs as we discovered there was a lot to learn from all the different components of the Carnival and thought that it would enable unique experiences for younger students and provide interesting case studies especially for older students,” said Alex Gibbs, Director of Community Programs. “Our ‘Business Behind the Carnival’ tours and the ‘Physics, Design and Engineering of Rides’ have been very popular and we will develop these programs even more in the future.”

Led by some of the carnival’s colourful array of street performers, Primary students choose between activities involving arts and crafts such as make their own juggling balls, or learning the art of balloon twisting, juggling or African drumming.

For the Secondary students, specific assignments are given including a physics program, where pupils work out the mechanics of some of the Carnival’s thrill-making rides, guided by some of the Carnival’s chief engineers. Another choice revolves around business studies, where students get behind- the- scenes tours of the Carnival and explore the wide range of components, people, skills and coordination required to run an event of this magnitude.

“There is an enormous range of interesting facts and figures that are certain to excite young minds, and it’s not all hard work. Following the completion of their assignments, students are given some free time to go on a ride and play skill games and sample the refreshments which are also available,” added Alex Gibbs. “The AIA Great European Carnival has been described by so many visitors as an awesome experience, and sponsors and organisers have been absolutely thrilled with the enthusiastic support received from Hong Kong residents and visitors alike”.

Belle and Sebastian Concert Review

belle+seb

Belle and Sebastian’s concert at Asia-Expo was so much better than my previous experience at this dreadful venue. For starters, there were real musicians on stage. Lots of them! The six band members were joined by what I assume were locally-hired musicians. I counted 13 people on stage at one time. This was no simple promotional exercise. The band was out to have fun. From the off, they engaged with the enthusiastic audience, an eclectic mix of young and old, local and expat.

The band started with Nobody’s Empire, quickly followed by I’m a Cuckoo and Expectations. The sound was good and the visuals were fun, light-hearted and entertaining. The Boy with the Arab Strap and Legal Man were my personal highlights of the evening. During these songs, members of the audience were invited up on stage to dance along with Stuart Murdoch and co. Being Hong Kong; plenty of selfies were taken by the dancers on stage.

During Piazza, New York Catcher a yellow umbrella appeared much to the enthusiastic cheers of the crowd. The tents maybe mostly gone, but the world remembers and continues it’s support.

For the well-deserved encore, Belle and Sebastian played a truncated version of There’s Too Much Love in response to an audience member’s request and ended the evening with a superb rendition of Get Me Away From Here, I’m Dying, which left the crowd wanting more.

I went to this concert with low expectations simply because it was being held at Asia-Expo. I left on a high, ready to dust off and play my old Belle and Sebastian CDs. A great night’s entertainment.

Belle and Sebastian
When: 8pm, 10 February, 2015
Where: AsiaWorld Expo
How much: $760 from HKTicketing

An Acoustic Evening with Jason Mraz and Raining Jane @ AsiaWorld Arena – 8pm, 27 March, 2015

An Acoustic Evening with Jason Mraz and Raining Jane @ AsiaWorld Arena - 8pm, 27 March, 2015

American singer-songwriter Jason Mraz has sold over 7 million albums worldwide since the release of his 2002 debut studio album Waiting for My Rocket to Come, which contained the hit single The Remedy (I Won’t Worry). Commercial success, three more studio albums Mr. A-Z, (2005), We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things (2008), Love Is a Four Letter Word, (2010), multiple hit singles and two Grammy Awards have followed. In 2014 Mraz released his first acoustic album (and fifth studio album) Yes. Recorded and written with Raining Jane – the pair are undertaking a global tour to support its release and arrive in Hong Kong on the 27 March.

An Acoustic Evening with Jason Mraz and Raining Jane – Live In Hong Kong
When: 8pm, 27 March, 2015
Where: AsiaWorld-Expo, Arena
How much: $888, $688, $488, $388 from HKTicketing
More info: tickets on sale 13 February