Asian Youth Orchestra Concert -- Celebration of Life

On Christmas Day 2020, AYO Founder Richard Pontzious who devoted his life in nurturing young musicians all over Asia left this world.
Mr. Pontzious founded the Asian Youth Orchestra (AYO) in 1990 with the support of violinist and humanitarian Yehudi Menuhin. Making Hong Kong his home for the last three decades of his life, from here he lead AYO to be one of the most prominent institution of performing arts in Asia. Over 25,000 young musicians have auditioned for AYO since its inception. Today, AYO alumni are making contributions in music all over the world.
Recognized for his dedication and his leading role in the arts, Mr. Pontzious was awarded the Bronze and Silver Bauhinia Star by the Hong Kong Government in 2000 & 2016. In 2010 Mr. Pontzious was honoured on behalf of the Asian Youth Orchestra with Japan’s Praemium Imperiale Grant for Young Artists, a coveted international prize in the arts. In 2015 he received in Japan, also on behalf of the Orchestra, the Nikkei Asia Prize for Culture and Community.
This concert is a way for the AYO alumni to pay tribute to Mr. Pontzious for his life and devotion. The alumni from Hong Kong who are now members of the professional orchestras will come together and perform under the baton of three AYO alumni. The repertoire was selected from pieces conducted by Mr. Pontzious on tour with AYO over the past 20 years.
Conductors: Joseph Kam, Kelvin Ngai, Fung Ka Hing
Performed by AYO Alumni Orchestra
Repertoire include:
Shostakovich: Festive Overture
Brahms: Symphony No. 3, 3rd Movement
Copland: Appalachian Spring, “Simple Gifts”
Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5, 4th Movement
Holst: The Planets, Jupiter
Bernstein: Candide Overture
Beethoven: Symphony No. 7, 4th Movement
Brahms: Symphony No. 4, 3rd Movement
Dvorak: Symphony No. 9, 4th Movement
Elgar: Enigma Variations, Nimrod