900 Young Musicians Set to Shine at 2026 Fiesta of Music Concert Series

Over 900 young musicians to perform at 2026 Fiesta of Music Office Bands, Choirs and Orchestras concert series

Over 900 young musicians from 17 bands, choirs and orchestras under the Music Office of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) will present beautiful music at the 2026 Fiesta of Music Office Bands, Choirs and Orchestras concert series in April.

Marking the commencement of the Fiesta, the New Territories Youth Strings, the Island Youth Strings, the Kowloon Youth Strings and the Hong Kong Youth Strings will perform at the concert titled "Fairy Tales", to be held at 3pm on April 5 (Sunday) at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall. They will perform excerpts from the familiaranimation "Frozen", arranged by Longfield; Borodin's masterpiece "Selections from Polovtsian Dances", arranged by Marani; Saint-Saëns' fantastical "Danse Macabre"; and "The Magic of Harry Potter", an arrangement of film soundtracks by Story. This concert is one of the pre-festival programmes of the Hong Kong Pop Culture Festival 2026.

The second concert, "Faith and Love", will be held at 7.30pm on April 11 (Saturday) at the Hong Kong City Hall Concert Hall. The Music Office Children's Choir, the Music Office Youth Choir and the Music Office Junior Symphony Orchestra willpresent Althouse's "Cantar!", which is full of vibrant energy; the deeply moving "Come Live With Me And Be My Love" by Gilpin; Saint-Saëns' energetic "Marche Héroïque"; and the third, fifth and sixth movements of the traditional "Irish Suite" arranged by Anderson, spreading positive energy through melodious classics.

The Chinese orchestras' concert "Chinese Music Rendezvous" will be held at 7.30pm on April 18 (Saturday) at the Queen Elizabeth Stadium Arena. The Music Office Children's Chinese Orchestra, the Kowloon Youth Chinese Orchestra, the Island Youth Chinese Orchestra and the New Territories Youth Chinese Orchestra will perform the Kazakh folk song "Mayila", arranged by Alfred Wong; Lo Leung-fai's vibrant "Spring"; Kwok Hang-kei's melodious "Scenery of Dali"; and the festive and joyful "Festival at Chang'an" by Zhao Jiping and Lu Rirong. This concert is one of the programmes of the Chinese Culture Promotion Series.

TheMusic Office Youth Brass Band, the Kowloon Youth Symphonic Band and the New Territories Youth Symphonic Band will perform at the concert titled "The Looms of Winds" to be held at 3pm on April 19 (Sunday) at the Queen Elizabeth Stadium Arena. The repertoire includes "Gøta", which depicts the landscape of the arctic region; the mysterious yet majestic "Terracotta Warriors" by Watson; and mesmerising musical highlights from "Enchanted", offering a full immersion in the wonders of music to the audience.

The concert, "Melodic Splendour", featuring the Hong Kong Children's Symphonic Band, the Music Office Junior Chinese Orchestra and the Music Office Junior Symphonic Band, will be held at 3pm on April 26 (Sunday) at the Tuen Mun Town Hall Auditorium. They will presentthe magnificent piece"The Symphony of Souls"; the first, third and fourth movements of "Medley of Folk Songs from China's West - Somewhere Far Away", arranged by Gu Guanren; and the uplifting "Declaration Overture".

Tickets for the first concert are now available at URBTIX (www.urbtix.hk), and tickets for the other concerts will be available one month before the concert dates.Tickets are priced at $60, $80 and $90. For telephone bookings, please call 3166 1288. For programme enquiries, please call 2796 7523 or 3842 7784 or visitwww.lcsd.gov.hk/en/mo/activities/traineesevents/musicnconcert/2026-Fiesta.html.

With "Beyond Fantasy" as this year's theme, the LCSD presents the fourth Hong Kong Pop Culture Festival. Over the years, Hong Kong pop culture has continued to evolve through music, images and text, as well as stage and cross-media creations. Shaped by the interplay of inheritance, circulation, fusion and breakthroughs, it has distilled a style that is uniquely Hong Kong. The Festival will continue to join audiences and local creators in crossing boundaries within everyday rhythms, and create warm, resonant and moving works while inspiring the limitless possibilities of pop culture.

The concert "Chinese Music Rendezvous" is one of the activities in the Chinese Culture Promotion Series. The LCSD has long been promoting Chinese history and culture through organising an array of programmes and activities to enable the public to learn more about the broad and profound Chinese culture. For more information, please visitwww.ccpo.gov.hk/en/.

The poster of the 2026 Fiesta of Music Office Bands, Choirs and Orchestras concert series in April. Photo source: lcsd.gov.hk

SJ convenes Steering Committee meeting on establishment of Inter-Departmental Working Group to Review Legislation to Support Wider Application of AI

The Secretary for Justice, Mr Paul Lam, SC, convened a Steering Committee meeting on the establishment of the Inter-Departmental Working Group to Review Legislation to Support Wider Application of AI today (March 6). The Deputy Secretary for Justice, Dr Cheung Kwok-kwan; the Secretary for Security, Mr Tang Ping-keung; the Secretary for the Civil Service, Mrs Ingrid Yeung; the Acting Secretary for Environment and Ecology, Miss Diane Wong, Permanent Secretaries and Under Secretaries of various policy bureaux, and heads and representatives of other government departments also attended.

The establishment of the Working Group by the Department of Justice (DoJ) is one of the key policy initiatives in the Chief Executive's 2025 Policy Address.

Mr Lam said that the Government must take the lead in promptly reviewing relevant laws in Hong Kong with a view to modernising them so as to establish a facilitative yet properly controlled legal environment for AI development in Hong Kong, enabling the city to fully harness AI's potential benefits while safeguarding the legitimate interests of all stakeholders on whom the use of AI has an impact.

He noted that the Government must take a candid and proactive approach to the risks and regulatory requirements that may arise from the development and application of AI. It is essential to strike a balance between promoting relevant development and mitigating associated risks. Therefore, policy bureaux and departments (B/Ds) should first conduct a comprehensive and thorough review of existing laws to identify loopholes and deficiencies, and then formulate targeted and practicable solutions taking into account Hong Kong's actual environment, Mr Lam added.

At the meeting, the purpose of the Working Group and its mode of operation under the superintendence of the Steering Committee were discussed. The core members of the Working Group will be drawn from various B/Ds. The role of the DoJ is to help each bureau keep a sharp focus in conducting a critical review of the areas of law under their policy responsibility. After a preliminary study, the DoJ will seek to co-ordinate different B/Ds when concerted effort is required during the course of the substantive review by the Working Group.

Noting that the establishment of the Working Group would be essential in addressing issues arising from the fast development and pervasive use of AI, Mr Lam called on all B/Ds, including the Judiciary Administration, the Administration Wing and the Digital Policy Office, to lend their full support.

The Secretary for Justice, Mr Paul Lam, SC (fifth left), convened a Steering Committee meeting on the establishment of the Inter-Departmental Working Group to Review Legislation to Support Wider Application of AI today (March 6). The Deputy Secretary for Justice, Dr Cheung Kwok-kwan (fourth left); the Secretary for Security, Mr Tang Ping-keung (second right); the Secretary for the Civil Service, Mrs Ingrid Yeung (first right); the Acting Secretary for Environment and Ecology, Miss Diane Wong (seventh right), Permanent Secretaries and Under Secretaries of various policy bureaux, and heads and representatives of other government departments also attended the meeting. Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

The Secretary for Justice, Mr Paul Lam, SC, convened a Steering Committee meeting on the establishment of the Inter-Departmental Working Group to Review Legislation to Support Wider Application of AI today (March 6). Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

The Secretary for Justice, Mr Paul Lam, SC (second right), convened a Steering Committee meeting on the establishment of the Inter-Departmental Working Group to Review Legislation to Support Wider Application of AI today (March 6). The Deputy Secretary for Justice, Dr Cheung Kwok-kwan (second left), also attended the meeting. Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases