More than 400 young music campers to perform Chinese and Western music in "Summer Resonance" concerts
Over 400 young musicians and choristers who participated in the 2026 Hong Kong Youth Music Camp will perform a Chinese and Western music repertoire in two concerts to be held in July and August to showcase the achievements of their training at the camp.
Presented by the Music Office of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, the 2026 Hong Kong Youth Music Camp Concerts, entitled "Summer Resonance", will be held at 3pm on July 26 at the Auditorium of Yuen Long Theatre and 3pm on August 2 at the Concert Hall of Hong Kong City Hall. The concerts are part of the International Arts Carnival (IAC) summer programmes.
The first concert will be performed by the Children's Choir, Junior Chinese Orchestra and Symphony Orchestra under the batons of Camp conductors Dr Tracy Wong, Dr Cui Yuanyuan and Jean-Philippe Vanbeselaere from Canada, the Chinese Mainland and France respectively. Programme highlights include Kallman's depiction of love and joy "Won't You Sing Along", Lo Leung-fai's vibrant "Youthful Energy" and Berlioz's magnificent "Symphonie Fantastique, Op. 14".
TheJunior String Orchestra, Symphonic Band and Chinese Orchestra will perform an array of fascinating music pieces in the second concert, led by Camp conductors John Sit, Professor Nicholas Williams and Professor Chen Bing from Hong Kong, the United States and the Chinese Mainland respectively. Programme highlights include "Violin Concerto No. 2 in G minor 'Summer'" from Vivaldi's masterpiece "The Four Seasons", John Williams' atmospheric "Symphonic Suite from Star Wars: The Force Awakens" and Zhao Jiping's "Follow the Pagoda Tree to Trace the Roots of Our Ancestors", a work filled with the longing for the homeland.
The Hong Kong Youth Music Camp is one of the annual summer activities of the Music Office for young musicians to receive treasurable guidance from maestros, expanding their musical horizons.
Tickets for the concerts priced at $80, $100 and $130 are now available at URBTIX (www.urbtix.hk). For telephone bookings, please call 3166 1288. For programme enquiries, please call 2796 7537 or 3842 7784 or visitwww.lcsd.gov.hk/en/mo/activities/traineesevents/musicnconcert/2026hkymcc.html.
For details of other IAC programmes, please visitwww.hkiac.gov.hk.
Source: AI-found images
Marine Department implements facilitation measures to encourage yacht visits to Hong Kong
The Marine Department (MD) today (June 29) announced the implementation of cross-boundary facilitation measures for yachts.
A spokesman for the MD said, "The 2025 Policy Address proposed developing the yacht economy. The three measures introduced by the MD today will streamline vetting procedures and enhance port formality efficiency to facilitate the implementation of existing policies for yachts visiting Hong Kong, thereby attracting more yachts from the Greater Bay Area and around the world to choose Hong Kong as their destination and helping Hong Kong develop into a yachting hub in Asia."
Details of the three facilitation measures are set out below:
(1) Enhancing the Electronic Business System
The enhanced Electronic Business System (eBS) was launched today. The owner or master of a visiting yacht, without the need to engage local agents, can set up a personal account on the system, which allows one-stop submission of arrival information for the vessel, crew and passengers in advance, thus enabling preliminary vetting by the relevant departments (the MD, the Immigration Department and the Department of Health). The owner or master can complete port formalities for their vessels and settle the relevant fees via the system on their own.
The eBS' coverage also includes the following services:
- submission of a Pre-Arrival Notification to the MD for the purpose of applying for permission for the vessel to enter Hong Kong waters;
- reporting of the vessel's arrival;
- application for permission to navigate in Hong Kong waters and for the intended anchorage within designated anchorage areas for visiting yachts; and
- application for port clearance.
For details of the enhanced eBS, please visit the MD's website.
(2) Relaxing the requirements of berths for visiting yachts
The MD has improved the existing mechanism and developed a Dynamic Yacht Monitoring System, which allows visiting yachts to navigate safely and in an orderly manner in Hong Kong waters as well as to anchor in designated areas, without having to reserve berths at privately operated yacht clubs or piers. The five designated anchorage areas for visiting yachts are located at Stanley Bay, Tai Tam Bay, Repulse Bay, Three Fathoms Cove in Sai Kung, and Tai O, and are situated close to general navigation waters and popular recreational boating areas.
The Dynamic Yacht Monitoring System calculates the number and distribution of yachts permitted to anchor based on the actual size and draft reported by the yachts visiting Hong Kong, as well as the occupancy status of the anchorage areas, and provides real-time monitoring of the movements of visiting yachts within the designated anchorages. Visiting yachts using the designated anchorage areas must be equipped with an Automatic Identification System (AIS) and a Very High Frequency (VHF) radio to enable the MD to monitor their movements in real time and communicate with the yachts via VHF radio when necessary.
(3) Facilitating masters of visiting yachts from the Chinese Mainland to obtain required qualifications
To safeguard the safety of visiting yachts and other port users, the operator of any visiting yacht planning to navigate in Hong Kong waters for leisure purposes is required not only to comply with the requirements of their flag state authority but also to pass an examination on local knowledge of Hong Kong waters.
To facilitate operators of visiting yachts from the Chinese Mainland in obtaining qualifications for navigation in Hong Kong waters in advance, the MD has authorised the relevant Mainland authority to conduct Hong Kong Waters Local Knowledge Examinations on the Mainland. The MD has also approved seven training institutions to offer recognised training courses. Details of the training institutions can be found on the MD's website. The first batch of Mainland yacht masters has successfully passed the examination or received training in mid-June. Details about the examination and training have been uploaded to the MD's website. The MD will expand the relevant arrangements to overseas regions in due course.
The MD has also produced promotional leafletsto enhance the understanding of visitors arriving on yachts and the general public about the three above-mentioned facilitation measures.
The spokesman added that the MD will closely monitor the implementation of these measures, step up publicity and education on safe and orderly navigation and anchoring in Hong Kong waters, and continuously review and enhance the arrangements. The Government will also maintain close co-operation with the relevant authorities on the Chinese Mainland as well as the tourism industry, with an aim to foster a healthy, sustainable, and competitive environment for the development of the local yacht economy.
Source: AI-found images
