World-renowned Chinese-American Saxophone Soloist Thrills at Tom Lee Hong Kong Youth NeoWinds Orchestra Annual Concert 2011

One of the most acclaimed Chinese-American saxophone players Dr Kenneth Tse came to Hong Kong to perform with the award-winning Tom Lee Hong Kong Youth NeoWinds Orchestra at its annual concert on 10 May 2011 in Hong Kong City Hall Concert Hall, mesmerising audience with some of the most popular brass band music with Tse as soloist for the exciting saxophone solo piece Danza Capriccio by Ron Nelson. The concert also invited Tom Lee Hong Kong Youth NeoStrings Orchestra to play some favorite string pieces.

Managed under the non-profit-making Tom Lee Music Foundation, Tom Lee Hong Kong Youth NeoWinds Orchestra is a community band that provides unsurpassed orchestral training and performing opportunities for young wind players in Hong Kong. With over 100 members now, NeoWinds has won international band awards including the 2nd Division Gold Prize at the 16th World Music Contest held in Holland in 2009.

Conductor Danilo Delfin lead NeoWinds to play some of the most glamorous band music in the concert, including Gustav Holst’s Second Suite for Military Band in F Major, Chinese composer Qian Chen’s pictorial “Come, Drink One More Cup of Wine” and Japanese composer Satoshi Yagisawa’s energetic Hymn to the Sun with the Beat of the Mother Earth.

Described by Saxophone Journal as “a phenomenal saxophonist with incredible technical and interpretive skills”, saxophone soloist Kenneth Tse is one of the most outstanding saxophonists in America who gave his Carnegie Hall debut in 1996. Studied in Indiana University under the famous Eugene Rousseau, Tse was the youngest winner of the Saxophone Concerto Competition. He is currently Professor of Saxophone at the University of Iowa and Membership Director for the North American Saxophone Alliance, giving performances and masterclasses worldwide.

On top of grandeur brass music, this concert also invited Tom Lee Hong Kong Youth NeoStrings Orchestra to offer an array of popular string pieces including Jeffrey S. Bishop’s “221B Baker Street”, Richard Meyer’s “Cincopations” and Bert Ligon’s “Bossa Azul”.