HONG KONG, March 28, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Yew Chung 80th Anniversary Seeds of Hope Gala Concert, which played to a full house at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University Jockey Club Auditorium last night, climaxed Yew Chung's anniversary celebrations and gave a good show of the many talents of the school community.

Similar to the school's recent concerts in Qingdao and Beijing, last night's event featured the best musicians and dancers from across Yew Chung International School (YCIS) campuses in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing, Chongqing and Qingdao in China and Silicon Valley in the US.

Over 250 people from our Secondary and Primary sections, alumni and staff gave stellar performances, presenting the finest musical event the school has ever staged and aptly demonstrating the excellence of our unique music programme. Highlights of the concert included the International Orchestra of YCIS, comprising many of our top-level students and staff members, and the grand finals of Allegro, the 80th Anniversary YCIS network-wide music competition.

(Photo: http://www.ycis-schools.com/ePR/Concert_2013_3.html)
(Caption: Over 250 people from our Secondary and Primary sections, alumni and staff participated in the concert)

Under the expert baton of Yew Chung's Head of Music and Visual Arts, Gary Sanderson, the audience was treated to a collection of graceful classical pieces such as Mozart's 40th Symphony, 1st Movement, and Overture Rossini by Rossini.

Mr. Sanderson always enjoys going for the element of surprise. The elegant occasion of music and dance was further enhanced by a Cantonese medley of some of Hong Kong's most well-known Canto-pop songs and music from Hawaii Five-O, a famous 60s' American TV series, both arranged by Mr. Sanderson.

Global education nurtures global-minded citizens, and the diversity of our students and staff promotes acceptance, confidence and teamwork. Character formation is fundamental to the YCIS philosophy, so we are justly proud of our students using their many talents to care for others. With their active participation, this concert raised funds for the Seeds of Hope charity project in support of education for children in rural China.

Over the past eight decades YCIS has remained committed to educating the whole person, combining the best elements of Eastern and Western philosophies with the YCIS international curriculum bringing excellence in all-round achievement, and is rooted in bilingual education and multicultural environments.

The overwhelming talents of Yew Chung students were on full display last night, demonstrating that success on the school concert stage grows from a solid and well-structured classroom programme and a comprehensive global education that emphasises the importance of combining the best elements of Eastern and Western education. This was best demonstrated by the singing performance of Mo Li Hua, using Chinese singing techniques with Western music and the delivery of Oriental Overture, which aptly mixed the musical elements of both East and West.

(Photo: http://www.ycis-schools.com/ePR/Concert_2013_1.html)
(Caption: Mo Li Hua, was performed by an alumna using Chinese singing techniques with Western music from the YCIS Orchestra)

Music education has always been one of the key programmes at YCIS, where we firmly believe that music training at a young age enhances children's spatial-temporal reasoning skills, leading to better mathematics performance, memory span and intelligence development.

Students from four-year-olds in Kindergarten through Year 3 in Primary are given the opportunity to learn violin in an additional music class. The programme's initial objective is to expose pupils to the technical aspects of music through which they develop discipline, patience, concentration and coordination.

Our belief was firmly proven with the outstanding performance of Edelweiss by our Hong Kong Junior Violin Ensemble. These young performers all gave an impressive performance.

(Photo: http://www.ycis-schools.com/ePR/Concert_2013_2.html)
(Caption: Students from YCIS's lower Primary of the Junior Violin Ensemble performed Edelweiss)

This milestone event, which was fittingly wrapped up with the entire cast singing a song specially composed for the Seeds of Hope project, united students from diverse backgrounds in a very special evening of musical and cultural harmony. The four hours of extraordinary performances earned a standing ovation and endless praise from the audience.

About YCIS

Founded in 1932 by Madam Tsang Chor-hang, Yew Chung has provided quality bilingual education to the learners of Hong Kong for 80 years. Originally specialising in Early Childhood Education, YCIS now provides education from early childhood through primary and secondary culminating in the International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) and International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme.

YCIS has expanded beyond Hong Kong and is now established in Shanghai, Beijing, Chongqing and Qingdao in China and Silicon Valley in the United States, with a total student enrolment of 6,000.

Offering the richness and diversity of both Eastern and Western cultures, YCIS equips children to be bilingual, global-minded and competitive. Students are nurtured with a fully rounded and balanced education that transforms them into globally aware individuals.

Media Enquiries, please contact:

Yew Chung International School
Contact person: Mr. Aaron Tang
Tel: (852) 2339 6902
Email: aaront@ycef.com
Website: www.ycis-hk.com

SOURCE Yew Chung International School