‘Top 10 Music Headlines’, presented by Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK) Radio 4 – a classical music station, is now in its 31st edition.
Each year, the station invites listeners around the world together with professional critics, to tell their choice of the top headlines.
The news items are nominated by professionals in the music scene, and are based on their influence on cultural and academic development in Hong Kong. Newsworthiness is a secondary consideration.
The results of this year’s poll were unveiled on January 21.
According to the station, a number of significant music events and music achievements took place in 2016, such as young conductors Adrian SIT and Wilson NG attaining significant achievements in competition and music festival held in Germany and the United States.
The public, however, was saddened by the loss of the Hong Kong Chinese music master YAU Siu-pun and violinist WONG Wai-ming.
This year, a shortlist of 20 items of music news was nominated by music practitioners, critics and cultural news editors.
Listeners were then invited to vote online or complete a postal vote application form.
Voting by the public accounted for 60 percent of the total and by the music professionals, 40 percent. During the three-week polling period from December 24, 2016, to January 12, 2017, 2,490 voters participated.
Among the nominations, the news about “To celebrate composer Doming LAM’s 90th birthday, Macau Youth Symphony Orchestra, Music Department of Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong Composers’ Guild, the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra and RTHK organize several concerts to celebrate the occasion” tops the list with 56.5 percent of votes.
Other notable music headlines include: “The West Kowloon Cultural District Authority faces financial pressure, and has to look into an alternative funding proposal for constructing its batch 3 arts and cultural facilities” and “Young oboist CHENG Chi-yuen Bobby is appointed Principal Oboe of the Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse in France. He is the first foreign principal oboist in a major orchestra in France”. These ranked second and third with 53.7 percent and 53.2 percent votes respectively.
Here is a complete list of the results:
