Supported by The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust, The Royal Concert of the Night “The Birth of the Sun King” was given its world premiere at Hong Kong Cultural Centre last night (6 May), serving as the opening concert of this year’s Le French May arts festival. This remarkable work by Ensemble Correspondances is a modern, mixed-media reconstruction of a ‘lost’ masterpiece originally performed in the mid-17th century for France’s King Louis XIV, popularly known as the ‘Sun King’.

Also supported by the Trust, Nicolas Buffe: The Dream of Polifilo, the debut exhibition of this innovative French artist, opened on 4 May at Hong Kong City Hall. The exhibition will continue to 29 May.  It features the Tokyo-based Buffe’s famous site-specific mural drawings, his large scale ‘cut-out’ sculptures and new works inspired by the vibrations of the modern city.

Officiating at last night’s opening ceremony of the concert were the Club’s Executive Director, Charities and Community, Leong Cheung; Director of Leisure and Cultural Services Michelle Li; Consul General of France in Hong Kong and Macau Eric Berti; and Chairman of Le French May Dr Andrew Yuen.

“We are honoured to be sponsoring the world premiere of The Royal Concert of the Night ‘The Birth of the Sun King’,” said Mr Cheung. “The concert marks not only the Silver Jubilee of Le French May and the official opening of this year’s Festival, but also a further strengthening of the Charities Trust’s long-standing commitment to arts and cultural development in Hong Kong. We are now designating ‘Arts, Culture and Heritage’ as a fourth area of strategic focus in addition to youth development, creating an age-friendly city and building a ‘Sports for All’ culture. Through this new initiative, we are determined to build a culturally vibrant Hong Kong, enriching people’s life and promoting social inclusion.”

This is the sixth consecutive year that the Club has supported Le French May, and this time it is contributing over HK$9.9 million to support four arts programmes and one educational initiative being staged between May and July. Other Le French May programmes being supported by the Trust this year are Inventing le Louvre – From Palace to Museum over 800 Years, an exhibition featuring over 120 priceless art works from the world-renowned Muse de Louvre; and Paris Ballet Legends: A Night with the Stars, an iconic ballet performed by stars from the Paris Opera Ballet together with dancers from Hong Kong Ballet. The Club is also sponsoring 1,500 complimentary tickets for disadvantaged students and the less privileged, as well as supporting programmes for audiences with visual or hearing impairment, thereby helping to share the delights of Le French May with a much wider audience. For more information, please visit: http://www.frenchmay.com/.

The Hong Kong Jockey Club

The Hong Kong Jockey Club is a not-for-profit enterprise dedicated to community betterment. Through its integrated business model of world-class racing, responsible sports wagering and lottery, and charity and community contribution, the Club generates substantial economic and social value and assists the Government in combatting illegal gambling. In 2015/16 the Club donated a record HK$3.9 billion to charity and paid a record HK$20.9 billion in tax. It is Hong Kong’s largest single tax payer and one of the world’s largest charity donors. Committed to global excellence and giving back to society, the Club is always “riding high together for a better future” with the people of Hong Kong.