Launched in 2002, the biennial New Vision Arts Festival now reaches its first ten year mark. The Festival has developed a striking identity with its innovative, cross-cultural programming with an Asian focus over the years. It has brought to local arts lovers leading-edge, highly innovative programmes from all over the world, with the purpose of enriching the performing arts palette in the region.

A highlight of the Festival is the commissioned works and the world premières of new works. A new work by Shen Wei and his dance company is commissioned for the closing of the Festival; a new commissioned piece by Bright Sheng will be premièred by the Munich Chamber Orchestra of Germany and renowned cellist, Trey Lee, at the Echoes of Dunhuang concert; and the world première of The Sound of Folk Tales is a concert that crosses geographical and cultural boundaries set against the legendary cities of Shanghai, Tokyo and New York.

There will be other visiting top-rung artists gracing our stage this autumn. U-theatre of Taiwan will open the Festival with their latest multimedia dance-and-music theatre, Beyond Time. Wu Man and Aboriginal Friends from Taiwan will be giving a concert of exotic and inspiring music, while phase7 performing.arts of Germany will present a sense-initiating musical theatre distinguished by advanced 3D audio technology. The operatic tone-poem, The Flight of the Jade Bird, is by Mark Chan of Singapore and his cast of famous Asian musicians, vocalists and a solo dancer. Two Dogs is an experimental comedy by the National Theatre of China directed by Meng Jinghui, famed for his visionary approach to drama in China. For our Generation Z audience, we are specially bringing the hip-hop, rapping show of The Sound of Folk Tales as mentioned above, as well as a sight-and-sound thrill by the Wrecking Crew Orchestra of Japan, the dance group that has taken the net by storm with their TRON-suited routines.

From Hong Kong, we have Thunderstorm, Lament of the Exile, O You Heavenly Creatures! and Ravel the Time Traveller, which represent our local artists’ explorations of fresh domains in their chosen art form. We have also lined up a rich array of extension activities including demonstration performances, workshops, talks, post-performance “meet-the-artist” sessions and exhibitions to take you farther afield in the “new vision” of performing arts.

The New Vision Arts Festival aims to continue to bring fresh input to this platform of boundless creativity. We look forward to your support as we stride forward to the next ten year mark.

For more information related to the 10th NVAF, please visit the website at: www.newvisionfestival.gov.hk