Local Arts News: ORCHESTRA DISCORD AS CHIEFS URGED TO RESIGN - SCMP (26-01-2015) scmp/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1691663/principals-hong-kong-chinese-orchestra-call-chiefs-quit CITY2 | CITY | music | By Oliver Chou Principal musicians from city’s leading Chinese ensemble call on two bosses to quit amid claims of ‘empire building’ and waste of public funds Disgruntled musicians of the city’s flagship Chinese ensemble yesterday called for the resignation of its artistic and executive chiefs due to “inept governance and wastage of public funds”. Three section principals of the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra listed out charges, from artistic to personal issues, towards both. “Mr Yan Huichang (artistic director), along with Ms Chin Man-wah (CEO), has deceived the orchestra’s council in the name of connecting with the world to create new positions and change job titles,” said Hsin Hsiao-ling, the orchestra’s gaohu principal at a press conference. “Over the past decade, both directors have turned Hong Kong taxpayers’ resources and the orchestra’s international reputation into building Mr Yan’s own empire, and our orchestra is now his means for personal gain and overseas posts,” the veteran of over 20 years added. Her sister Hsin Hsiao-hung, the orchestra’s erhu principal for 28 years, accused Celina Chin of double standard in being lenient to Yan and harsh towards players. “Ms Chin forbids our normal activities beyond the orchestra and sees that as conflict of interest, but those of Yan are seen as beneficial to the orchestra’s development,” she charged. The case regarding Yan using the orchestra for personal use involved him sending some 20 players to perform at his student’s graduation concert. The two Hsin sisters, along with zhonghu principal Liu Yang, felt they were the victims of a recent restructuring measure which re-auditions their principal positions for a new “joint concertmaster” title for all three. “They called it an enhancement of our positions, but in fact it was a means to attack and revenge on us,” he said, referring to their criticism on the orchestra’s new “Eco-huqins”, which replaced snake skin with environmentally friendly materials. All three have decided not to apply for the new post, advertised in October, and were prepared to be sacked after publicly denouncing their leaders. Carlye Tsui Wai-ling, chairman of the orchestra’s council, expressed “shock and great disappointment” towards these “unfounded” allegations by senior members of the orchestra. “The artistic director and the chief executive receive orders according to decisions of the council, and we have been transparent in our operations like a listed company where you can see the annual reports on the internet,” said Tsui, herself CEO of the Hong Kong Institute of Directors. The council, she said, appreciated the “competent” work of both directors, and a call for their resignation was “unreasonable”. The renamed positions, she said, were aimed at tightening the string sections and were not a measure against any person. “I sincerely hope these players would apply for those positions before the application deadline on January 31,” she said. Yan Huichang, who was in Shenzhen yesterday and was unaware of his players’ challenge, declined to comment.
Posted on: Mon, 26 Jan 2015 04:11:52 +0000
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