Youth Square x Vocal Asia Vocal Asia Festival 2017 -- Featuring more than 300 A Cappella gurus and lovers, Curated a 4-day Music Fiesta

HONG KONG, Aug. 28, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Co-organized by Youth Square and Vocal Asia, Vocal Asia Festival 2017 was debuted in Hong Kong on 16-19 August. The 4-day music fiesta was the biggest A Cappella Festival in Asia. As one of the Youth Square's "Garden of the Artisans" highlight events, VAF brought A Cappella gurus and professionals from mainland China, The U.S.A., The U.K., Taiwan, Japan, Korea, Singapore, Sweden and Slovenia. The world-class Jazz A Cappella group, New York Voices, was invited to be our Master Class instructor and the Gala Concert performer after its 10-year departure of Asia.

The Gala Concert marked the perfect finale of the Vocal Asia Festival 2017 with the wonderful performance by New York Voices.

Vocal Asia Festival 2017 Opening Ceremony cum Press Conference was successfully held in Youth Square on 16 August in the afternoon. "Asian Cup A Cappella Competition" was held in Y Theatre, Youth Square right after the Opening Ceremony. 10 shortlisted teams from mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Korea, Singapore and Japan presented on the stage to elevate their performances and to learn from each other. The competition invited LARK from the USA, the champion of VoiceJam Festival 2017, to perform on stage as the special guest. The champion of the competition went to Narin from Korea. Apart from cash prize and certificate, they got a valuable chance to perform with the world-class Jazz A Cappella group, New York Voices at Gala Concert on 19 August. Moreover, they became the Asian representative for VoiceJam Festival 2018 in the U.S.

The theme of Vocal Asia Festival, "Multidisciplinary Crossover", was best accentuated by the unique fusion of Eastern and Western arts and cultures in Hong Kong. In addition to Master Class and Asian Cup A Cappella Competition, Yat Po Singers, a local A Cappella Group, presented the "Hong Kong Twist Concert" with other Aca-singers on 17 August. The performance was a multidisciplinary creation that combining A Cappella, theater and other art forms.

This year, the VAF invited renowned master groups and performers from Hong Kong and around the world to hold a series of Master Class at Youth Square on 17-19 August. A Cappella gurus included:

• New York Voices, Grammy awarded world-class jazz A Cappella group;
• Tobias Hug who is an ex-member of Swingle Singers and founder of Beatvox;
• Peder Karlsson, the co-founder of Swedish A Cappella group, The Real Group;  
• Eric Monson, the founder of Metro Vocal Group;
• Kaichiro Kitamura, world famous Japanese vocal percussion master;
• Sung-Mo Han, Korean A Cappella educator;
• Roy Chu, the Father of A Cappella in Taiwan, the founder and conveyor of Taiwan Choral Music Center (TCMC).

Representatives from Hong Kong included:

• Patrick Chiu, choral artist and the Co-Artistic Director of Yat Po Singers;
• Yuri Ng, a talented choreographer and the Co-Artistic Director of Yat Po Singers;
• Jo Jo Pang, the founder and Artistic Director of Hong Kong A Cappella Academy;
• Joseph Ho, member of A Cappella groups, Set Tone Men and Zense.

The VAF Concert was successfully held on 18 August, and invited outstanding Asian A Cappella groups from mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Korea, Singapore and Japan to rock the stage with their very own styles which represented the rich culture of Asia.

Another highlight event for VAF this year was the Aca Day and A Cappella On-The-Go which 20 performance groups sang around Hong Kong on the 19 August afternoon. Aca-singers from around the world performed at different locations, including Y Platform at Youth Square, Living Art Stage in MTR Hong Kong Station and First ferry (Central to Cheung Chau), and Cheung Chau (Piazza at Tung Wan Road), and interacting with people in the community with the joy of singing. In the evening, the Korean Champion Team of 2017 Asian Cup A Cappella Competition 2017 "Narin" kicked off the Gala Concert, followed by the world-renowned Jazz A Cappella group - New York Voices, which took the audience to a trip combining classic A Cappella and Jazz Trio. New York Voices improvised with Tobias Hug, tutor from The U.K., and Kaichiro Kitamura, world famous Japanese vocal percussion master which marked the grand finale for the VAF 2017.

Photo Download : https://goo.gl/wckNdH

New World Facilities Management Company Limited

New World Facilities Management Company Limited is a non-profit making company and a wholly-owned subsidiary of New World Group (HK Stock Code: 00017). Embracing the mission of youth development and supporting youth to contribute to society, we strive to develop Youth Square as the platform for youth to exchange knowledge and experience and to develop and discover their potential.

Youth Square

The Youth Square, which came into full operation in 2010, is a youth development project of the Home Affairs Bureau of the HKSAR Government, with an aim to be the hub of diversified youth development activities for youth to develop their potential. Youth Square facilities include the 643-seat Y Theatre, Y Studio, multi-function areas and the Y Loft which has 148 guest rooms. Youth Square has been conducting nearly 100 themed events under "Music & Dance", "Arts & Culture" and "Community Engagement". Youth Square has been holding over 7,500 youth events and served for more than 1.6 million participants since 2010. In addition, with participants came from more than 60 countries or regions, Y Loft has been providing accommodations for more than 70,000 youths who participated in various exchange programmes in Hong Kong. Youth Square is located in Chai Wan and is managed and operated by New World Facilities Management Company Limited on a non-profit making basis.

6G model is Youth Square's guiding principle. 6G refers to Groom, Grow, Glow, Green, Global Vision and Give Back.

For more details on Youth Square, please go to www.youthsquare.hk.

Vocal Asia

Vocal Asia is the first multi-national platform and international organization dedicated to A Cappella music. Vocal Asia integrates regional A Cappella groups, singers and song-writers along with A Cappella performances, information and knowledge. Vocal Asia also expects to expand further onto A Cappella promotion, education, market development and even charity events.

For details, please visit http://www.vocalasia.com

Vocal Asia Festival

Vocal Asia Festival (VAF) is one of the biggest international events in Asia dedicated to contemporary A Cappella music, including a forum, workshops, master classes, and concerts. As a "moving festival" between different cities in Asia, VAF was held in Taipei (Taiwan), Shenzhen (mainland China), Taoyuan (Taiwan), Gwangju (Korea), Shanghai (mainland China), Taitung (Taiwan) and Hong Kong from 2011 to 2017.

For details, please visit https://vaf.vocalasia.com 

Photo - https://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20170828/1928384-1