The Holy See Study Mission in Hong Kong, which focuses on the Church
in China, and the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception Sunday
hosted a concert to celebrate Pope Francis' Birthday」(慶祝教宗方濟各八十華誕音樂會) at
Hong Kong’s Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. Some 1,200 people
attended the event to attend.
The Holy See Study Mission, which is led by Mgr Ante Jozic, invited
David Damiani to be the musical director and conductor of the concert.
Damiani studied singing, bass, composition and conducting at the
conservatories of Pesaro, Parma and Bologna. He was assistant conductor
to Gustav Kuhn at the Arena Sferisterio in Macerata and has received
many invitations from different opera houses and concert halls in Italy
and elsewhere in Europe.
In presenting the evening, Mgr Jozic said that just 80 years ago, "a
child, Jorge Mario Bergoglio, came into the world, innocent and unaware
that one day he would lead the Catholic Church from the smallest country
in the world: the Vatican.”
“This great religious leader continues to preach and inspire many,
trying to make this world a better place for each and everyone,
especially for those who are poor, marginalised and without freedom."
The concert included several special guests. One of them was soprano
Olga Makarina, from the Metropolitan Opera in New York. Born in
Archangel, Russia, she has won several important awards like the
Metropolitan Opera Auditions, the Musicians Emergency Fund and the
Liederkranz Competition.
Another guest was organist Francesca Ajossa, a 17-year-old prodigy
from Cagliari (Italy). She was admitted to the International Bach
Academy for Organ in 2015, and has recently taken 2nd prize in the
National Organ Competition Premio Abbado as the youngest winner.
She is
also one of eight young organists selected for the Young Talents Class
at the Haarlem Organ Academy 2016.
Hailing from Mgr Jozic’s country of Croatia, the Klapa Mriza choir
performed A cappella music from Croatia’s southern coastal region of
Dalmatia.
Card John Tong spoke about the young talents who performed at the
concert. "His Holiness taught us to use the talents we have,” he said.
They “are the gifts God gave us. The young artists who are here with us
are following his preaching and are helping us, not only to celebrate
his birthday, but also to prepare for the birth of our saviour Jesus
Christ, who in a few days will be among us."