Asian Interest

The Royal Geographical Society Hong Kong ( www.rgshk.org.hk ; tel. 2583 9700) is a large and active society with around a thousand members, and holds lectures, dinners, field trips, quiz nights and social balls. Standard membership is $400 a year. The Hong Kong Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society organizes lectures, visits to sites of historical interest and Asian trips as well as social activities ( www.royalasiaticsociety.org.hk ; tel. 2813 7500). Standard membership is $475 a year.

The University of Hong Kong Museum Society supports the university’s museum and art gallery ( www.hku.hk/hkumag/society.html ; tel. 2241 5500). Members can join lectures on the appreciation of Chinese art, walks and other cultural activities. Societies connected to the Chinese University include Friends of the Art Museum ( www.cuhk.edu.hk/ics/friends ), which sponsor lectures, study groups and tours to places of interest in Hong Kong and throughout Asia, and the Hong Kong Anthropological Society ( www.cuhk.edu.hk/ant/others/anthro.htm ).

Free lectures on Chinese culture are held monthly at the Hong Kong City Hall in Central. Details are published in the South China Morning Post.

The Kwang Hwa Information and Cultural Centre (40/F, Pacific Place, Tower One; www.taiwaninfo.org ; tel. 2523 5555) hosts events promoting the culture and arts of Taiwan.

Friends Of The Arts

Many of the arts organizations and venues around the city offer ‘Friends’ schemes entitling members to reduced price tickets, shopping discounts, arts classes and other benefits. They include:

• Friends of Hong Kong Ballet (www.hkballet.com/eng/friends/friend.html). Standard membership is $150 a year.
• Friends of the Cultural Centre (www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/CulturalService/HKCC/friends/english/ index_e.htm). Standard membership is $150 a year.
• Club Bravo, supporting the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra (tel. 2721 2030). Standard membership is $480 a year.
• Fringe Club (www.hkfringe.com.hk). Membership includes invitation to special exhibitions, lunch and drinks discounts, rent-free exhibition and performance facilities, and a cover charge waiver at M at the Fringe. Standard membership costs $300 for an annual subscription, plus a $300 joining fee.

Amateur Theatre Groups

Join a group of very talented actors, singers, directors and choreo graphers at the Hong Kong Singers ( www.hksingers.com ), the American Community Theatre ( www.geocities.com/act_hk ) or Hong Kong Players ( www.hongkongplayers.com ). All three companies are regularly looking for new acting talent, singers, dancers, stage crew, directors and choreographers for their shows. Auditions are usually advertised in the South China Morning Post’s Listings column.

Choirs

There are a number of choirs active in Hong Kong, comprising expat and local singers. The Bach Choir ( www.bachchoir.org.hk ) has more than 80 members and performs a variety of classical repertoire. Weekly rehearsals usually take place at the Cultural Centre in TST. Subscription for each season, which runs from September to June, is $600, or $300 for students. Hong Kong Voices ( www.hkvoices.org ) focuses on masterpieces from the twentieth century to the present. Rehearsals usually take place on Wednesday evenings at the Hong Kong University campus, Mid-Levels.

Smaller choirs include St John’s College Chorale (sacred music), the Kassia Women’s Choir (popular jazz and musical theatre), The Cecilian Singers (who focus on unaccompanied smaller-scale classical works) and The Catch Club (eating, drinking and singing). Details of these are given on the website www.katterwall.com .

Film Buffs

Broadway Cinematheque (Prosperous Garden, 3 Public Square Street, Yaumatei; www.cinema.com.hk ; tel. 2332 9000) screens current and classic movies throughout the year. Members have access to the film library, Sunday screenings, discounts on tickets and other benefits.