GRADUATION CEREMONY AND CONCERT/ CONCERT ET REMISE DE DIPLOME

Yesterday Wednesday 25 June, in the morning I attended the Graduation Ceremony of Samantha, 6 years old. It was her last year in Kindergarden and her mother (Mardee, my helper) invited me to attend the graduation ceremony, which I happily did.

Hier Mercredi 25 Juin, le matin, j'ai ete invitee a la remise de diplome de Samantha, 6 ans. C'etait sa derniere annee de maternelle et sa maman, (Mardee, ma helpeuse) m'a invitee a assister a cette ceremonie, ce que j'ai fait avec plaisir. C'est plutot une distribution des prix qu'une vraie remise de diplomes.

Samantha goes to school in Stanley, in a Christian school. There were several priests and bishops attending, among them a woman priest who said a prayer, so I suppose it was not a Catholic but a protestant school.

School name / Nom de l'ecole

Samantha va a l'ecole a Stanley, dans une ecole Chretienne. Il y avait plusieurs pretres et eveques, parmi  eux une femme donc je suppose que ce n'etait pas une ecole Catholique mais Protestante.

The ceremony took place in the Central City Hall. It started with speeches and prayers, then with the special prices and diplomas, and it ended with a show. All the classes from Nursery (2 years old) to the oldest kids (5 or 6 years old) had lovely costumes and danced on the stage.

The nursery pupils dressed as goldfishes receive their diplomas.

Les eleves de la creche habilles en poissons rouges, recoivent leur diplome.

La ceremonie se tenait a la Mairie de Central. Elle commenca par des discours et des prieres, puis la remise des prix speciaux et des diplomes, et elle finit avec un spectacle. Toutes les classes depuis la creche (2 ans) jusqu'aux plus vieux eleves (5 et 6 ans) portaient de ravissants costumes et dansaient sur scene.

The choregraphies were simple and adapted to the age and motricity ability of the little kids. They had been working hard and rehearsing for many weeks... the result was charming but I could not find any future Chun Wing among the participants...

Les choregraphies etaient simples et bien adaptees a l'age et a la motricite de petits enfants. Ils avaient beaucoup travaille et repete pendant des semaines.... le resultat etait charmant, mais je n'ai decouvert aucun futur Chun Wing parmi eux.

I was surprised by the parents age, in France they would have been 25 to 35 years old, but in Hong Kong they were in their thirties or fourties, which means that people marry late and have children even later. 

J'etais surprise par l'age des parents, qui en France auraient eu 25 a 35 ans, mais qui a Hong Kong avaient 30 a 40 ans. Donc on se marie tard et on a des enfants encore plus tard.

Samantha was dressed as an elephant, so I took a lot of pictures of the 4 elephants dancing with rabbits, giraffs and horses...

Samantha is the tallest back left
Samantha est la plus grande, 2eme rang a gauche

Samantha etait costumee en elephant alors je pris plein de photos des 4 elephants dansant avec des lapins, des giraffes et des chevaux.

Both Samantha's parents had taken a day off to attend her "Graduation Ceremony" and her little sister Stephanie who has just arrived from Philipino was very eager to start school too, next September.

Mardee, her husband Rodel, Samantha and Stephanie/
 Mardee, son mari Rodel, Samantha et Stephanie  

Mardee, Samantha, a droite la directrice de l'ecole et une autre dirigeante de l'ecole/
Mardee, Samantha, the school principal (headmistress) and someone else from the school,

Les deux parents de Samantha avaient pris leur journee pour assister a sa "remise de diplome"et sa petite soeur Stephanie, qui vient tout juste d'arriver des Philippines, avait tres envie de commencer l'ecole elle aussi, en Septembre prochain.
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In the evening I went to concert at Shim Sha Tsui Cultural Center. (Schubert, Beethoven and Brahms). The conductor was Jun Markl. the Cleveland Orchestra conductor and he was fantastic, and the pianist I did not know, was called Li Johnson... and was born in 2003 (11 years old.)

Le soir, je suis allee au concert a Shim Sha Tsui, au Centre Culturel (Schubert, Beethoven et Brahms). Le chef d'orchestre etait Jun Markl, le chef d'orchestre du fameux Orchestre de Cleveland, et le pianiste, que je ne connaissais pas, s'appelait Li Johnson, ne en 2003 (11 ans).

Young Li was amazing for 11 years old, very good technically but Beethoven was a bit too much ofr him... he was not yet a Romantic.... He took himself very seriously and was very sweet playing the adult. When he arrived on stage, he shook hand with the conductor and with the first violin as the most famous solists usually do. Then he sat very composed and calm at the piano, but could hardly reach the pedals.

Le jeune Li etait incroyable pour 11 ans, excellent techniquement mais Beethoven etait un peu trop dur pour lui, car il n'etait pas encore en mesure d'etre romantique... Il se prenait assez au serieux et me sembla tres mignon a jouer a l'adulte. Quand il entra en scene, il serra la main du chef d'orchestre et du premier violon comme le font les plus celebres solistes. Puis il s'assit tres calme et pose au piano, mais il avait du mal a atteindre les pedales.

At the end of the Beethoven concerto, he did 2 bis, one Mozart, the second de Schonberg and then, he was FANTASTIC, he was at ease with that music and played it beautifully. He will be a great pianist when he is a little more mature. I wish him a successful carreer which he fully deserves. He is amazing and Lang Lang one of the best contemporain pianists, is trying to help him and to find him the best teachers,

A la fin du concerto de Beethoven, il joua 2 Bis, un morceau de Mozart et un autre de Schoenberg, et la il fut FANTASTIQUE, a l'aise avec cette musique qu'il joua merveilleusement. Il va devenir un grand pianiste quand il aura un peu muri. Je lui souhaite beaucoup de succes bien merite, dans sa carriere . Il est incroyable et Lang Lang l'un des meilleurs pianistes contemporains essaye de l'aider et de lui trouver les meilleurs professeurs.

Hong Kong is full of surprises, after charming but not very talented kindergarden children, a prodige young pianist!

Hong Kong reserve plein de surprises, apres des enfants de maternelle charmants mais sans grand talent, un petit pianiste prodige !