At nightfall last weekend, the large verdant pitch of the Happy Valley Racecourse Ground in Hong Kong lit up brightly with over 15,000 people cheering. But it's not the weekly race that this huge crowd came to witness, but the largest symphonic event of the year.

With high-rises backdrop, the Swire symphony under the stars performance by the Hong Kong Symphonic Orchestra (HKPO), kicks off on the pitch of the Happy Valley Racecourse Ground in Hong Kong, Nov 28, 2010. [Photo/chinadaily.com.cn]

Welling into its forth year, the symphony under the stars performance by the Hong Kong Symphonic Orchestra (HKPO), a much-loved free musical event drew audiences from all walks of life - families with children, lovebirds, students in uniforms, business folk and tourism from home and abroad.

The HKPO, led by its associate conductor Perry So, opened the evening with Antonin Dvorak's Carnival Overture. The audience was captivated by the Israeli-Russian pianist Boris Giltburg in F.F.Chopin 's romantic Piano Concerto No 2. The second half opened with Mussorgsky's Khovanshchina.

The evening ended with Tchaikovsky's rousing 1812 Festival Overture in a blaze of colorful fireworks.

Perry So, associate conductor of HKPO, opened the evening with Antonin Dvorak's Carnival Overture,Hong Kong, Nov 28, 2010. [Photo/chinadaily.com.cn]

Alice Luk, 11, arrived at the racecourse two hours earlier, trying to get a better vantage point.

"I heard about the show from one of my schoolmates who went to another outdoor classical music event," Alice said. "I don't really understand classical music, but it's good for a picnic with my family outside"

HKPO has set a good model for outdoor classic musical events, bringing performances of musical excellence to the widest possible public.

It stays in tune with Hong Kong city by presenting the orchestra in unexpected venues and television broadcasts.

"Classic music is an age-to-age art that you can share with all your family members." said Maisie Shun Wah, general manager group public affairs of Swire Pacific Limited, the concert's sponsor. "You may not take your grandmother to a pop music or rock 'n' roll concert, but these two or three centuries old musical pieces can easily lessen the gap between the old and the young."

The orchestra has run comprehensive schools education programs since 2006, letting more primary students have access to the joy of classical music.

In 2008, the Hong Kong Arts Development Council honored the HKPO with the Arts Promotion Award, in recognition of its success in expanding its audience base and gaining public support in recent years.

The Swire symphony under the stars performance by the Hong Kong Symphonic Orchestra (HKPO), kicks off on the pitch of the Happy Valley Racecourse Ground in Hong Kong, Nov 28, 2010. [Photo/chinadaily.com.cn]