Hong Kong Philharmonic: The Performance of a Lifetime
Single Delegate Specialized Committee
philharmonic@uclamun.org
Committee Summary
The Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra (HK Phil) is one of Asia’s premier orchestras, attracting over 200,000 fans in 150 concerts each year. HK Phil was the first Asian orchestra to receive the Gramophone Orchestra of the Year Award, which represented the region’s rapid ascent under the leadership of director Jaap van Zweden. However, just one year later, HK Phil’s members shockingly voted to oust him from power in a 60-40 vote, highlighting the inner turmoil of the Phil behind closed doors. It is amidst this tension that members of the Phil are being tasked with creating the performance of a lifetime: a concert for all the world’s heads of state.
HK Phil members from all four instrument families must navigate their interpersonal disagreements resulting from traditional vs modern schools of thought, personal power struggles, the decline of classical music, and most importantly: deciding who will be their conductor. With only six months to prepare, the orchestra needs to act fast. Only after navigating these issues will HK Phil be able to achieve its goal of creating and executing a successful performance on the biggest (literally AND metaphorically speaking) stage imaginable.
Meet The Staff
Dean Bruton
Chair
What’s up, delegates,
Welcome to the Hong Kong Philharmonic at LAMUN 20! My name’s Dean Bruton, and I’ll be your chair. I’m a second year environmental science major and environmental engineering minor at UCLA, and accordingly hope to become an engineer after graduation. I’m from Chicago originally, but I am loving my time in California and can’t wait to give you guys the best LAMUN experience!
As for my experience in Model UN, I started in freshman year of high school, and have been involved ever since. At UCLA, I’ve competed in 3 conferences (SBIMUN, HNMUN, and BARMUN) so if you see me on the circuit don’t hesitate to say hi! I’ve also staffed two conferences of my own, as a co-chair at LAMUN XIX and chair at BruinMUN XXXII.
Aside from Model UN, I am absolutely obsessed with baseball. I played for my high school team and travel ball, too. Also, as you might have been able to guess based on my major and minor, I love the environment. More specifically, I’m interested in human impacts on the environment and how it's affected by government policy decisions. Conservation and sustainability are passions of mine; I intend on alleviating climate change through engineering sustainable projects in my future profession (fingers crossed).
While I often sing along to my favorite songs in my car, I don’t have an organized music background. Me and your CD Allyssa want to make this committee welcome for people like me—with no music background—while rewarding those who research deeply into the HK Philharmonic and the interesting dynamics that an orchestra deals with. Get ready for the performance of a lifetime at LAMUN 20!
Good luck and have fun!
Best,
Dean Bruton
Chair | Hong Kong Philharmonic | LAMUN XX
Allyssa Lessinger
Crisis Director
Hello delegates,
I am so excited to be your Crisis Director for Hong Kong Philharmonic at LAMUN XX. My name is Allyssa Lessinger, and I am a second-year Global Studies major here at UCLA.
I first joined Model UN in 9th grade, and I have loved it ever since. It was a very large part of my high school career, as I competed on the SoCal circuit, so after four years of competing, I knew I wanted to continue being a part of the MUN community in college. Last year, I staffed both UCLA’s high school conference (BruinMUN) and LAMUN. This past fall, I had the opportunity to be an Under-Secretary-General for UCLA’s BruinMUN conference, and I am so excited to staff for you all. To me, Model UN is the perfect combination of getting to meet new people while exploring new topics and learning new things. I hope that you all embrace this spirit during committee!
Outside of Model UN, I am involved in UCLA’s Community Service Commission as the Advocacy Director. In my free time, I enjoy spending time with friends, trying new restaurants (I am a self-proclaimed foodie), and shopping. I also enjoy exploring Los Angeles because even though I grew up only 45 minutes from UCLA, there is still so much to discover in this city. Ask me for any recommendations for things to do or places to eat, and I’ll do my best to help!
Although I currently do not have any ties to music, I played piano for five years until I was 10, as well as took voice lessons and performed in musical theater until I was 13. I hope this small amount of musical knowledge will help me be the best CD possible! We hope that this committee truly brings out your most creative side, as this is a topic that may appear unconventional. However, this specialized committee will broaden your perspective on what goes into actually crafting the best performance possible, as well as the many moving parts behind the Hong Kong Philharmonic. I cannot wait to see the creative solutions and ideas that you all create!
If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to me and Dean!
Sincerely,
Allyssa Lessinger
CD | Hong Kong Philharmonic | LAMUN XX