HONG KONG PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA
Regarded as one of the leading orchestras in Asia, the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra (HK Phil) was professionalised in 1974 and is celebrating its 50 th anniversary during the 2023/24 season. Collaborating with internationally renowned conductors and soloists, the orchestra presents more than 150 concerts and attracts more than 200,000 music lovers annually. The HK Phil promotes the work of Hong Kong and Chinese composers, commissions new works, nurtures local talent and runs extensive education and community programmes. With Music Director Jaap van Zweden since 2012, the HK Phil has toured Europe, Asia, Australia and extensively across Mainland China. Long Yu
has been Principal Guest Conductor since the 2015/16 season, and Lio Kuokman was appointed Resident Conductor in December 2020. The HK Phil won the prestigious UK classical music magazine Gramophone’s 2019 Orchestra of the Year Award – the first orchestra in Asia to receive this accolade. Recent recording projects with Jaap include the complete Ring Cycle by Richard Wagner, Mahler’s Symphony no. 10 (concert version ed. Mengelberg/Dopper), and Shostakovich’s Symphony no. 10. In 2021, the HK Phil founded The Orchestra Academy Hong Kong (co-directed with The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts), aimed at offering professional training and facilitating orchestral careers for its participants. The Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra is financially supported by the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and is a Venue Partner of the Hong Kong Cultural Centre SWIRE is the Principal Patron of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra
VISION
To inspire through the finest music-making
Photo: Cheung Wai-lok | Cover photo: Ka Lam
“You’re hearing one of the best Wagner orchestras in the world”
“(2017) Five-city Tour: Sydney)... the orchestra impressed with their energy, pizzazz and great sound.”
– The Times
– Steve Moffatt, The Daily Telegraph (Australia)
“(Shostakovich Symphony no. 9) Given the orchestra’s sound, the Russian’s repertoire seems to fit like a glove and under Jaap van Zweden’s direction they pull it off consistently well. ”
“(The Ring) (The HK Phil) is always utterly secure and ever responsive to (Jaap) van Zweden’s fine-grained control. There’s never a shortage of lustre or refinement…”
– Christopher Halls, Bachtrack
– Andrew Clements, The Guardian
“(Beethoven Symphony no. 7 and Violin Concerto) Orchestra marks the return to the rostrum of its music director with a sublime performance from concertmaster Jing Wang in Beethoven’s violin concerto.”
“Mahler’s jubilant first symphony ‘Titan’ provided the orchestra the room to fully show off its full potential and (Jaap) van Zweden duly obliged with a vibrant reading of the work.”
– Dirk Luiten, South China Morning Post
– The Straits Times
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JAAP VAN ZWEDEN Music Director Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra
Photo: Eric Hong
Over the past decade, conductor Jaap van Zweden has become an international presence on three continents. Currently Music Director of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, he is also Music Director of the New York Philharmonic (NY Phil) and becomes Music Director of the Seoul Philharmonic in 2024. He has appeared as guest conductor with leading orchestras such as, in Europe, the Orchestre de Paris, Amsterdam’s Royal Concertgebouw, Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, Vienna Philharmonic, Berlin Philharmonic and London Symphony Orchestra, and, in the US, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, The Cleveland Orchestra and Los Angeles Philharmonic. Jaap van Zweden’s numerous recordings include the world premiere of David Lang’s prisoner of the state (2020) and Julia Wolfe’s Grammy-nominated Fire in my mouth (2019), both recorded with the NY Phil and released on Universal Music
Group’s Decca Gold. With the HK Phil, he recorded Wagner’s complete Ring Cycle, and recently Mahler’s Symphony no. 10 and Shostakovich’s Symphonies nos. 5, 9 and 10, all for the Naxos label. In 2020, van Zweden has been awarded the Silver Bauhinia Star by the HKSAR Government in recognition of his significant contribution to the development of the HK Phil and classical music in Hong Kong. He was conferred Honorary Fellowship by Lingnan University in 2020, and Honorary University Fellowship by Hong Kong Baptist University and an Honorary Doctorate by The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts in 2021. He also received the prestigious 2023 Concertgebouw Prize. Maestro van Zweden and his wife Aaltje established the Papageno Foundation in 1997 to support families of children with autism.
Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra
MUSIC DIRECTOR
Jaap van Zweden, SBS
PRINCIPAL GUEST CONDUCTOR
Long Yu
RESIDENT CONDUCTOR
Lio Kuokman, JP
FIRST VIOLINS Jing Wang Concertmaster
Leung Kin-fung First Associate Concertmaster
Anders Hui Second Associate Concertmaster
Wang Liang Second Associate Concertmaster
Bei de Gaulle Third Associate Concertmaster
Ai Jin Ba Wenjing Cheng Li Gui Li Li Chi Li Zhisheng Liu Fangxi Mao Hua Rachael Mellado Soojeong Yoon Zhang Xi
VIOLAS
BASSOONS
Andrew Ling ● Li Jiali ■ Kaori Wilson ▲ Cui Hongwei Fu Shuimiao Ethan Heath Li Ming Damara Lomdaridze Alice Rosen Sun Bin Zhang Shuying
Benjamin Moermond ● Toby Chan ■ Vance Lee ◆
CELLOS Richard Bamping ● Fang Xiaomu ■ Dora Lam ▲ Chan Ngat-chau Chen Yi-chun Timothy Frank Anna Kwan Ton-an Haedeun Lee Tae-mi Song Song Yalin
DOUBLE BASSES George Lomdaridze ● Jiang Xinlai ◆ Chang Pei-heng Feng Rong Samuel Ferrer Jeffrey Lehmberg Philip Powell Jonathan Van Dyke
FLUTES Megan Sterling ● Olivier Nowak ■ Josep Portella Orfila
PICCOLO SECOND VIOLINS Zhao Yingna ● Domas Juškys ■ Leslie Ryang Moonsun ▲ Fang Jie Gallant Ho Ka-leung Liu Boxuan Mao Yiguo Katrina Rafferty Vivian Shen Miyaka Suzuki Wilson Tomoko Tanaka Christine Wong Zhang Yuchen Zhou Tengfei Jia Shuchen #＊
Linda Stuckey ◆
CONTRABASSOON Adam Treverton Jones ◆
HORNS Lin Jiang ● Russell Bonifede ■ Chow Chi-chung ▲ Todor Popstoyanov Homer Lee Jorge Medina
TRUMPETS Nitiphum Bamrungbanthum ● Christopher Moyse ■ Douglas Waterston Robert Smith
TROMBONES Jarod Vermette ● Christian Goldsmith Kevin Thompson
BASS TROMBONE Aaron Albert ◆
TUBA Paul Luxenberg ●
TIMPANI James Boznos ●
PERCUSSION Aziz D. Barnard Luce ● Raymond Leung Wai-wa Sophia Woo Shuk-fai
HARP
OBOES Michael Wilson ● Wang Yu-po ■ Marrie Rose Kim
COR ANGLAIS Kwan Sheung-fung ◆
CLARINETS Andrew Simon ● John Schertle ■ Lau Wai
BASS CLARINET Lorenzo Iosco ◆
Louise Grandjean ●#
THE ORCHESTRA ACADEMY HONG KONG (TOA) FELLOWS Oboe: Julian Wan Leuk-jo Clarinet: Fong Shing Trumpet: Bowie Yu Long-ching Trombone: Anson Woo Ho-ting ●
Principal Co-Principal ◆ Associate Principal ▲ Assistant Principal ■
#
Short-term Contract
＊ Players may rotate between the First and
Second Violin sections.
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GLORIOUS PAST, DYNAMIC PR
1 ST MUSIC DIRECTOR
2 ND MUSIC DIRECTOR
3 RD MUSIC DIRECTOR
4 TH MUSIC DIRECTOR
LIM KEK-TJIANG
HANS GÜNTER MOMMER
LING TUNG
KENNETH
(1974-1975)
(1977-1978)
(1979-1981)
SCHERMERHORN
1957
1974
1978
1983
1986
The Sino-British Orchestra was reformed and renamed. The Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra was born.
The Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra became fully professional.
The first album
First-ever overseas tour: Singapore, Bangkok and Osaka
First tour to China: Hangzhou, Shanghai and Beijing
(1984-1989)
ESENT AND…
5 TH MUSIC DIRECTOR
6 TH MUSIC DIRECTOR
7 TH ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
8 TH MUSIC DIRECTOR
DAVID ATHERTON
SAMUEL WONG
EDO DE WAART
JAAP VAN ZWEDEN
(1989-2000)
(2000-2003)
(2004-2012)
(2012-2024)
1989
2003
2006
2015
Performed at the opening concert of the Hong Kong Cultural Centre.
First tour to Europe
The Swire Group became Principal Patron of the HK Phil.
D ebut concer t at Vienna’s Musikverein
2017 First tour to Australia, and debut in the renowned Sydney Opera House
1995 First tour to North America
2018 Completion of the concer t per formances and the Naxos recording of Wagner ’s Ring Cycle
Photo: Dieter Nagl
PROMISING FUTURE With the increasing ties between Hong Kong and Mainland China, the HK Phil will be engaged in more cultural exchanges with institutions across the Mainland, especially in the Greater Bay Area. We will strive to inspire through the finest music-making around the globe to celebrate the 50th anniversary of our professional season in 2023/24.
2019
2020
2022
2023/24
Tour in Greater Bay Area
Celebration of Beethoven’s 250 th Birthday
Released recording of Mahler and Shostakovich Symphonies nos. 10
HK Phil’s 50 th Professional Season, touring in more than 18 cities around the world
Festival Hong Kong 2019 – A Cultural Extravaganza@ Shanghai
Photo: Desmond Chan
Our Shanghai performance in the 2023/24 Season.
THANK YOU PARTNERS Major Funding Body
Principal Patron
Programme Sponsors in programme chronological order
Maestro Podium, Resident Conductor’s Podium, Chair Endowment Sponsor
Maestro Podium Sponsor
Resident Conductor’s Podium Sponsor
The Tung Foundation Young Audience Scheme Sponsor
The Robert H.N. Ho Family Foundation Hong Kong Composers Scheme Sponsor
Official Logistics Partner
Honorary Auditor
Pro-bono Legal Counsel
Hotel Partner
enquiry@hkphil.org hkphil.org
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