HK Phil Music Director Jaap van Zweden and Maestro Vasily Petrenko
Present a Series of Stunning Programmes 
with a Superb Line-up of Soloists in January and February 2023

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact: 
Dennis Wu
Director of Marketing 
Tel: (852) 2721 9035
Email: dennis.wu@hkphil.org 

Emily Hui
Media Relations and Communications Manager
Tel: (852) 2721 1585
Email: emily.hui@hkphil.org

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[29 December 2022, Hong Kong] From January to February 2023, the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra (HK Phil) will present a superb line-up of programmes led by Music Director Jaap van Zweden and internationally acclaimed Maestro Vasily Petrenko. Numerous soloists – violinist Ning Feng, pianists Boris Giltburg and Jean-Yves Thibaudet, ondes martenot player Cynthia Millar, HK Phil Principal Trumpet Nitiphum Bamrungbanthum, Principal Trombone Jarod Vermette, and a stellar cast of vocalists – will share the stage. Tickets are now available at URBTIX and POPTICKET.

Vasily Petrenko & Ning Feng (6 & 7 January)

Currently serving as Music Director of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Artistic Director of the State Academic Symphony Orchestra of Russia, Conductor Laureate of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and Chief Conductor of the European Union Youth Orchestra, Vasily Petrenko has received numerous awards including, among others, the Artist of the Year award at the prestigious annual Gramophone Awards, the Male Artist of the Year at the Classical BRIT Awards, Honorary Doctorates by both the University of Liverpool and Liverpool Hope University, and an Honorary Fellowship of the Liverpool John Moores University. He will mark his HK Phil debut with two programmes in two weeks.

In the first week of January 2023, Petrenko shines light on Richard Strauss’ Ein Heldenleben, in which the composer used a colossal orchestra to tell the story of an imaginary hero. The Maestro pairs it with Elgar’s Cockaigne Overture and Sibelius’ Violin Concerto, to be performed by Ning Feng, an “immaculate” (BBC Music) and “wonderful player with a creamy, easy tone and an emotional honesty” (The Washington Post).

“Vasily Petrenko & Ning Feng”will be held on 6 & 7 January 2023 (Fri & Sat) at 8PM in the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall. Tickets priced at HK$680, $560, $420 and $300 are available at URBTIX and POPTICKET. For enquiries, please call +852 2721 2332 or visit hkphil.org.

Swire Maestro Series: Vasily Petrenko & Boris Giltburg (13 & 14 January)

Vasily Petrenko is a conductor with a youthful spirit but a profound feeling for his native Russian tradition. Lauded across the globe as a deeply sensitive, insightful and compelling interpreter, pianist Boris Giltburg, meanwhile, aims “to delve deeper and deeper into the world behind the notes”. They collaborate in Prokofiev’s glittering Third Piano Concerto, followed by Rachmaninov’s epic and passionate Second Symphony (13 & 14 January 2023).

“Swire Maestro Series: Vasily Petrenko & Boris Giltburg”will be held on 13 & 14 January 2023 (Fri & Sat) at 8PM in the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall. Tickets priced at HK$680, $560, $420 and $300 are available at URBTIX and POPTICKET. For enquiries, please call +852 2721 2332 or visit hkphil.org.

Jaap | Brahms Symphony Cycle I & II (20 & 27 January)

Johannes Brahms was a composer of contrasts: a deeply romantic genius, who believed in the importance of tradition, and a master-craftsman who burned with passionate and poetic emotion. His four symphonies are landmarks of 19th century music and over two remarkable concerts HK Phil Music Director Jaap van Zweden conducts them all. He begins with the songful and sunlit Second Symphony and the brooding, tragic Fourth on 20 January. Then, he turns to the sweeping, gloriously romantic Third Symphony and the work they called “Beethoven’s Tenth” – the epic tragedy and blazing triumph of Brahms’ gripping First Symphony on 27 January.

“Jaap | Brahms Symphony Cycle I & II” will be held on 20 & 27 January 2023 (Fri) at 8PM respectively in the Hong Kong City Hall Concert Hall. Tickets priced at HK$680, $480 and $280 are available at URBTIX and POPTICKET. For enquiries, please call +852 2721 2332 or visit hkphil.org.

Swire Community Concert (28 January)

The HK Phil and Jaap van Zweden have a gift to music lovers this Lunar New Year on everybody's birthday. This is a relaxed concert with all-time favourite classics that welcomes families and people with special needs to enjoy music in a friendly environment. Starring fabulous HK Phil Trumpet Nitiphum Bamrungbanthum and Principal Trombone Jarod Vermette as soloists with Phoebus Chan as presenter, it will be an adventure for the ears.

“Swire Community Concert”will be held on 28 January 2023 (Sat) at 3PM in the Hong Kong City Hall Concert Hall. Registration for the concert is free of charge. Details will be announced in early January 2023 on the HK Phil website. For enquiries, please call +852 2721 2332 or visit hkphil.org.

Bach | St Matthew Passion (3 & 4 February)

Jaap van Zweden will also conduct Bach’s St Matthew Passion, a universal work that people of all religions can enjoy. Besides the divisions across era, genre and style, it also transcends geography, culture, and even faith. Filled with emotions, a survivor of great and terrible events tells his tale; a great chorus becomes an angry crowd. The performances assemble world-class soloists: tenor Nicholas Phan, bass-baritone Davóne Tines, soprano Amanda Forsythe, mezzo-soprano Tamara Mumford, tenor Paul Appleby and bass-baritone Apollo Wong, together with State Choir Latvija, The Hong Kong Children's Choir and the HK Phil Chorus to perform this masterpiece.

“Bach | St Matthew Passion”will be held on 3 & 4 February 2023 (Fri & Sat) at 7:30PM in the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall. Tickets priced at HK$780, $620, $460 and $300 are available at URBTIX and POPTICKET. For enquiries, please call +852 2721 2332 or visit hkphil.org.

Jaap | Turangalîla-Symphonie (10 & 11 February)

Turangalîla-Symphonie is one of the most original visions of the concept of symphony from the 20th century. Messiaen drew on impressively diverse sources for this piece: from the ancient sonorities of the Indonesian gamelan and the rhythmic structures of classical Hindustani music to the mesmerising complexity of bird. Jaap van Zweden leads a super-sized orchestra in this HK Phil debut, along with star pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet and Cynthia Millar on the ondes martenot – an electronic instrument controlled via a keyboard straight out of science fiction. The concert opens with the most famous portions from Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde.

“Jaap | Turangalîla-Symphonie”will be held on 10 & 11 February 2023 (Fri & Sat) at 8PM in the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall. Tickets priced at HK$580, $480, $380 and $280 are available at URBTIX and POPTICKET. For enquiries, please call +852 2721 2332 or visit hkphil.org.

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Artists

Jaap van Zweden, conductor [full description]

(For “Jaap | Brahms Symphony Cycle I & II”, “Swire Community Concert”, “Bach | St Matthew Passion” and“Jaap | Turangalîla-Symphonie”)

Over the past decade, conductor Jaap van Zweden has become an international presence on three continents. Currently Music Director of the HK Phil, he is also Music Director of the New York Philharmonic and Conductor Laureate of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. He has appeared as guest conductor with leading orchestras such as, in Europe, the Orchestra de Paris, Amsterdam’s Royal Concertgebouw, the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, the Vienna Philharmonic, the Berlin Philharmonic and the London Symphony Orchestra, and, in the US, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, The Cleveland Orchestra and Los Angeles Philharmonic.

Vasily Petrenko, conductor [full description]

(For “Vasily Petrenko & Ning Feng” and “Swire Maestro Series: Vasily Petrenko & Boris Giltburg”)

The 2021/22 Season marked the start of Vasily Petrenko’s tenures as Music Director of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and as Artistic Director of the State Academic Symphony Orchestra of Russia (where he held the position of Principal Guest Conductor from 2016 to 2021). He became Conductor Laureate of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, following his hugely acclaimed 15-year tenure as their Chief Conductor from 2006 to 2021, and continues as Chief Conductor of the European Union Youth Orchestra (since 2015). He has also served as Chief Conductor of the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra (2013-20), Principal Conductor of the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain (2009-13), and Principal Guest Conductor of St Petersburg’s Mikhailovsky Theatre, where he began his career as Resident Conductor (1994-97).

Ning Feng, violin [full description]

(For “Vasily Petrenko & Ning Feng”)

Ning Feng is recognised internationally as an artist of great lyricism, innate musicality and stunning virtuosity. He performs across the globe with major orchestras and conductors, and in recital and chamber concerts in some of the most important international series and festivals. The Washington Post has described him as “a wonderful player with a creamy, easy tone and an emotional honesty” and BBC Music Magazine said of a recent recording “His silvery tonal purity, immaculate intonation and gently beguiling musicality have a way of making most other players sound decidedly effortful by comparison.” 

Boris Giltburg, piano [full description]

(For “Swire Maestro Series: Vasily Petrenko & Boris Giltburg”)

The Moscow-born, Israeli pianist is lauded across the globe as a deeply sensitive, insightful and compelling interpreter. Critics have praised his “singing line, variety of touch and broad dynamic palette capable of great surges of energy” (Washington Post) as well as his impassioned, narrative-driven approach to performance. In recent years Giltburg has engaged in a series of in-depth explorations of major composers. To celebrate the Beethoven anniversary in 2020 he embarked upon a unique project to record and film all 32 of Beethoven’s piano sonatas across the year. He also recorded the complete concertos with Vasily Petrenko and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra on Naxos.

Nitiphum Bamrungbanthum, trumpet [full description]

(For “Swire Community Concert”)

Currently Principal Trumpet of the HK Phil, Nitiphum Bamrungbanthum started playing trumpet at the age of 14. He was named Principal Trumpet of the Thailand Philharmonic Orchestra in 2017 at the age of 20. He has appeared regularly as a soloist and orchestral and chamber performer throughout Thailand. Previously he served as Co-Principal of the Princess Galyani Vadhana Youth Orchestra and the Mahidol Wind Orchestra. He is a founding member of the Zero Brass Quintet.

Jarod Vermette, trombone [full description]

(For “Swire Community Concert”)

Jarod Vermette joined the HK Phil as Principal Trombone in 1996 at the age of 20. He has performed Frank Martin’s Ballade during the 1997 subscription series and Derek Bourgeois’ Concerto in 2002. In 2012, Jarod performed John Mackey’s Harvest Concerto with the Hong Kong Wind Philharmonia and Roland Szentpáli’s Trombone Scenes with the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts Brass and Percussion Ensemble.

Nicholas Phan, tenor (Evangelist)[full description]

(For “Bach | St Matthew Passion”)

Described by TheBoston Globe as “one of the world’s most remarkable singers,” American tenor Nicholas Phan is increasingly recognised as an artist of distinction. With an incredibly diverse repertoire that spans nearly 500 years of music, he performs regularly with the world’s leading orchestras and opera companies. An avid recitalist and a passionate advocate for art song and vocal chamber music, in 2010 Phan co-founded Collaborative Arts Institute of Chicago, an organisation devoted to promoting this underserved repertoire.

Davóne Tines, bass-baritone (Jesus) [full description]

(For “Bach | St Matthew Passion”)

Heralded as "[one] of the most powerful voices of our time" by the Los Angeles Times, bass-baritone Davóne Tines has come to international attention as a path-breaking artist whose work not only encompasses a diverse repertoire but also explores the social issues of today. As a Black, gay, classically trained performer at the intersection of many histories, cultures, and aesthetics, he is engaged in work that blends opera, art song, contemporary classical music, spirituals, gospel, and songs of protest, as a means to tell a deeply personal story of perseverance that connects to all of humanity. 

Amanda Forsythe, soprano [full description]

(For “Bach | St Matthew Passion”)

Amanda Forsythe is recognised internationally as a leading interpreter of baroque and classical repertoire. She sang Eurydice on the 2015 Grammy-winning recording of Charpentier’s La descente d'Orphée aux enfers. Alongside her other many recordings for Boston Early Music Festival and Boston Baroque, her debut solo album of Handel arias The Power of Love with Apollo’s Fire on the Avie label earned widespread critical acclaim.

Tamara Mumford, mezzo-soprano [full description]

(For “Bach | St Matthew Passion”)

A graduate of the Metropolitan Opera’s Lindemann Young Artist Development Program, mezzo-soprano Tamara Mumford made her debut there as Laura in Luisa Miller, and has since appeared in more than 140 performances with the company, some of which include the Pilgrim in L'Amour de loin, the new production by Kajia Saariaho, Smeaton in the new production of Anna Bolena, and in productions of Rigoletto, Ariadne auf Naxos,  Il Trittico, Parsifal, Idomeneo, Cavalleria Rusticana, Nixon in China, The Queen of Spades, the complete Ring Cycle, The Magic Flute, A Midsummer Night's Dream and Wozzeck.

Paul Appleby, tenor [full description]

(For “Bach | St Matthew Passion”)

Admired for his interpretive depth, vocal strength, and range of expressivity, Paul Appleby’s calendar of the 2022/23 Season includes the world premiere of Antony and Cleopatra by John Adams at San Francisco Opera, Bernstein’s Candide for the Opéra de Lyon, and Girls of the Golden West with the Los Angeles Philharmonic under the baton of the composer, John Adams. The tenor’s international concert diary includes Bach’s St Matthew Passion both with the New York Philharmonic and HK Phil conducted by Jaap van Zweden as well as performances in Chicago with Music of the Baroque and Dame Jane Glover and Britten’s Serenade for Tenor, Horn, and Strings with the Met Orchestra Chamber Ensemble at Carnegie Hall.

Apollo Wong, bass-baritone [full description]

(For “Bach | St Matthew Passion”)

A native of Hong Kong, Apollo Wong is a conductor and operatic bass. He has sung operatic and musical roles including the Superintendent Budd and Bottom in Britten’s Albert Herring and A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Frère Laurent in Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette, Colline and Simone in Puccini’s La Bohème and Gianni Schicchi, Don Alfonso, Sarastro and Masetto in Mozart’s Così fan tutte, Die Zauberflöte and Don Giovanni, Geppetto in Valtinoni’s Pinocchio, and Javert in Les Misérables, among others. Amongst his concert and oratorio repertoire, he has notably both sung the bass solos and conducted Brahms’ Ein Deutsches Requiem, Mozart’s Requiem, Mahler’s Symphony no. 8 “Symphony of a Thousand”, Verdi’s Messa da Requiem and Faurè’s Requiem.

State Choir Latvija [full description]

(For “Bach | St Matthew Passion”)

The State Choir Latvija, the largest professional choir in the Baltic States, is one of the most significant monuments of Latvian cultural life and history. The choir’s musical radiance is defined by the vocal culture and sound of the Latvian choral tradition, characterised by warmth, balance and precision. Since 1997, the Artistic Director and Chief Conductor has been Māris Sirmais, while the General Manager has been Māris Ošlejs.

Hong Kong Philharmonic Chorus [full description]

(For “Bach | St Matthew Passion”)

The HK Phil Chorus was established in 1980. Over the years, it has collaborated with the HK Phil to perform a

range of different works. In 2013, the Chorus undertook a new recruitment drive, and over 450 singers were attracted to attend the auditions. The first performance by the newly reformed Chorus was Handel’s Messiah. Since then, the Chorus has performed with the HK Phil in major works by composers including Britten, Mendelssohn, Beethoven, Haydn and Mahler under renowned conductors Lorin Maazel, Nicholas McGegan and Jaap van Zweden, amongst others. The Fellows programme was launched in the 2020/21 Season.

The Hong Kong Children’s Choir [full description]

(For “Bach | St Matthew Passion”)

The Hong Kong Children's Choir (HKCC) was founded in 1969 as a private non-profit-making charitable organisation. Established with only 39 members, HKCC is now the biggest choir in the world with over 5,000 boys and girls receiving choral, dancing, arts and craft training. Each year, touring groups are invited to give performances overseas. HKCC has been well received and applauded in over 24 countries, gaining an international reputation as “one of the best children’s choirs in the world” and “the Little Goodwill Singing Ambassadors from Hong Kong”. In 2003, HKCC was awarded the “China’s Top Ten Children’s Choruses”.

Jean-Yves Thibaudet, piano [full description]

(For “Jaap | Turangalîla-Symphonie”)

For over three decades, Jean-Yves Thibaudet has performed worldwide, recorded more than 50 albums, and built a reputation as one of today’s finest pianists. He plays a range of solo, chamber and orchestral repertoire – from Beethoven through to contemporary composers Chen Qigang and James MacMillan. From the very start of his career, he delighted in music beyond the standard repertoire – from jazz to opera – which he transcribed himself. His profound professional friendships criss-cross the globe and have led to spontaneous and fruitful collaborations in film, fashion and visual art.

Cynthia Millar, ondes martenot [full description]

(For “Jaap | Turangalîla-Symphonie”)

Described by The Observer as the “unchallenged sovereign of the ondes martenot”, Cynthia Millar’s most recent performances include concerts with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra, Orchestre National de Lyon, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Nashville Symphony Orchestra and NHK Symphony Orchestra. Miller began the 2021/22 Season with a performance of Richard Rodney Bennett’s Ophelia with Iestyn Davies and Aurora Orchestra at Kings Place, London. Her most performed work, Messiaen’s large-scale Turangalîla-Symphonie, makes a spectacular post-pandemic return with some of the top orchestras around the world during the 2022/23 Season.

VASILY PETRENKO & NING FENG

6 & 7 | 1 | 2023

FRI & SAT 8PM

Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall

HK$680 $560 $420 $320

Tickets now available at URBTIX and POPTICKET

For ages 6 and above

Artists

Programme

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SWIRE MAESTRO SERIES: VASILY PETRENKO & BORIS GILTBURG

13 & 14 | 1 | 2023

FRI & SAT 8PM

Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall

HK$680 $560 $420 $320

Tickets now available at URBTIX and POPTICKET

For ages 6 and above

Artists

Programme

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JAAP | BRAHMS SYMPHONY CYCLE I

20 | 1 | 2023

FRI 8PM

Hong Kong City Hall Concert Hall

HK$680 $480 $280

Tickets now available at URBTIX and POPTICKET

For ages 6 and above

Artist

Programme

JAAP | BRAHMS SYMPHONY CYCLE II

27 | 1 | 2023

FRI 8PM

Hong Kong City Hall Concert Hall

HK$680 $480 $280

Tickets now available at URBTIX and POPTICKET

For ages 6 and above

Artist

Programme

SWIRE COMMUNITY CONCERT

28 | 1 | 2023

SAT 3PM

Hong Kong City Hall Concert Hall

Free admission with registration

Details will be announced in early January 2023  

Artists

Programme

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BACH | ST MATTHEW PASSION

3 & 4 | 2 | 2023

FRI & SAT 7:30PM

Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall

HK$780 $620 $460 $300

Tickets now available at URBTIX and POPTICKET

For ages 6 and above

Artists

Programme

JAAP | TURANGALÎLA-SYMPHONIE

10 & 11 | 2 | 2023

FRI & SAT 8PM

Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall

HK$580 $480 $380 $280

Tickets now available at URBTIX and POPTICKET

For ages 6 and above

Artists

Programme