Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra Announces
Player Appointments in 2012/13 Season.
Former Associate Conductor, Perry So,
Returns as Guest Conductor.

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[30 August 2012 – Hong Kong] As the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra (HKPO) opens its 2012/13 season with the performances of Bank of Communications brings to you - Yundi’s Tchaikovsky on 7&8 September, it also marks the start of new Music Director Jaap van Zweden’s inaugural season, with new additions and returning players in the Orchestra.

The highly-anticipated inaugural concerts of Jaap van Zweden as the Orchestra’s eighth Music Director will be held on 28 & 29 September. “Welcome, Jaap! A National Day Celebration” features two dynamic musicians – violinist Ning Feng, who will be playing the Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto, and young composer and pianist Conrad Tao, who has been commissioned by the Orchestra to compose a new work, Pangu, to mark Jaap’s inauguration.

The new season will also see the return of its former Associate Conductor Perry So in various performances include a collaboration with pianist Simon Trpčeski next June and a family programmein Tuen Mun this September as well as Swire Symphony under the Stars in November. Perry joined the HKPO in October 2008 as Assistant Conductor and became Associate Conductor in September 2010. During his four seasons with the Orchestra, he has quickly established himself as one of the brightest conducting talents on the local and international scenes.

Michael MacLeod, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra said “On behalf of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Society, I welcome Maestro van Zweden and the wealth of new and returning talents into this wonderful ensemble. I am sure the audiences will be treated to an exciting new season of great music-making. I would also like to take this opportunity to congratulate Perry, who has developed such a promising career over the last four seasons, on his continued success. It’s a joy to have him back.”

New players joining the string section include tutti second violin Liu Boxuan, a recent graduate of the Robert H.N. Ho Family Foundation Orchestral Fellowship Scheme, tutti viola Damara Lomdaridze, tutti bass Chang Pei-heng, also the graduate of the Robert H.N. Ho Family Foundation Orchestral Fellowship Scheme. In the woodwind and brass sections, the Orchestra welcomes cor anglais Kenny Sturgeon, and principal trumpet Joshua MacCluer.

The Orchestra makes warm welcome to the returning players - principal clarinet Andrew Simon, contra bassoon Adam Treverton Jones and principal tuba Paul Luxenberg.

Jaap van Zweden, Music Director [full biography]
Amsterdam-born Jaap van Zweden is one of today’s most sought-after conductors. Recently named Musical America’s Conductor of the Year for 2012, he assumed the role of Music Director of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra from the 2012/13 season.

Maestro van Zweden is currently Music Director of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and Honorary Chief Conductor of the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra and Honorary Conductor of the Radio Chamber Philharmonic. Appointed at age nineteen as the youngest Concertmaster ever of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, he began his conducting career in 1995, successively holding the positions of Chief Conductor at the Netherlands Symphony Orchestra (1996-2000), Chief Conductor of the Residentie Orchestra of The Hague (2000-2005) and Chief Conductor of the Royal Flemish Philharmonic Orchestra (2008-2011).

Prestigious orchestras he works with regularly include the Chicago Symphony, the Cleveland and Philadelphia Orchestras, the Munich Philharmonic, Oslo Philharmonic, WDR Symphony Orchestra Cologne, Orchestre National de France, and the London Philharmonic. Maestro van Zweden has conducted at major international festivals including the BBC Proms, and the Tanglewood and Aspen Festivals.  His recent subscription débuts with the New York Philharmonic and the Boston Symphony have garnered overwhelming critical acclaim.
 

Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra
Music Director: Jaap van Zweden

The Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra (HKPO) is one of Asia’s leading orchestras. Enriching Hong Kong’s cultural life for over a century, the Orchestra has grown into a formidable ensemble of Chinese and international talents, attracting world-class artists to collaborate on its stage. The HKPO annually touches the lives of over 200,000 music lovers through more than 150 performances. From the 2012/13 season, Jaap van Zweden has become Music Director of the HKPO. Under his leadership, the HKPO will continue to develop its reputation for artistic excellence.

From April 2006, The Swire Group Charitable Trust became the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra’s Principal Patron. Swire’s sponsorship of the HKPO, the largest in the ensemble’s history, supports artistic growth and development as the Orchestra takes its place on the world stage, and brings performances of musical excellence to the widest possible public.

The HKPO stays in tune with our city by presenting the Orchestra in unexpected venues and bringing the excitement of the concert experience to every home through radio and television broadcasts including the largest symphonic event of the year, Swire Symphony under the Stars, at Happy Valley. The Orchestra runs a comprehensive schools education programme, bringing the joy of classical music to primary, secondary and special school kids. The Orchestra also collaborates regularly with other performing arts organisations such as Opera Hong Kong in addition to its crossover series with Western and Chinese pop artists.

The Orchestra also builds its reputation and raises its artistic standards by touring. In September 2010, the HKPO returned to China, performing at the Expo 2010 Shanghai, Xi’an and Beijing to critical acclaim.

The Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra is financially supported by the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
SWIRE is the Principal Patron of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra
The Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra is a Venue Partner of the Hong Kong Cultural Centre

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