Hong Kong Philharmonic’s 
Swire Symphony Under The Stars
The largest outdoor musical extravaganza
brought a magical evening to over 15,000 music lovers.

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[29 November 2013, Hong Kong] Surrounded by the dazzling city lights, the Hong Kong Philharmonic (HK Phil) presented a very successful concert tonight (29 Nov) at the New Central Harbourfront, located at the heart of Hong Kong and adjacent to the spectacular Victoria Harbour. The annual musical extravaganza and Hong Kong’s largest outdoor symphonic concert – Swire Symphony Under The Stars   has received tremendous acclaim from an audience of over 15,000.

Tonight, the HK Phil was honoured to have Chief Secretary for Administration of the HKSAR Government, Mrs Carrie Lam, Chairman of The Swire Group Charitable Trust, Mr J. B. Rae-Smith, together with Chairman of the Board of Governors of the HK Phil, Mr Y. S. Liu, to kick off the performance with a lighting ceremony. Conductor Perry So and the HK Phil then celebrated three great composers’ birthdays – Wagner, Verdi and Britten, with exquisite music from their best-loved operas, including Wagner’s The Valkyrie and Lohengrin, Verdi’s Aida and Britten’s Peter Grimes. From the opera house to the silver screen, the HK Phil performed all-time-favourite movie music, from the James Bond theme and songs, to Piazzolla’s seductive tango music featured in Happy Together. Joining the HK Phil and conductor Perry So on stage was the talented singer Corinna Chamberlain. In the main theme from E. Bernstein’s The Great Escape, Perry and Corinna invited an audience of over 15,000 to whistle along with the orchestra. The evening was brought to a rousing conclusion with an encore - the main theme from John Williams's Star Wars, accompanied by a blaze of colourful fireworks.

Thanks to the generous and continued support of HK Phil’s Principal Patron Swire, Swire Symphony Under The Stars was made possible.

TV and radio broadcast
Tonight's concert was recorded by RTHK TV and RTHK Radio 4. The audio-visual recording will be broadcast via ATV World on 14 Dec (Sat) 9PM. The audio recording will be broadcast on RTHK Radio 4 on 27 Dec (Fri) 8PM with a repeat broadcast on 1 Jan (Wed) 2PM.

Swire Symphony under the Stars Press Photos Download:
/f/press_release/5930/20131129_SUTS.zip
For photo credit, please refer to individual file name.

Principal Patron: SWIRE
Sponsor: Tom Lee Music
Media Partners: RTHK Television Division, RTHK Radio 4
Proudly Supporting: HK Our Home

Hong Kong Philharmonic
Music Director: Jaap van Zweden

As the city’s largest and busiest musical organisation, the Hong Kong Philharmonic is a vital part of Hong Kong’s cultural life. In 2013/14 the HK Phil celebrates its 40th professional season, but its roots stretch back well over a century. The HK Phil has now evolved into an orchestral powerhouse of the region, and an acclaimed cultural centrepiece of Asia’s World City.

The HK Phil is formed on the belief that a great city deserves a great orchestra. Annually it presents over 150 concerts for 200,000 music lovers. Featuring an enviable roster of international and local artists, with many concerts presented free, among them the annual Swire Symphony Under The Stars. Through its acclaimed education programme, over 40,000 young people learned about orchestral music last year.

The HK Phil’s members come from every corner of the globe, joining its strong core of Hong Kong musicians. In September 2012, Jaap van Zweden became the orchestra’s Music Director. Future years will see an ambitious series of new projects, with major international tours, renewed local partnerships, and large-scale concert events. The HK Phil has recently commenced a multi-CD recording project for Naxos, featuring works by Chinese composers.

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

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