Hong Kong Philharmonic Staged the Very First Show at The New Central
Harbourfront
Annual Musical Extravaganza – Swire Symphony Under The Stars
Brought a Magical Evening to over 15,000 Music Lovers

Download HERE
 

[9 November 2012 – Hong Kong]Surrounded by dazzling city-lights from both sides of the Victoria Harbour, the Hong Kong Philharmonic (HK Phil) staged an entertaining outdoor concert tonight (9 November), at The New Central Harbourfront, located in the heart of Hong Kong next to the spectacular harbour. The annual musical extravaganza and Hong Kong’s largest outdoor symphonic concert – Swire Symphony Under The Stars has received loud cheers and great applause from the over 15,000 audience.
 

Conductor Perry So kicked off the inaugural performance at The New Central Harbourfront with excerpts from Handel’s Water Music, followed by the music of Mendelssohn, Rimsky-Korsakov and Smetana as well as a traditional tune arranged by local composer Doming Lam. Hong Kong vocalist Fiona Hui sang the show tunes from Bernstein’s popular musical Wonderful Town. Perry invited the audience to join the HK Phil in L. Mozart’s delightful Toy Symphony with their own toy instruments, making it a huge music party for everyone. The evening was brought to a rousing conclusion with Handel's Royal Fireworks Music 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 has now been made possible for the past five years. It successfully introduced the tradition of an outdoor concert - familiar to audiences in the West - to Hong Kong, bringing the joy of classical music to the community outside the concert hall.
 

Radio & TV Broadcast
Tonight's concert is recorded by RTHK and broadcast live on RTHK Radio 4 (FM Stereo 97.6-98.9 MHz) with a repeat broadcast on 14 Nov (Wed) 2PM. Audio-visual recording will be broadcasted via ATV World & rthk.hk on 1 Dec (Sat) 8:30PM.

Swire Symphony under the Stars Press Kit Download (Include Press Images):
/f/press_release/4357/Press_Kit.zip
 

Principal Patron: SWIRE
Sponsor: Tom Lee Music
Media Partners: RTHK Television Division, RTHK Radio 4

HONG KONG PHILHARMONIC
Music Director: Jaap van Zweden

The Hong Kong Philharmonic is a vital part of Hong Kong’s cultural life, as the city’s largest and busiest musical organisation. In 2013/14 the HK Phil will celebrate its 40th professional season, but its roots are well over a century old. The HK Phil has now evolved to become an orchestral powerhouse in 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

# # #