Jaap van Zweden takes the stage of Swire Symphony Under The Stars, starring the HK Phil’s own musicians
The Orchestra’s Annual Outdoor Extravaganza returns to Central Harbourfront on 24 Nov, Saturday
11 OCT 2018
Hong Kong
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact:
Meggy Cheng
Director of Marketing
Tel: (852) 2721 9035
Email: meggy.cheng@hkphil.org
Flora Fung
Media Relations and Communications Manager
Tel: (852) 2721 1585
Email: flora.fung@hkphil.org
[11 October 2018, Hong Kong] As summer makes way for fall, Swire Symphony Under The Stars, the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra’s (HK Phil) free annual outdoor mega-concert is back again! This year, we are excited to welcome our Music Director Maestro Jaap van Zweden, along with the HK Phil’s talented musicians–Jing Wang (Concertmaster), Richard Bamping (Principal Cello), Fang Xiaomu (Co-Principal Cello), Andrew Simon (Principal Clarinet) and Esteban Batallán (Principal Trumpet). They will be joined by the crowd favourite Harry Wong (or Harry Gor Gor) as host. So come and be inspired by the finest music-making under the stars on 24 November (Saturday) at the Central Harbourfront!
The evening will feature orchestral favourites across several genres, including Brahms’ Hungarian Dance no. 5, Wagner’s “Ride of the Valkyries”, J Strauss II’s Blue Danube, iconic theme music from Star Wars and more. Under the baton of our Music Director Jaap van Zweden, and with the ever-lively presenter Harry Gor Gor, the evening promises enchantment for music lovers of all ages.
This annual outdoor extravaganza is made possible through the generous support of the Swire Group. As the principal patron of the HK Phil since 2006, Swire is deeply committed to its long-term vision of promoting artistic excellence and fostering cultural appreciation. Together with the HK Phil, Swire aims to bring the world of classical music to the widest possible audience.
Tickets for Swire Symphony Under The Stars are free of charge.
TICKETING PROCEDURE THIS YEAR
Tickets to Swire Symphony Under The Stars can be obtained through online registration only. Tickets will be available to the general public for registration on 23 October 2018 (Tuesday) at 10AM through suts.hkphil.org inthese simple steps:
| 1. | For each registration, one email address can register for one ticket only. You can register for up to four tickets with four different email addresses. Before the registration starts, please make sure that you have all the email addresses of the audience members ready in order to complete all details within the limited registration time. |
| 2. | After checking the given information is correct, please submit your registration. |
| 3. | Your reserved tickets will then be sent to each of the registered emails. Please download the ticket(s), save it on a smartphone or print the ticket(s). Please present the QR code(s) on your smartphone or on the printed ticket(s) to enter. |
FAST FACTS ABOUTSWIRE SYMPHONY UNDER THE STARS
| Date: | 24 November 2018 (Saturday) at 7:30PM Gates open at 5:30PM |
| Admission: | Free |
| Tickets: | Available at suts.hkphil.org(online registration only) Open for registration on 23 October 2018 (Tuesday) at 10AM Tickets are limited, available on a first-come, first-served basis. For each registration, a maximum of four tickets can be registered. |
| Bring: | Tickets, a picnic and your own mat to enjoy the evening with your friends and family. |
Programmes include:
VIVALDI | Concerto for Two Cellos - 1st & 3rd movements |
BRAHMS | Hungarian Dance no. 5 |
MASSENET | Thaïs: Méditation (Jing Wang, violin) |
WAGNER | “Ride of the Valkyries” |
John WILLIAMS | Star Wars - Main Theme |
MOZART | Clarinet Concerto - 2nd movement (Andrew Simon, clarinet) |
HAYDN | Trumpet Concerto in E-flat - 3rd movement (Esteban Batallán, trumpet) |
J STRAUSS II | Blue Danube |
and more… |
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Artists
Jaap van Zweden, conductor [full biography]
Over the past decade, conductor Jaap van Zweden has become an international presence on three continents. The 2018/19 season marks his first as the 26th Music Director of the New York Philharmonic. He continues as Music Director of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, a post he has held since 2012 - his seventh season with the HK Phil in 2018/19 season, the orchestra’s 45th professional season. He is also the Conductor Laureate of Dallas Symphony Orchestra where he has just completed a ten-year tenure at its helm. Born in Amsterdam, Jaap van Zweden was the youngest ever Concertmaster of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. He began his conducting career in 1995 and in 2012 was named Musical America's Conductor of the Year.
Harry Wong, presenter [full biography]
Harry Wong (aka Harry Gor Gor) is well known among children and adults for his humorous personality and amazing magic. Music and magic have been part of his life since he was young, and with these gifts, Harry uses his talents to serve the community and bring joy to the public through all kinds of media. Harry has been a regular performing guest for the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra and other performing groups. He is also a prolific M.C. and entertainer in different parts of the world.
Jing Wang, violin[full biography]
Critically acclaimed Canadian violinist Jing Wang is one of the most versatile and dynamic violinists of his generation. Since his solo recital debut in Marseilles, France at the age of six, Wang has garnered prizes in top international competitions, including the first prize at the 2007 Irving M. Klein International Strings Competition. In 2003, Wang was awarded the "Young Soloist of the Year" by Les Radios Francophones Publiques, a broadcast network of four countries including France, Canada, Switzerland, and Belgium. As a part of the award, Wang’s first CD album including works by Beethoven, Ravel and Gershwin was released in Europe.
Richard Bamping, cello [full biography]
Richard Bamping has been the Principal Cello of the HK Phil since 1993. He has performed with many of the finest musicians of recent history - Lord Yehudi Menuhin, Leonidas Kavakos, Mstislav Rostropovich, Carlo Maria Guilini, Valery Gergiev, Leonard Bernstein, Lorin Maazel, Sir Colin Davis and Claudio Abbado, to name but a few. Bamping has performed many of the staples of the solo cello repertoire with orchestras from Europe to the Far East. He has a great passion for playing chamber music with friends and colleagues whenever he gets the chance.
Fang Xiaomu, cello [full biography]
HK Phil's Co-Principal Cello, Fang Xiaomu, graduated from The Juilliard School on a full scholarship where she studied with the renowned cellist Harvey Shapiro. Xiaomu has performed several solo recitals at Carnegie Hall and Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center in New York. She has appeared as soloist with renowned conductors including Sergiu Comissiona and Jacek Kaspszyk. Xiaomu received the “Outstanding Achievement in Arts and Culture Award” from the New York State Assembly of the US.
Andrew Simon, clarinet [full biography]
Andrew Simon has appeared as soloist and guest lecturer on four continents. As Principal Clarinet of the HK Phil, he has recorded solo works by Baermann and Stravinsky and has performed concerti over 60 times, including John Corigliano's Concerto for Clarinet and Orchestra which he studied with the Academy Award-winning composer. Among his notable performances are those with the Mainly Mozart Orchestra (US), the Singapore Symphony, as well as giving the Australian and Asian premieres of the original, unpublished version of Copland’s Concerto. In addition, his recital CDs include “HOT” and his new release, “Ebony and Ivory”, for NAXOS Recordings.
Esteban Batallán, trumpet [full biography]
Born in Spain in 1983, Esteban Batallán began his musical studies at the age of seven at the School of Music in his hometown, Barro (Pontevedra). A constant prize-winner in international competitions such as "Jeunesses Musicales International", Yamaha International Competition and "Maurice Andre International Trumpet Competition in Paris", Batallán won the Principal Trumpet position in 2002 in the Orquesta Ciudad de Granada, a position he held until September 2018. International orchestras he has collaborated include the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Royal Concertgebouw of Amsterdam, Orchestra of Teatro alla Scala, English Chamber Orchestra, Orchestra Filarmonica della Scala, Gstaad Festival Orchestra, among others. During these years he worked under the direction of great conductors like, Riccardo Muti, Jaap van Zweden, Riccardo Chailly, Zubin Metha, Bernard Haitink, Daniele Gatti, Vladimir Ashkenazy and Alan Gilbert, among others.
Principal Patron: SWIRE
Sponsor: Tom Lee Music
Media Partner: RTHK Television Division, RTHK Radio 4 & RTHK TV31
Click the thumbnails to download press photos
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| Jaap van Zweden Photo Credit: Cheung Chi-wai/HK Phil | Harry Wong | Jing Wang |
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| Richard Bamping | Fang Xiaomu | Andrew Simon |
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Esteban Batallán | Swire Symphony Under The Stars 2017 | Swire Symphony Under The Stars 2017 |
For programme enquiry, please call +852 2721 2332 or visit our website: hkphil.org
Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra
Music Director: Jaap van Zweden
Principal Guest Conductor: Yu Long
The Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra (HK Phil) is recognised as Asia’s foremost classical orchestra. Presenting more than 150 concerts over a 44-week season, the HK Phil attracts more than 200,000 music lovers annually.
Jaap van Zweden, one of today’s most sought-after conductors, has been the orchestra’s Music Director since the 2012/13 concert season, a position he will continue to hold until at least 2022. Maestro van Zweden is the 26th Music Director of the New York Philharmonic from the 2018/19 season.
Yu Long has been appointed Principal Guest Conductor since the 2015/16 season.
Under the dynamic leadership of Music Director Jaap van Zweden, the HK Phil has attained new heights of artistic excellence, garnering international critical acclaim.
Following on from the success of the European tour which included a filmed concert from Vienna’s Musikverein, the HK Phil has toured extensively within the mainland China. In 2017, in celebration of the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the HKSAR, and with support of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Offices, the orchestra performed in Seoul, Osaka, Singapore, Melbourne and at the Sydney Opera House.
Jaap, the HK Phil, a superb cast of soloists and a chorus successfully completed an epic four-year journey through Wagner’s “Ring Cycle” in January 2018. The concert performances and live Naxos recordings have been enthusiastically received by audiences and praised by critics at home and abroad. The recording of Götterdämmerung will be released towards the end of 2018.
Conductors and soloists who have recently performed with the orchestra include Vladimir Ashkenazy, Joshua Bell, Charles Dutoit, Christoph Eschenbach, Matthias Goerne, Stephen Hough, Lang Lang, Yo-Yo Ma, Ning Feng and Yuja Wang.
The HK Phil promotes the work of Hong Kong and Chinese composers through an active commissioning programme, and has released recordings on the Naxos label featuring Tan Dun and Bright Sheng, each conducting their own compositions. Its acclaimed education and community engagement programmes in schools, hospital and outdoor space, bring music into the hearts of tens of thousands of children and families every year.
The Swire Group has been the Principal Patron of the HK Phil since 2006. Through this sponsorship, which is the largest in the orchestra’s history, Swire endeavours to promote artistic excellence, foster access to classical music and stimulate cultural participation in Hong Kong, and to enhance Hong Kong’s reputation as one of the great cities of the world.
Thanks to a significant subsidy from the Hong Kong Government and long-term funding from Principal Patron Swire, the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust and other supporters, the HK Phil now boasts a full-time annual schedule of core classical repertoire and innovative popular programming, extensive education and community programmes, and collaborations with, among others, Opera Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Arts Festival and the Hong Kong Ballet.
Originally called the Sino-British Orchestra, it was renamed the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra in 1957 and became fully professional in 1974. The HK Phil is a charitable organisation.
The Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra is financially supported by the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and is Venue Partner of the Hong Kong Cultural Centre.
SWIRE is the Principal Patron of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra.