Swire Symphony Under The Stars shines the spotlight on two young Hong Kong musical prodigies and premieres a piece by Chan Kai-young
16 OCT 2017
Hong Kong
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact:
Meggy Cheng
Director of Marketing
Tel: (852) 2721 9035
Email: meggy.cheng@hkphil.org
[16 October 2017, Hong Kong] Swire Symphony Under The Stars, the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra’s free annual outdoor mega-concert, is just around the corner.This year, the HK Phil has invited two young Hong Kong musical prodigies, pianist Johnson Li and violinist Paloma So, to perform against the backdrop of the city’s spectacular harbour skyline.
The winning piece of the HK Phil’s Hong Kong Composers Showcase 2017, Chan Kai-young’s Climbing to the Light, will be given its premiere under the baton of the HK Phil’s Principal Guest Conductor, Yu Long, voted the audience’s favourite at the Showcase in January this year, the piece explores the different varieties of hope, truth and love that guide us out of darkness into the light.
Johnson Li will perform Chopin’s Grande Polonaise brillante and Paloma So will play Waxman’s Carmen Fantasy. Many other great works will be performed by the Orchestra under Yu Long. With the ever-lively Harry Wong (or Harry Goh Goh) as M.C., the evening promises to be very entertaining.
Swire Symphony Under The Stars is made possible by the generous support of the Swire Group. As the principal patron of the HK Phil since 2006, Swire has shared its long-term vision to promote artistic excellence and foster cultural appreciation. Together with the Orchestra, 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.
NEW TICKETING PROCEDURE THIS YEAR!
Tickets will be available to the general public for registration on 23 October 2017 (Mon) at 10AM through suts.hkphil.org infour 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. | Please check that the given information is correct. After submitting the information, your ticket quotas will be reserved. However, your registration is not yet complete. There is one important step left - "Ticket Activation". |
3. | A ticket activation email will be sent to each of the registered email addresses. Please make sure to remind all audience members under your registration to activate their tickets before 25 October 2017 23:59PM. Otherwise, the ticket quotas will be released. |
4. | After activation, tickets will be sent to each of the registered emails. Print the ticket or save it on a smartphone. Show the QR code on your smartphone or the printed ticket to enter. |
FAST FACTS ABOUTSWIRE SYMPHONY UNDER THE STARS
Date: | 11 November 2017 (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 2017 (Mon) at 10AM Limited Tickets. Available on a first-come, first-served basis. Patrons can sign up for a maximum of four tickets. |
Bring: | Tickets, a picnic and a mat, and enjoy the evening with your friends and family |
Programmes include:
| CHAN Kai-young | Climbing to the Light |
| CHOPIN | Grande Polonaise brillante (Johnson Li, piano) |
WAXMAN | Carmen Fantasy (Paloma So, violin) |
| SHOSTAKOVICH | Festival Overture |
| HANDEL | The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba from Solomon |
| J. STRAUSS I | Radetzky March |
Artists
Yu Long, conductor [full biography]
Yu Long is the Artistic Director and Chief Conductor of the China Philharmonic Orchestra, which he co-founded in 2000, and the Music Director of the Shanghai and Guangzhou Symphony orchestras. All three ensembles tour internationally and feature alongside the world’s top soloists. Maestro Yu is also the Founding Artistic Director of the Beijing Music Festival, as well as Artistic Co-Director of the MISA Festival, bringing classical music to the young people of Shanghai. He was appointed the Principal Guest Conductor of the HK Phil from the 2015/16 concert season.
Harry Wong, presenter [full biography]
Harry Wong (aka Harry Goh Goh) 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.
Johnson Li, piano[full biography]
Johnson Zhongxin Li is currently studying piano with Mr Robert McDonald in the Pre-College Division of the Juilliard School, as well as composing and conducting. Johnson previously attended the Junior Music Programme at The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, where he studied with Ms Eleanor Wong. Since the age of 8 Johnson has been invited to perform piano concertos with world renowned orchestras and conductors. He has performed with the London Philharmonic, Toronto Symphony, HK Phil, China Philharmonic Orchestra, Shanghai Symphony, Guangzhou Symphony, Shenzhen Symphony and Xiamen Philharmonic orchestras. By working with such prominent orchestras, Johnson has gained a lot of performing experience. Renowned conductors such as Christoph Eschenbach and Yu Long have both praised Johnson for his talent in music as a teen pianist.
Paloma So, violin [full biography]
Twelve-year-old Paloma So is currently a student at Wycombe Abbey School in the UK. She started learning piano at the age of four and violin at five, and made her debut with the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra in February 2014 playing Mozart’s Violin Concerto no. 5. Later that year she was invited to perform as a soloist at the G20 Gala Dinner in Australia. Since then she has also performed with the Fujian, Guangzhou and Berlin Symphony Orchestras as well as with the London Philharmonic Orchestra. In 2016 she was invited to perform at the Interlaken Music Festival in Switzerland. She currently participates in the Interlaken masterclass with Prof. Zakhar Bron.
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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Yu Long | Harry Wong | Johnson Li |
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Paloma So | Swire Symphony Under The Stars 2016 Photo Credit: Cheung Wai Lok / HK Phil | Swire Symphony Under The Stars 2016 Photo Credit: Cheung Wai Lok / HK Phil |
For programme enquiry, please call +852 2721 2332 or visit our website:
www.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 2022. Maestro van Zweden will be the next Music Director of the New York Philharmonic from the 2018/19 season.
Yu Long was appointed Principal Guest Conductor with the HK Phil for a three-year period commencing with 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 celebration of the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the HKSAR, and with support of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Offices, the orchestra recently performed in Seoul, Osaka, Singapore, Melbourne and at the Sydney Opera House.
Jaap, the HK Phil, and a superb casts of soloists, have presented concert performances and recordings of the first three operas from Richard Wagner’s epic Ring cycle. These have been enthusiastically endorsed by both audiences and critics at home and abroad, and in recognition of their quality, the orchestra and Jaap have been invited to perform Wagner’s Die Walküre in staged performances at the Beijing Music Festival this October in a co-production with the Salzburg Easter Festival.
Conductors and soloists who have recently, or shortly will have, performed with the orchestra include Vladimir Ashkenazy, 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 and the Hong Kong Arts Festival.
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.