The HK Phil Tours Seven Cities in Mainland Tour
with Long Yu, Paloma So and Jian Wang
Two Pre-Tour Concerts to be held in Hong Kong on 3 & 4 May 2024

24 APR 2024

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact:
Dennis Wu
Director of Marketing
Tel: (852) 2721 9035
Email: dennis.wu@hkphil.org

Emily Hui
Media Relations and Communications Manager
Tel: (852) 2721 1585
Email: emily.hui@hkphil.org

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[24 April 2024, Hong Kong] After the resounding success of the recent Singapore and Europe tour,the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra (HK Phil) will embark on a massive Mainland tour spanning seven cities in May 2024. Led by HK Phil Principal Guest Conductor Long Yu, the orchestra will join hands with wunderkind violinist Paloma So and the acclaimed cellist Jian Wang, presenting an enticing East-meets-West programme.

The orchestra’s forthcoming Mainland Tour will be held in Wuxi Grand Theatre on 8 May, Shanghai Oriental Art Center on 9 May, Wuhan Qintai Concert Hall on 11 May, Changsha Concert Hall on 12 May, Harbin Concert Hall on 15 May, Shenyang Shengjing Grand Theatre on 16 May and Beijing National Centre for the Performing Arts on 18 May. The tour is generously supported by the Beijing Office, the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Shanghai, the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Wuhan, and the Liaoning Liaison Unit of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

Acclaimed violinist Paloma So will perform Chen Gang and He Zhanhao’s Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto, a cherished work that blends elements of Chinese folk music with Western classical music. Celebrated cellist Jian Wang will captivate the audience with his solo performance for Tchaikovsky’s Variations on a Rococo Theme, showcasing the composer’s mastery in crafting graceful and elegant melodies.

Most concerts will open with selections from Yuankai Bao’s Chinese Sights and Sounds, including “Flowing Stream”, “Going to West Gate” and “Dialogue on Flowers". This orchestral suite brilliantly depicts Chinese cultural traditions using traditional folk melodies. The concerts will culminate with either Dvořák’s Symphony no. 9 or Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade, both offering a rich and dynamic musical experience. The former intricately weaves together folk melodies from the composer’s Czech homeland with the exuberant sounds of America. The latter isbest known for its colourful orchestration, exotic melodies and vivid portrayal of Arabian tales from One Thousand and One Nights. Alongside the concerts, a series of education and outreach events will be held to promote orchestral music to students and the community.

Currently 18-year-old, Paloma So is recognised by critics as a “rising star of the violin world”, while her playing is described as being “powerful, dramatic, and compelling… awfully good” by The Strad Magazine. At the age of 10, she won the Second Prize at the prestigious International Wieniawski Competition for Young Violinists in Lublin, Poland. In the following year, she went on to win the Gold Prize at the 8th International Violin Competition in Novosibirsk, Russia, as the youngest participant in the competition’s history.

Praised by New York Concert Review as “brilliant, extremely musical, and sensitive” for his performance of Variations on a Rococo Theme, Jian Wang has collaborated with many of the world’s leading orchestras, including the London Symphony Orchestra, The Cleveland Orchestra, Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, the Orchestre de Paris, and the NHK Symphony Orchestra. Amongst his high-profile concerts in China, he has opened the seasons for the China Philharmonic, Shanghai Symphony, and Macao Orchestras. He recently graced the stages of the China National Symphony Orchestra and Hangzhou Philharmonic Orchestra.

Prior to the tour, Hong Kong audiences can take a sneak peek in the “Mainland Pre-Tour Concert: Mendelssohn Violin Concerto” concert on 3 May (Fri) at 8pm and “Mainland Pre-Tour Concert: Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto” on 4 May (Sat) at 8pm in the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall. Tickets priced at HK$420, $340, $260, $180, and $50 (Friday only) are available at URBTIX. For enquiries, please call +852 2721 2332 or visit hkphil.org.

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Artists

Long Yu, conductor [full description]

Hailed by The New York Times as “the most powerful figure in China’s classical music scene,” Long Yu has devoted his career to steering China’s growing connection to classical music while familiarising international audiences with the country’s most eminent musicians and composers. Yu is the Artistic Director of the China Philharmonic Orchestra in Beijing and Music Director of Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, as well as Principal Guest Conductor of the HK Phil. He is also Co-Director of Shanghai’s Music in the Summer Air (MISA) festival and Chair of the Artistic Committee of the Beijing Music Festival, and Honorary Music Director and the Chair of the Artistic Committee of Guangzhou Symphony. He is currently Vice President of the China Musicians Association and Chairman of the League of China Orchestras.

Paloma So, violin [full description]

18-year-old Paloma So is perceived by music critics as a “rising star of the violin world” in view of her significant performance history, with her playing described as being “powerful, dramatic, and compelling . . . awfully good” by The Strad Magazine. Paloma has studied with Russian pedagogue Zakhar Bron since the age of nine, and graduated last year from the Juilliard School Pre-College Programme, under the tutelage of Catherine Cho and Donald Weilerstein. She is currently in her first year studying at the Harvard-New England Conservatory Dual Degree Programme with Professor Weilerstein, where she received a full merit scholarship; and is also under the artistic mentorship of Professor Eduard Wulfson.

Jian Wang, cello [full description]

Jian Wang has performed with many of the world’s leading orchestras including the London Symphony, Cleveland, Zurich Tonhalle, NDR Elbphilharmonie, Stockholm Philharmonic, Orchestre de Paris and NHK Symphony. These concerts have been with many of the greatest conductors, such as Chung, Dudamel, Elder, Eschenbach, Gilbert, Harding, Neeme Jarvi, Langrée, van Zweden, Wigglesworth and Szeps-Znaider. Recent and future highlights include concerts with the New York, Netherlands Radio and Seoul Philharmonic Orchestras; Boston, Chicago, Toronto and Singapore Symphony Orchestras, the Konzerthausorchester Berlin and Philharmonia. Amongst his many high-profile concerts in China, he has opened the season for the China Philharmonic, Shanghai Symphony and Macau Orchestras as well as performing with the China National Orchestra and Hangzhou Symphony.

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MAINLAND PRE-TOUR CONCERT: MENDELSSOHN VIOLIN CONCERTO

3 | 5 | 2024

FRI 8PM

Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall

HK$420 $340 $260 $180 $50

Tickets now available at URBTIX

For ages 6 and above

Programme

BAO Yuankai	Chinese Sights and Sounds: Flowing Stream / Going to West Gate / Dialogue on Flowers
MENDELSSOHN	Violin Concerto
RIMSKY-KORSAKOV	Scheherazade

Artists