HK Phil Hosts 2025 Fundraising Gala Dinner With Jonas Kaufmann and Distinguished Guests

The Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra hosted its 51st season fundraising gala dinner on 20 February 2025 at The Peninsula Hong Kong, with Ms Vivian Sum Fong Kwang, Permanent Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, as the Guest of Honour.   

This fundraising gala dinner was held successfully with the remarkable efforts from the Organising Committee Chair, Ms Cynthia Leung and Honourary Advisors Ms Bonny Wong and Ms Angela Yau.

The orchestra was thrilled to have Mr Jonas Kaufmann and distinguished guests across disciplines from the city grace the event. Distinguished guests include (in alphabetical order of surname): Mr Peter Brien, Mrs Christine Cerletti, Ms Estelle Chan, Mr Ivan Chan, Mr Francis Cheng, Ms Linda Choy, Prof Alex Fan, Mr Glenn Fok, Ms Pat Fok and Dr John van Praag, Mr William Fong, Mr Edmond Huang, Mr Richard Hui and Mrs Rachel Hui, Mr Kevin Kwong, Mr George Lacey, Ms Anita Lai, Mr K. Y. Lau, Mr Gabriel Lee, Mr and Mrs Y. S. Liu, Dr John Luk and Mrs Andy Luk, Mr Michael Moriarty, Mrs Amie Moriarty, Mr Jochen Rieder, Mr and Mrs Yat Siu, Mr James Tung, Mr Sonny Yau, Ms Judith Yu, and many more.

Mr David Cogman, the Chairman of the Board of Governors of the HK Phil, mentioned in his welcome speech, “The orchestra's growth and development would not have been possible without the generous help from you. This season has seen many significant achievements in both community engagement initiatives and presentation of star-studded programmes. The HK Phil will continue its efforts on establishing innovative partnerships, as well as celebrating the rich legacy of orchestral music.”

Ms Cynthia Leung, Chair of the Gala Dinner Organising Committee also thanked all supporters in her Vote of Thanks, “Whether you are a longstanding supporter of the HK Phil or just getting to know it, I am glad that our shared love for the orchestra and music has brought us together. Thank you for supporting the HK Phil and the fund raised from the dinner will bring endless possibilities and sustain the orchestra's long-term development.”

The programme of the evening was spectacular – the night began with the HK Phil's brass quintet, featuring Co-Principal Trumpet Christopher Moyse, Trumpet Robert Smith, Principal Horn Lin Jiang, Principal Trombone Jarod Vermette and Principal Tuba Paul Luxenberg. The quintet performed the aria Quando m'en vo from Puccini's La bohème and Maria from Bernstein's West Side Story. This was followed by the presentation and performance of the “Empress Caterina”, a remarkable 1708 Stradivarius violin generously loan by Mr Yat Siu to HK Phil Concertmaster Jing Wang for the night. Accompanied by pianist Warren Lee, the duo performed Franck's Sonata in A Major for Violin and Piano: II Allegro, along with two encore pieces, Ravel's Tzigane, and “Méditation”, a symphonic intermezzo from Massanet's opera, Thaïs.

Mr Yat Siu shared more about his meaningful collaboration with the HK Phil, discussing his journey in enabling a communal ownership of cultural heritage and artifacts through tokenisation. He described tokenisation as empowerment - “it democratises assets through the value of things that you don't normally have access to” and offering it to someone who can utilise it and give it meaning.

Boasting an impressive list of auction items, the fundraising gala dinner ended on a high note featuring winning bids to an exclusive VIP tour package with the orchestra in Europe, opportunities to perform with the HK Phil on stage, and other extraordinary items. The night was a remarkable success of fundraising to support the orchestra's work in bringing orchestral music to the wider community.