Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra Announces Programmes From May to July

The Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra (HK Phil) continues to harbour a love for music. Today, the orchestra announces its remaining concerts for the 2021/22 Season - a line-up of nine programmes from May to July, including three mainstage programmes, five chamber music concerts and a livestreaming showcase. Come and join the HK Phil to share the power of music!

Highlights of the mainstage programmes:

Swire Denim Series: From Baroque to Beatles (27 & 28 May)

Fabulous stories, superstar vocalists and tunes that you'll never forget - the music of The Beatles has more in common with the great baroque masters than you might think! Conductor Fayçal Karoui and Romanian soprano Valentina Farcas join the HK Phil on a magical mystery tour that spans the centuries, with music by Paul McCartney and The Beatles, alongside works from the 18th century by Charpentier, Gluck and Rameau. The results might surprise you; entertainment is guaranteed!

César Franck at 200 (11 June)

They say it's the quiet ones that you need to watch, and behind his polite exterior, composer César Franck had a musical imagination that blazed with passion. Two hundred years since Franck's birth, Robert Reimer conducts two of his masterpieces: the tempestuous musical fairytale Le Chassseur Maudit, and the stirring, storm-tossed Symphony in D minor. In between, HK Phil Principal Viola Andrew Ling plays Bartók's haunting Viola Concerto - music of exile, filled with song and dance, and tingling with Hungarian spice.

Lio Kuokman | Roman Holiday (18 June & 2 July)

Savour the sights and sounds of Rome as HK Phil Resident Conductor Lio Kuokman guides us to this magnificent holiday destination. Among the most spectacular orchestral music in the entire repertory, Respighi's Fountains of Rome and Pines of Rome conjure up spell-binding images of the great city, its fountains and forests, and recall its heroic history, summoning up echoes of Roman legions marching along the ancient Apian Way. In between, HK Phil's Linda Stuckey presents the world premiere of OZNO's Piccolo Concerto showcasing the small but mighty personality of this tiny instrument!

And let's not forget a series of delightful chamber music concerts sharing some of the most intimate and beautiful sounds ever created by the great composers. These include HK Phil x HKU MUSE: Orchestral Spotlights: Viola (15 May), HK Phil x Tai Kwun: Chamber Music Series Trio Rendezvous (23 May) and The Joy of Bach (20 June), Tea House Chamber Music Series: Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra - Nightingale in Distance (30 May) and HK Phil x Freespace Tan Dun | Snow in June (7 June).

Last but not least, the HK Phil will perform new works by six composers at The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Hong Kong Composers Scheme Showcase on 4 June. This event will be livestreamed on the HK Phil website, Facebook and YouTube for the first time, showcasing local talents to a worldwide audience. Join us to hear each composer's musical discourse!

Biographies

Fayçal Karoui, conductor [full description]

(For Swire Denim Series: From Baroque to Beatles)

Fayçal Karoui was awarded first prize in orchestral conducting at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique in Paris. He became Michel Plasson's assistant at the Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse, a position he held until 2002 in which year he was appointed Chief Conductor of the Orchestre de Pau Pays de Béarn. From 2006 until 2012 he was Musical Director of the prestigious New York City Ballet, and since then has devoted himself fully to his two French orchestras and his career as a conductor.

Valentina Farcas, soprano [full description]

(For Swire Denim Series: From Baroque to Beatles)

Romanian soprano Valentina Farcas has worked with some of the foremost conductors and directors. She has performed at the Theater an der Wien, Salzburg Festival, Teatro Regio Torino, Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Komische Oper Berlin, etc. Recent highlights include Mahler Symphony no. 8 (Second Soprano) with Maestro Fabio Luisi and Maggio Musicale Fiorentino in Florence, concerts with the NHK Symphony Orchestra Tokyo and Maestro Paavo Järvi.

Isaac Droscha, presenter [full description]

(For Swire Denim Series: From Baroque to Beatles)

Isaac Droscha, operatic bass-baritone, holds a Doctorate in Vocal Performance from the University of Michigan and is currently a faculty in the Division of Humanities at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST). Isaac is also the Artistic Director and vocal coach of the "HKUST Musical!", which he also helps coordinate. He is the Co-Artistic Director of the HKUST Cosmopolis Festival and the Artistic Director of Shaw Auditorium at HKUST.

Robert Reimer, conductor [full description]

(For César Franck at 200)

German conductor Robert Reimer is certainly one of the most versatile of his generation with a repertoire from opera to ballet, from baroque to contemporary music and from traditional symphony to cross-over concerts. He has appeared regularly at major European opera houses and orchestras and in European CD, DVD, radio and TV productions since 2013.

Andrew Ling, viola [full description]

(For César Franck at 200)

Hong Kong-native Andrew Ling is a concert violist and violinist, conductor and music educator. Currently Principal Violist of the HK Phil, Andrew has earned acclaim for his orchestral playing and solo recitals worldwide. His appearances as concert soloist have included the HK Phil, the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra and the China Film Orchestra.

Loi Kuokman, conductor [full description]

(For Lio Kuokman | Roman Holiday)

Praised by the Philadelphia Inquirer as "a startling conducting talent", Lio Kuokman was the laureate at the 2014 Svetlanov International Conducting Competition. Lio Kuokman is Resident Conductor with the HK Phil and has previously served as assistant conductor to music director Yannick Nézet-Seguin with the Philadelphia Orchestra, the first Chinese conductor to be appointed in this position in the history of the orchestra. He is currently Programme Director of the Macao International Music Festival.

Linda Stuckey, piccolo [full description]

(For Lio Kuokman | Roman Holiday)

Piccolo and Flute player of the HK Phil since 1997, Linda Stuckey has enjoyed working with some of the worldʼs leading conductors and soloists including Jaap van Zweden, Lorin Maazel, Charles Dutoit, Christoph Eschenbach, Vladimir Ashkenazy and Edo de Waart. She has appeared as soloist with the HK Phil and the Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra, as well as in radio broadcasts, recordings and chamber music performances in Hong Kong and the region.

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