HK Phil Celebrates the 50th Anniversary with 
Beethoven | Choral Fantasy Concert 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact: 
Dennis Wu
Director of Marketing 
Tel: (852) 2721 9035
Email: [email protected] 

Emily Hui
Media Relations and Communications Manager
Tel: (852) 2721 1585
Email: [email protected]

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[28 December 2023, Hong Kong] The Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra (HK Phil) is thrilled to announce its upcoming 50th anniversary Heritage Concert, titled “Beethoven | Choral Fantasy”. Taking place on 12 and 13 January 2024, this event will commemorate the orchestra's rich history and achievements.

Beethoven | Choral Fantasy (12 & 13 January 2024)

Once known as the Sino-British Orchestra, the HK Phil became formally professionalised five decades years ago. To herald in this new chapter of the orchestra’s history, the HK Phil performed Beethoven’s Egmont Overture and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony no. 5 at its inaugural concert on 11 January 1974. Now, on the same weekend 50 years later, the HK Phil will commemorate its golden jubilee by performing those two works alongside Beethoven’s Choral Fantasy. Conducted by Andris Poga, the performances will be joined by sopranos Louise Kwong and Yuki Ip, mezzo-soprano Samantha Chong, tenors Chen Yong and Freddie Tsang, bass-baritone Apollo Wong, pianist Rachel Cheung and the HK Phil Chorus.

“Beethoven | Choral Fantasy” will be held on 12 & 13 January 2024 (Fri & Sat) at 8PM in the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall. Tickets priced at HK$480, $380, $280 and $200 are available at URBTIX. For enquiries, please call +852 2721 2332 or visit hkphil.org.

Sing Along: Beethoven Symphony no. 9 (13 January 2024)

As an exciting addition to the anniversary festivities, the HK Phil invites vocal enthusiasts to participate in its first-ever sing-along session, "Sing Along: Beethoven Symphony no. 9", featuring the iconic finale “Ode to Joy” from the Ninth Symphony. This unique opportunity allows choristers to sing along with the orchestra, soprano Louise Kwong, mezzo-soprano Samantha Chong, tenor Chen Yong, bass-baritone Apollo Wong, and the HK Phil Chorus. The open rehearsal will commence at 3PM, followed by the orchestra session at 5PM. The performance will take place at 5:30PM.

“Sing Along: Beethoven Symphony no. 9” will be held on 13 January 2024 (Sat) at 3PM in the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall. Tickets uniformly priced at HK$50 as “HK Phil Jubilee Tickets” are available at URBTIX. Audience members are recommended to select a category that correspond to your voice to better follow your voice part in the sing-along. For enquiries, please call +852 2721 2332 or visit hkphil.org.

50 Years of Harmony: The HK Phil in Posters (28 December 2023 – 14 January 2024)

To complement the concert-going experience and foster community engagement, the “50 Years of Harmony: The HK Phil in Posters” exhibition will be held from today until 14 January 2024, in the foyer of the Hong Kong Cultural Centre. The exhibition will feature 50 sets of classic posters that reflect the orchestra's growth and transformation over the years. From the early retro designs to the recent innovative ones, each poster embodies the dedicated pursuit of musical art, while also illustrating significant moments in the orchestra's journey of development.

Join the HK Phil as it celebrates the 50th anniversary, paying homage to its past while embracing a future filled with artistic excellence and musical innovation.

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Artists

Andris Poga, conductor [full description]

Andris Poga is the Chief Conductor of the Stavanger Symphony Orchestra. He was the Music Director of the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra (LNSO) from 2013 till 2021 and continues to collaborate with the LNSO as its Artistic Advisor. Recent highlights include concerts with the leading orchestras of Germany, France, Italy, Japan and Scandinavia. After the first successful collaborations he has been invited back to the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester Hamburg, WDR Symphony Cologne, Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, NHK Symphony Orchestra Tokyo and many others. He has also conducted the Wiener Symphoniker, Saint Petersburg Philharmonic, Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in London, the HK Phil and Sydney Symphony.

Louise Kwong, soprano [full description]

Louise Kwong’s musical achievements are recognised by being awarded one of the Ten Outstanding Young Persons Awards in 2019, and the Young Artist Award by the Hong Kong Arts Development Council in 2014. Internationally, she made debuts at the Rome Opera House as Mimì in La Bohème, and as Micaëla in Carmen at Caracalla Rome. She has performed in different opera houses such as the Concertgebouw of Amsterdam and the Graz Opera House of Austria.

Yuki Ip, soprano [full description]

Soprano Yuki Ip’s major performances include being the featured soloist with José Carreras for the inaugural season of the National Centre of the Performing Arts, Beijing, China; her European debut at the Basilica di San Vitale in Ravenna, Italy, singing Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater in a special concert commemorating the landmark meeting between the Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church; Villa-Lobos’ Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5 in Verona and Cremona, Italy; Bach’s Mass in B Minorand Haydn’s The Creation under the baton of Helmuth Rilling; guest solo appearance at the Shanghai Expo with Shanghai Opera House Orchestra; debut in New York City and Toronto as soprano soloist in An-Lun Huang’s Revelation; her debut with Macau Orchestra in the Macau Handover Anniversary Concert; Monteverdi’s Il combattimento di Trancredi e Clorinda and Bach’s Coffee Cantata at the Hong Kong Arts Festival. 

Samantha Chong, mezzo-soprano [full description]

A native of Sabah, Malaysia, mezzo-soprano Samantha Chong’s repertoire spans early music, oratorio, songs, opera and contemporary works. She was the winner of the 1st ASEAN Vocal competition, organised by Singapore Lyric Opera in 2016. She also won the 1st prize at the 41st National Singing Competition of Malaysia in 2015. After her graduation, she started her career as a soloist with the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, Opera Hong Kong, Musica Viva and Global Symphony Orchestra. Samantha has made her Italian debut in 2019 with Teatro Petruzzelli, singing Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia. Recently, she has been invited to perform with Erasmus Orchestra, Hong Kong Art Festival, Hong Kong – Vienna Music Festival, Kuala Lumpur City Opera, Singapore Lyric Opera, Virama Music Malaysia, China Sichuan Music Conservatory and Mozart Festival in Shenzhen, China.

Chen Yong, tenor [full description]

Chen Yong is one of Hong Kong’s leading lyric tenors, and a familiar local presence in both opera and recital. He has sung lead roles in operas by Bellini, Gounod, Donizetti, Mozart, Rossini, Bizet, Offenbach, Verdi, Lehár, Leoncavallo and Puccini produced by Opera Hong Kong, Opera Shanghai, the French May Arts Festival, the Italian Cultural Institute, the Asia Society and has starred in two opera films broadcast on Hong Kong television and screened in cinemas. His performance of Beppe in Donizetti’s Rita has been released on CD by DaVinci. The South China Morning Post noted his “vigour and character”, while the Asian Review of Books has called his performances “suave” and characterised by “vaudevillian verve”.

Freddie Tsang, tenor [full description]

Tenor Freddie Tsang is a graduate of The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (HKAPA), from which he attained his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in music under the tutelage of Soprano Nancy Yuen and tenor David Quah. He is the recipient of several prestigious scholarships, including the HSBC Hong Kong Scholarship, the Royal Commonwealth Scholarship, Cecil Leong Scholarship and The APA Society Scholarship. He has attended masterclasses with world-acclaimed singers including Francisco Araiza, Nelly Miricioiu, Mario Diaz, Shen Yang, Warren Mok and more. Tsang was one of the finalists in Concorso Lirico Internazionale “Gaetano Donizetti” in Como, Italy. 

Apollo Wong, bass-baritone [full description]

A native of Hong Kong, Apollo Wong is a conductor and operatic bass. He has sung operatic and musical roles including the Superintendent Budd and Bottom in Britten’s Albert Herring and A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Frère Laurent in Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette, Colline and Simone in Puccini’s La Bohème and Gianni Schicchi, Don Alfonso, Sarastro and Masetto in Mozart’s Così fan tutte, Die Zauberflöte and Don Giovanni, Geppetto in Valtinoni’s Pinocchio, and Javert in Les Misérables, among others. Amongst his concert and oratorio repertoire, he has notably both sung the bass solos and conducted Brahms’ Ein Deutsches Requiem, Mozart’s Requiem, Mahler’s Symphony no. 8 “Symphony of a Thousand”, Verdi’s Messa da Requiem and Faurè’s Requiem.

Rachel Cheung, piano [full description]

2017 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition Finalist & Audience Award Winner pianist Rachel Cheung is hailed as “a poet, but also a dramatist” displaying “the most sophisticated and compelling music-making” (The Dallas Morning News). Also a Young Steinway Artist, she continues to build a reputation for giving sensitive and refined performances across three continents. She has appeared with the St Petersburg Philharmonic, Jerusalem Symphony, Sydney Symphony, London Chamber and Fort Worth Symphony Orchestras. She has also given recitals and chamber music concerts in New York, Toronto, Paris, Hamburg and London, collaborating with world-renowned musicians like violinist Ning Feng, violist Vladimir Mendelssohn, cellists Jan-Erik Gustafasson and the Brentano String Quartet.

Hong Kong Philharmonic Chorus [full description]

Established in 1980, the HK Phil Chorus has collaborated with the HK Phil to perform a range of works over the years. In 2013, the Chorus undertook a new recruitment drive, and over 450 singers were attracted to attend the auditions. The first performance by the newly reformed Chorus was Handel’s Messiah. Since then, the Chorus has performed with the HK Phil in major works by composers including Britten, Mendelssohn, Beethoven, Haydn and Mahler under renowned conductors Lorin Maazel, Jaap van Zweden and Nicholas McGegan. The Chorus’ Fellowship programme was inaugurated during the 2020/21 Season, setting the stage for aspiring professional singers to join this distinguished ensemble.

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BEETHOVEN | CHORAL FANTASY

12 & 13 | 1 | 2024

FRI & SAT 8PM

Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall

HK$480 $380 $280 $200

Tickets now available at URBTIX

For ages 6 and above

Artists

Programme

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SING ALONG: BEETHOVEN SYMPHONY NO. 9

13 | 1 | 2024

SAT

3PM    Piano rehearsal with audience
4:30PM    Intermission
5PM    Final rehearsal with conductor, orchestra, soloists, chorus and audience
5:30PM    Performance

Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall

HK$50

Tickets now available at URBTIX

For ages 6 and above

Artists

Programme

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50 YEARS OF HARMONY: THE HK PHIL IN POSTERS

28 | 12 | 2023 – 14 | 1 | 2024

9AM – 11PM

Hong Kong Cultural Centre Foyer

Free admission and all ages welcome