Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra
| Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra (HKPO) | |
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| Orchestra | |
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| Former name | Sino-British Orchestra |
| Founded | 1895 |
| Principal conductor | Jaap van Zweden |
| Website |
hkphil |
| Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra | |||||||||||||
| Chinese | 香港管弦樂團 | ||||||||||||
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The Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra; commonly abbreviated HKPO or HKPhil (港樂), is the largest symphony orchestra in Hong Kong. First established in 1895 as an amateur orchestra, under the name Sino-British Orchestra (中英管弦樂團),[1] it was renamed the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra in 1957, and became a professional orchestra in 1974 under the funding of the Government.
Background
The orchestra has promoted Hong Kong-based composers by commissioning and premiering numerous works of contemporary music, including the recent five-work cycle of Voices of Hong Kong, by John Chen, David Gwilt, Daniel Law, Law Ping-leung and Richard Tsang.
In February 1986, the HKPO made its debut tour of several cities in the People's Republic of China, with conductor Kenneth Schermerhorn and soloists Stephanie Chase (violin) and Li Jian (piano). In the autumn of 1995, the HKPO travelled to 9 cities in the United States and Canada in its North American début under conductor David Atherton. In 2003, the orchestra made its European début with performances in London's Barbican Hall, Belfast, Dublin and Paris (Théâtre des Champs-Élysées).
Past Music Directors include David Atherton, who was the longest serving Music Director of the orchestra from 1989 to 2000 and the Conductor Laureate until 2009. Edo de Waart was the orchestra's Artistic Director and Chief Conductor from 2004 to 2012.[2] In January 2012, the HKPO announced the appointment of Jaap van Zweden as its next Music Director, as of the 2012/2013 season, with contract renewed in 2014 to 2019.[3]
Of its HK$108 million budget for the 2009/2010 season, about sixty percent came from the Hong Kong government. The remaining forty percent came from box office revenue, performance fees, sponsorship, advertising and donations.
The orchestra gives more than 140 performances annually to an audience of over 180,000 in various venues including the Concert Hall of the Hong Kong Cultural Centre and the City Hall Concert Hall. International musicians that collaborated with the orchestra in recent years include pianists Yuja Wang, Lang Lang, Yundi Li, Stephen Hough, Garrick Ohlsson, Ingrid Fliter, Haocheng Zhang, violinists Midori Gotō, Anne-Sophie Mutter, Vadim Repin, Ning Feng, Tinwa Yang, cellists Jian Wang, Yo-Yo Ma, vocalists Hui He, Sumi Jo, Anna Caterina Antonacci, Deborah Voigt, Susan Graham, Simon O'Neill, Inger Dam-Jensen, Shenyang, Matthias Goerne and guest conductors Antoni Wit, Andreas Delfs, Christophe Rousset, Nicholas McGegan, David Zinman, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Lorin Maazel, Zhang Xuan, Yu Long etc. In addition to classical performances, it occasionally appears backing local pop stars such as Hacken Lee, Jacky Cheung, Frances Yip, Teresa Carpio, Leehom Wang and Hins Cheung.
Conductors
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Music Directors
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Conductor Laureate
Principal Guest Conductors
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Other Hong Kong orchestras
- City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong
- Hong Kong Chamber Orchestra
- Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra
- Hong Kong Sinfonietta
- SAR Philharmonic Orchestra
References
- ↑ Chou, Oliver (2011-06-26). "And the bands played on". Post Magazine. South China Morning Post. Archived from the original on 2012-02-12.
- ↑ "Edo de Waart steps down as Artistic Director and Chief Conductor of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra after 2011/12 Season" (Press release). Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra. 10 March 2010. Retrieved 2010-09-18.
- ↑ "HKPO Welcomes New Music Director – Maestro Jaap van Zweden Takes the Helm from Season 2012/13" (Press release). Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra. 16 January 2012. Retrieved 2012-01-29.