Celebrating the Best of Hong Kong Performing Arts this Season

Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra

The Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra (HK Phil) is regarded as one of the leading orchestras in Asia.  The orchestra focuses on symphonic repertoire, with conductors and soloists from all around the world, and runs extensive education programmes, commissions new works and nurtures local talent.

With Music Director Jaap van Zweden since 2012, the HK Phil has toured Europe, Asia, Australia, and the Mainland.  Yu Long has been Principal Guest Conductor since the 2015/16 Season.  Lio Kuokman was appointed as Resident Conductor in December 2020.  The HK Phil completed the Ring Cycle and won the prestigious UK classical music magazine Gramophone’s 2019 Orchestra of the Year Award – the first orchestra in Asia to receive this accolade.

The HK Phil announced its 2023/24 Season, marking the orchestra’s 50th professional season and the final season led by Jaap van Zweden as Music Director of the HK Phil.  This season HK Phil performs 34 mainstage programmes and tours to more than 18 cities in the Mainland, Asia and Europe.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream with Sylvia Chang
3 – 4 November 2023
Concert Hall, Hong Kong Cultural Centre

Celebrated actress, screenwriter and director Sylvia Chang brings to life one of Shakespeare’s greatest comedies, A Midsummer Night’s Dream.  Chang will showcase her remarkable talents by portraying all 14 roles in this special adaptation by Taiwanese writer Yuan-pu Chiao. Resident Conductor Lio Kuokman will lead the HK Phil, sopranos Vivian Yau and Dani Zhang Jingdan, and the ladies of the HK Phil Chorus to accompany Chang’s performance with Mendelssohn’s enchanting incidental music for the play, from which the world-famous Wedding March is drawn.

Learn More: https://www.hkphil.org/concert/a-midsummer-nights-dream-with-sylvia-chang

A Midsummer Night’s Dream with Sylvia Chang

Hong Kong Ballet

Get Ready for Hong Kong Ballet’s Larger-Than-Life Season.

Hong Kong Ballet (HKB) is internationally recognised as a world-class institution that represents Hong Kong’s unique character. Since its inception in 1979, HKB has evolved into a vibrant performing arts organisation with a dynamic repertoire, forward-thinking community engagement initiatives and an emphasis on excellence. With delightful classic ballets and ground-breaking contemporary works, this season HKB is taking over the city like never before.

 The Nutcracker
15 – 30 December 2023
Grand Theatre, Hong Kong Cultural Centre

This December, HKB Artistic Director Septime Webre’s heartwarming The Nutcracker returns to bring festive cheer in a wonderous celebration of early 20th century Hong Kong’s history, characters, and natural beauty. Full of magic and lots of local cultural elements like a bun tower climbing competition and lion dance, the exuberant production has been described as ‘full of vitality and freshness’ by critics.

This much-anticipated annual extravaganza begins at a lively Christmas Eve party in a gilded mansion where young Clara receives a unique Nutcracker as a gift. With scores of glittering costumes and extraordinary sets, this wondrous world finds Clara and her brother Fritz on a magical coming-of-age adventure with the Nutcracker Prince, battling the evil Rat King and his army, meeting a host of lively characters, and encountering a kaleidoscope of Hong Kong’s colourful peacocks, lush cockatoos, energetic racing jockeys, and blossoming bauhinias.

Learn More: http://hkballet.com/23-24

Dancer: Jeremy Chan (Photography: SWKit | Image Courtesy of Hong Kong Ballet)

Zuni Icosahedron

Zuni Icosahedron, as a leading experimental theatre company, has produced more than 270 original productions of alternative theatre and multimedia performances, and has been invited to more than 80 cities around the globe for cultural exchange and performances. Committed to exploring arts tech in theatre, Zuni announces Theatre is Gourd as the theme for Zuni Theatre Season 2023.

Inspired by Cantonese slang “what cure the gourd could hold?”, Season 2023 uncovers what wonders and possibilities Theatre, as mystical as gourds, may bring.

About Theatre is Gourd:  https://zuniseason.org.hk/en/home/

Comics Theatre: Hong Kong Ghost Comedy
6 – 28 October 2023
Studio Theatre, Hong Kong Cultural Centre

Taking a comic twist on some widely-known ghost stories or urban legends, Zuni’s new production is starring a seasoned actress Perry Chiu. Directed and written by Mathias Woo, the stand-up led by Chiu unfolds ghastly rumours around 18 districts spanning possession, ghost marriages, ghost hunting, ouija to prophecy.

Spiritual Cats played by Ellen Kong, with her magic gourd, will scout supernatural rumours all around the city. It’s not only the “absurdity” of these stories that caught the public imagination, but also because these tales, captivating and stirring, bespoke the changes in times and traditional values while revealing human nature beyond horror.

Learn More: https://zuniseason.org.hk/en/programme/hong-kong-ghost-comedy/
Grab tickets now: https://zuniseason.org.hk/en/programme/hong-kong-ghost-comedy/
Promotional video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZ6tRf6BF0Y

Comics Theatre: Hong Kong Ghost Comedy

Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra

The Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra (HKCO) has won the accolades as “a leader in Chinese ethnic music” and “a cultural ambassador of Hong Kong”.  They are often invited to perform at famous venues and festivals all over the world and have an award-winning track record in the arts, governance and administration, arts education, and marketing and promotion. The Orchestra is set up in four sections: bowed-strings, plucked-strings, wind, and percussion. The bowed-string section has been using the Award-winning Eco-Huqin series developed by the Orchestra since 2009. The HKCO explores new frontiers in music through commissioning over 2,400 new works of various types and styles, whether as original compositions or arrangements.  In 2021, the HKCO launched the Net Concert Hall, the first ever online Chinese Music Gallery in the world.

Chinachem Group Presents
One Beat, One World: Connecting Through The Drum
14 October 2023
Art Park, West Kowloon Cultural District

In October, on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the Hong Kong Drum Festival, HKCO will hold One Beat One World: Connecting through the Drum – Drum Carnival and Live Concert @ West Kowloon Art Park with global 5G live broadcast.

China Taiping Insurance (HK) Company Limited Proudly Supports
He Zhanhao & the HKCO – The Butterfly Lovers @ 65
27 – 28 October 2023
Concert Hall, Hong Kong Cultural Centre

HKCO will present the He Zhanhao & the HKCO – The Butterfly Lovers @ 65 at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre, for which the nonagenarian Professor He ZhanHao is invited to Hong Kong to perform the gaohu concerto The Butterfly Lovers written by himself and Chen Gang.

HKCO website: www.hkco.org
HKCO Net Concert Hall: www.hkconetconcerthall.com

Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra