Premiere Performances of Hong Kong (Premiere Performances) and the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra (HK Phil) announce today an unprecedented collaboration to bring international artists Miloš Karadaglić (guitar) and Akiko Suwanai (violin) to Hong Kong amidst the pandemic. Miloš and Akiko will both be arriving in Hong Kong in December 2020 and will go through the 14-day quarantine procedure. They will each be playing a concerto with the HK Phil in January 2021, as well as participating in Premiere Performances’ Beare’s Premiere Music Festival in the same month. Such arrangement is unique, as it is unusual for an artist to perform with different presenters in the same city within the same period of time. Premiere Performances and the HK Phil join hands to lift such restraints to encourage internationally renowned artists to come to Hong Kong despite the quarantine arrangements.

“Concert presenters are supporting one another through this difficult time for the industry,” said Andrea Fessler, Founder and Executive Director of Premiere Performances “Although performance venues have now reopened in Hong Kong, the 14-day quarantine makes it extremely difficult for overseas artists to travel to Hong Kong for only one performance. We hope by scheduling a concerto performance and a chamber music / recital performance in the same week, international artists could be encouraged to perform in Hong Kong. Of course, we sincerely invite audience members to attend both presenters’ performances, to enjoy completely different live music experiences.”

“I have always been fond of meaningful collaborations between arts and cultural organisations” said Benedikt Fohr, Chief Executive of the HK Phil, “We, the HK Phil and Premiere Performances, have put in a lot of enthusiasm to bring the best artists to our audiences. And for the first time, through this joint-presentation of Miloš and Akiko, we are very pleased to be able to offer even more excellent music in Hong Kong. We want to encourage our audiences to try different perspectives – chamber music lovers can listen to their favorite soloists in the big symphonic repertoire, while fans of orchestral music can experience the same artists in outstanding chamber music performances. This is certainly an exclusive cross-genre experience for the Hong Kong community.”

Miloš Karadaglić will be performing Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez and Piazzolla’s Libertango with the HK Phil on 8 & 9 January 2021, and opening the Beare’s Premiere Music Festival on 13 January 2021 with a recital programme entitled “Beyond the Rainbow”. Akiko Suwanai will be playing chamber music at the Beare’s Premiere Music Festival on 18 & 21 January (including the famous Dvořák Quintet), and will then perform Prokofiev’s First Violin Concerto with the HK Phil on 22 & 23 January.

Miloš Karadaglić was originally scheduled to perform ‘The Voice of the Guitar’ recital for Premiere Performances on 17 May 2020. This recital has now been rescheduled to 29 November 2021 due to the pandemic. Together with the performance with the HK Phil on 8 & 9 January 2021 and the additional Beare’s Premiere Music Festival Opening recital on 13 January 2021, Miloš will be playing three programmes in total for the Hong Kong community in 2021.

The abovementioned concerts will strictly observe anti-epidemic advices from the authorities. Concert hall capacity will be adjusted with reference to the latest advice by the venues. Masks are mandatory for audience and staff members. All overseas artists will be tested and quarantined according to Hong Kong government guidelines. COVID-19 testing will also be arranged for all involved HK Phil musicians and backstage staff. Appropriate social distancing for all musicians onstage as well as plastic shields set for wind players will be organised as in each and every HK Phil’s performances.

Ticket sales for all concerts of Premiere Performances and the HK Phil will open on 4 December 2020, Friday. A discount will be offered to patrons who purchase tickets through URBTIX to concerts of Premiere Performances and the HK Phil at the same time.

The annual Beare’s Premiere Music Festival (formerly the Hong Kong Chamber International Chamber Music Festival) presented by Premiere Performances will be held on 13-21 January 2021, and will include four chamber music performances at Hong Kong City Hall, one family concert at Sai Wan Ho Civic Centre and numerous free education and outreach activities. The 2021 Festival will include eight overseas artists including Artist Director Jimmy Cho-Liang Lin (Taiwan), baritone Benjamin Appl (Germany), violist Masumi Per Rostad (US), pianist Shai Wosner (US), cellist Li-Wei Qin (China / Singapore), violinist Stephanie Joeng (US) along with guitarist Miloš Karadaglić (Montenegro) and violinist Akiko Suwanai (Japan). Full details can be found on www.pphk.org.

The HK Phil’s 2020/21 season presents close to 30 fantastic programmes featuring international and local guest artists. Commissioned works by Hong Kong composers will be premiered. Interesting crossover programmes showcase collaborations with different music genre and arts forms such as jazz, film music, ballet and live illustration. In the season, Jaap van Zweden will lead the orchestra to tour to 10 cities in Europe in May 2021, with debuts in Spain, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the German cities of Cologne and Dresden. The HK Phil will also be making its debut at the prestigious Royal Concertgebouw’s Mahler Festival 2021, the first Asian orchestra to perform at this monumental event which is held every 25 years in Amsterdam. Full details can be found on hkphil.org.

Programme Details

Beare’s Premiere Music Festival

Festival Opening:
Miloš in Recital: Beyond the Rainbow

Programme
GRANADOS Andaluza, Orientale from 12 Danzas españolas Op. 37
DE FALLA Danza del molinero
PIAZZOLLA Café 1930

Arr. TAKEMITSU Somewhere Over the Rainbow
C. DOMENICONI Koyunbaba for Solo Guitar Op. 19

13 January 2021 (Wed) 7:30pm
Concert Hall, Hong Kong City Hall

Akiko Suwanai (Photo: Takaki Kumada)

Akiko Suwanai & Friends:
Dvořák Piano Quintet

Programme
RÓZSA Sonata for two violins
Cho-Liang Lin (violin), Akiko Suwanai (violin)

MOSZKOWSKI Suite in G minor for two violins and piano
Cho-Liang Lin (violin), Akiko Suwanai (violin), Evelyn Chang (piano)

DVOŘÁK Piano Quintet
Akiko Suwanai (violin), Cho-Liang Lin (violin), Masumi Rostad (viola), Li-Wei Qin (cello), Shai Wosner (piano)

18 January 2021 (Mon) 7:30pm
Concert Hall, Hong Kong City Hall

Chamber Music Gala with Cho-Liang Lin

Programme
BARBER Dover Beach, Op. 3
Benjamin Appl (baritone), Stephanie Jeong (violin), Kitty Cheung (violin), Masumi Per Rostad (viola), Li-Wei Qin (cello)
BEETHOVEN Selection of Irish and Welsh Folk Song Arrangements
Benjamin Appl (baritone), Stephanie Jeong (violin), Li-Wei Qin (cello), Shai Wosner (piano)

R. STRAUSS Morgen! Op. 27, No.4
Benjamin Appl (baritone), Stephanie Jeong (violin), Shai Wosner (piano)

JOPLIN / arr. MILONE The Entertainer, Ragtime Dance
DELIBES / arr. MILONE Flower Duet from Lakmé 
PIAZZOLLA / arr. MILONE Oblivion, Libertango
Akiko Suwanai (violin), Cho-Liang Lin (violin), Stephanie Jeong (violin), Kitty Cheung (violin), Masami Nagai (bass)

BRAHMS String Quintet in G major, Op. 111
Cho-Liang Lin (violin), Stephanie Jeong (violin), Masumi Per Rostad (viola), Andrew Ling (viola), Li-Wei Qin (cello)

21 January 2021 (Thu) 7:30pm
Concert Hall, Hong Kong City Hall

Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra concerts

MILOŠ: Master of the Guitar*

Programme
ROSSINI Barber of Seville Overture
PIAZZOLLA Libertango
ARRIAGA Los esclavos felices Overture
RODRIGO Concierto de Aranjuez
FALLA The Three-Cornered Hat
GINASTERA Estancia: Four Dances

Paolo Bortolameolli, conductor
Miloš, guitar

8 & 9 January 2021 (Fri & Sat) 8:00pm
Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall

*Change of Conductor and Programme

Akiko Suwanai (Photo: Takaki Kumada)

Akiko Suwanai Plays Prokofiev*

Programme
PROKOFIEV Violin Concerto no. 1
PROKOFIEV Selections from Romeo & Juliet
and more

Lio Kuokman, conductor
Akiko Suwanai, violin

22 & 23 January 2021 (Fri & Sat) 8:00pm
Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall

*Change of Conductor and Programme

For media enquiries, interview requests and concert reviews, please contact:

Sharen Lau
Marketing Manager, Premiere Performances of Hong Kong
+852 2811 2130 / +852 9744 4010
sharen.lau@pphk.org

Flora Fung
Media Relations & Communications Manager, Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra
+852 2721 1585
flora.fung@hkphil.org

About Premiere Performances

Premiere Performances brings internationally celebrated musicians and the world’s brightest rising stars to Hong Kong for solo recitals, chamber music and community outreach, building a vibrant local arts scene and inspiring audience members of all ages with performances that are accessible to all.

For more information, please visit www.pphk.org

About Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra  

The Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra (HK Phil) is recognised as Asia’s foremost classical orchestra, attracting more than 200,000 music lovers every year by presenting more than 150 concerts. In 2019, the HK Phil received the prestigious Gramophone Orchestra of the Year Award – the first orchestra in Asia to receive this distinction. Maestro Jaap van Zweden has been the orchestra’s Music Director since the 2012/13 concert season and will continue to hold the position through to the end of the 2023/24 season; he is also Music Director of the New York Philharmonic. Maestro Yu Long is the HK Phil’s Principal Guest Conductor. The HK Phil tours extensively across Mainland China and also worldwide. The orchestra will undertake tours to 10 cities in Europe in May 2021, with debuts in Spain, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the German cities of Cologne and Dresden. The HK Phil will also be making its debut at the prestigious Royal Concertgebouw’s Mahler Festival 2021, the first Asian orchestra to perform at this monumental event which is held every 25 years in Amsterdam.

For more information, please visit hkphil.org