Among the highlights on Saturday, the Sinfonietta will accompany French pianist Bertrand Chamayou, who will perform piano concertos by Liszt and Ravel. Although Chamayou has just turned 30, he has already taken the world of international music by storm, thanks to his superb Liszt interpretations.

'By letting this work unfold at a leisurely pace and by deploying the biggest sound I've heard in this hall for years, he allowed Liszt's creation to expand to its full magnificence,' wrote The Independent's music critic after a performance by Chamayou at London's Royal Albert Hall last December.

Yip will wield the baton, as Serbian mezzo-soprano Milijana Nikolic provides the vocal pyrotechnics at the same concert. Nikolic recently performed to rave reviews in the title role of Carmen at the Sydney Opera House. She was lauded as much for her sublime vocals as for her stunning beauty and stage presence.

On May 20, the orchestra will play The Four Seasons, Vivaldi's timeless masterpiece, with new concertmaster James Cuddeford. The Brisbane-born violinist won a scholarship at 12 to study under the great Yehudi Menuhin in London. He has since won a series of competitions including first prize in the 1996 Charles Hennen International Chamber Music competition in Holland. He was a member of the Grainger and Australian Quartets before joining the Hong Kong Sinfonietta.

On July 8, Croatian pianist Martina Filjak will perform Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto No2 with the Sinfonietta under the baton of German conductor Sebastian Lang-Lessing. As a child prodigy, Filjak made her orchestral debut at just 12 with Croatia's Zagreb Soloists Chamber Orchestra and has since matured into an artist acclaimed for her technical prowess and artistic competence. In 2009, she won first-place victory at the Cleveland International Piano Competition and was later honoured by the president of Croatia for her artistic achievements. The same year saw her recital debut at Carnegie Hall and The New York Times commended her 'resourcefulness of technique and naturalness of her musicality', and that she was 'a striking individuality and a pianist to watch'.

September 10 will see the Hong Kong debut of Fumiaki Miura, a young Japanese violinist prodigy, in line with the orchestra's mission to bring local and international young talent to local audiences.

Born in 1993, Miura, who has the boyishly handsome, tussled looks of a Japanese pop star, was the winner of the first prize, Music Critics Prize and Audience Prize, of the renowned Hannover International Violin Competition in 2009. He will perform Shostakovich's Violin Concerto No1. Also performing in September are clarinet master Michael Collins and winner of the Paganini International Violin Competition, China's star violinist Huang Mengla. Huang will perform the famous Butterfly Lovers Concerto premiered by his teacher, Yu Lina, in 1959.

Acclaimed French pianist Alexandre Tharaud performs on October 14 with a programme of Bach and Mozart piano concertos led by conductor Alexander Liebreich. Tharaud is the artistic director of the Amadeus Festival in Switzerland and artist-in-residence at Op?ra de Rouen in France.

Hong Kong cellist Wendy Law will perform Elgar's sublime Cello Concerto in November.

As a soloist, she has collaborated with several renowned orchestras, including the New York Philharmonic and the Hong Kong Sinfonietta.

On February 25 and 26, the orchestra's new artist associate, renowned choreographer Yuri Ng, brings dancers on stage to interpret Ravel's La Valse. Violinist Sayaka Shoji will perform Sibelius' Violin Concerto.

Ending the season is star trumpeter Norwegian Tine-Thing Helseth. She will make her Hong Kong debut with Hummel's famous concerto.

'Hong Kong Sinfonietta is your orchestra,' Yip says about the ensemble's event-packed new season.

'Let us lead you this season again into our colourful world of possibilities and perspectives - a wonderful, encompassing world.'

HONG KONG SINFONIETTA

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