The family of 19-year-old Swiss flautist Sebastian Jacot, who has just joined the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra along with violinist John Harding, was warmly welcomed with a private party backstage at the Cultural Centre yesterday after a full rehearsal for the season's opening concert, Madame Butterfly.
Jacot and his family (pictured above) have been delivering a few private performances for the Swiss community over the past week. They play the cello, harp, violin and trumpet, and Sebastian Jacot also plays the saxophone when he doesn't have the flute in his hand. The family, which their mother says has been playing together since the children were four or five years old, performed a mixture of classic, baroque and gypsy music for its Hong Kong audiences.
Jacot's talent was spotted by the HK Phil's artistic director, Edo de Waart, at a London audition. Jacot has won three major music competitions in Europe.
Jacot has already suffered some culture shock since arriving in Hong Kong.
'I feel quite tired as the pace is too quick for me,' he said. 'I need more time to adjust.'
This is also his first time in a foreign city - and he speaks little English.
