HK Phil award, Xiqu Centre opening the bright spots in 2019 for performing arts in Hong Kong, a year of cancellations and collapse

Philharmonic was named Orchestra of the Year by classical music magazine Gramophone, and West Kowloon performance venue for Chinese opera was launched

Year will be remembered for cancellations due to turmoil of street protests, none bigger than the month-long run of musical Matilda, whose promoter went bust

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At the Gramophone Awards 2019, Hong Kong Philharmonic principal viola Andrew Ling (left), principal clarinet Andrew Simon (second from left), chief executive Benedikt Fohr (second from right), and Y.S. Liu, chairman of the board of governors of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Society, receive the Orchestra of the Year Award on behalf of the orchestra. Photo: Hong Kong Philharmonic

Published: 6:00pm, 29 Dec 2019Updated: 6:00pm, 29 Dec 2019

Seven months of anti-government protests unsurprisingly cast a pall over the city’s performing arts scene, which suffered a string of cancellations because of the turmoil.

On a brighter note, this year saw the opening of the first major venue in the much-delayed West Kowloon Cultural District, the Xiqu Centre for Chinese opera. And the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra ended 2019 on a high note, being named Orchestra of the Year by Gramophone magazine – the first in Asia to win the title. The Phil’s Dutch music director, Jaap van Zweden, was awarded the Concertgebouw Prize 2020 for his contribution to the profile of the concert house in Amsterdam.

The biggest casualty of the protests has been presenter Lunchbox Theatrical Productions. Its musical production Matilda, scheduled to run for a month from September 20, was cancelled.

“I realise this will come as a great disappointment to those who have bought tickets, and we very much hope to bring this superb show to Hong Kong next year,” said James Cundall, the company’s chief executive, in a statement. That now seems unlikely. Lunchbox has gone into administration, the BBC reported in November, as its other business venture in the UK, Shakespeare’s Rose Theatre, also went bust.

A scene from the musical Matilda, whose month-long run in Hong Kong was cancelled. The promoter later went into administration. Photo: courtesy of Facebook

It took weeks for Matilda ticket holders to get their money back, with the show’s venue, the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, understood to have shouldered a chunk of the loss.

Other productions postponed or cancelled include Carmen by More than Musical, some of Hong Kong Ballet’s Swan Lake performances in October, the annual music and arts festival Clockenflap in November and, more recently, the second of two concerts by jazz composer and pianist Hiromi and the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra.