New HK Phil chief plans to expand orchestra’s appeal to new audiences
- Benedikt Fohr relocates to Asia to lead one of region’s leading orchestras after decades-long music management experience in Europe
- The German plans to work with Dutch music director Jaap van Zweden to develop new programmes that will attract different generations
A leadership change came into effect at the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra (HK Phil) this month with Benedikt Fohr officially taking the helm as chief executive.
The 55-year-old German has succeeded Michael MacLeod, whose eight years in the role were highlighted by many achievements, including the performances and recordings with music director Jaap van Zweden of the four opera-in-concert performances that make up Wagner’s Ring Cycle.
“[Wagner’s Ring Cycle] was special because this is really something even European orchestras don’t usually put on the schedule because it’s so difficult with the soloists and choirs, and time [needed for] rehearsal,” Fohr said.
“But in combination with this recording project it was absolutely worthwhile and it is now a really good business card for the orchestra to show what it can achieve.”
On solid ground
In 2017, the orchestra conducted a five-city tour to Seoul, Osaka, Singapore, Melbourne and Sydney to perform before a total of more than 9,000 people, including, for the first time, audiences at the Sydney Opera House and the Singapore Esplanade.
One of Fohr’s first missions in office will be to oversee two seasons of Beethoven programmes in celebration of the composer’s forthcoming 250th birthday in 2020. But much of his time will also be spent on exploring new territories – often literally.
“I’m quite new here so I have to experience what the orchestra wants [and] what the public in Hong Kong wants”, Fohr said.
“I know there is a big interest and this is also part of our mission to play in the [Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau] Greater Bay Area.”
You put your orchestra on the map when you have a conductor like Jaap van Zweden … and of course, he will be very careful that the level of playing is on the same level as New York Philharmonic’s and vice versa
He said that the region boasts some of the world’s best concert halls and has become the envy of the world.
As the HK Phil chief-designate, Fohr also attended the Greater Bay Area Performing Arts Forum held by Hong Kong government’s Leisure and Cultural Services Department in March, to get a taste of the performing arts ecosystem in Hong Kong.
“I met almost everybody in cultural life here, and I felt the positive spirit, and the wish to make things possible and to realise things,” he said.
Eyes on the world
Fohr said he was looking forward to travelling around the Greater Bay Area to inspect the venues and understand the markets, and the orchestra has already lined up a series of performances on the Chinese mainland in the autumn.
“[Touring] is important for an orchestra and it’s also important for Hong Kong to be presented internationally,” he said. “That is certainly something we want to emphasise.”
There will certainly be no lack of touring opportunities for the orchestra where van Zweden has been holding the baton since 2012.
In 2016, the Dutch maestro extended his contract and made a commitment to stay until at least 2022. Last year, he was also appointed the 26th music director of the New York Philharmonic.
“You put your orchestra on the map when you have a conductor like him … and of course, he will be very careful that the level of playing is on the same level as New York Philharmonic’s and vice versa,” Fohr said.
Although Fohr has not worked with van Zweden before – the two were introduced in Munich earlier this year – he was familiar with the revered conductor’s reputation and career.
“He is a tough worker; he is very strict and demands a lot from the musicians,” Fohr said. “This is how we deliver core repertoire concerts, what every orchestra must play to keep its standards and quality.”
[Touring] is important for an orchestra and it’s also important for Hong Kong to be presented internationally. That is certainly something we want emphasised
In good hands
MacLeod’s act may be a tough one to follow and Asia is a new venture for Fohr, but the veteran of music management appeared unfazed during the interview in his Hong Kong Cultural Centre office overlooking Victoria Harbour.
That did not come as any surprise as he is certainly no classical music novice. In fact, his career path was set out for him while he was still studying for his business administration degree at the University of Mannheim, in Germany.
“I played the violin and had some professional musicians as friends,” he said. “One day, they asked me if I could help with organising concerts, promoting the ensemble and dealing with all administrative issues. That’s how it started, learning by doing.”
He would later embark on a career that saw him hold positions such as general director of the Luxembourg Philharmonic Orchestra, secretary general of Austria’s Camerata Salzburg and managing director of Germany’s Ensemble Recherche Freiburg.
For 12 years, before being appointed chief executive of the HK Phil, Fohr was the head of the Deutsche Radio Philharmonie (DRP), which he was instrumental in creating by merging two radio orchestras.
Through numerous educational programmes such as the crossover project “Premium Live”, with singer-songwriter Amy Macdonald, and the creation of the orchestra’s Facebook page, YouTube channel and flash mobs, he transformed the DRP into one of Germany’s most innovative radio symphony orchestras.
I had already an idea about the Asian public and the expectations of the audience. But of course it’s now very interesting to see it on a day-to-day basis
Asia was not unknown to Fohr because during his long career in Europe he toured with the orchestras he managed in mainland China, Korea and Japan.
“I had already an idea about the Asian public and the expectations of the audience,” he said.
“But of course it's now very interesting to see it on a day-to-day basis.”
Vision of the future
Just as he did with the DRP, Fohr is keen to ensure the HK Phil appeals to new audiences by being present in fields that feature the younger generations.
“We want to find out which educational programmes work, and how they can be developed because we have to work on the audience of the next generation,” he said.
“It's what we want to do because we see … the whole life of the generation influenced by all kinds of media. It's getting faster and faster and [we] must be part of it and find the way to cope with it.”
The HK Phil has a solid foundation when it comes to its efforts to nurture young classical music enthusiasts, particularly with the yearly Jockey Club Keys to Music Education Programme – running since 2012 – which offers students and teachers activities such as ensemble visits, master classes and free concerts.
The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust has renewed its exclusive sponsorship for another three years with a grant of more than HK$9.5 million (US$1.2 million).
Another important annual event is the Swire Symphony Under The Stars concert, which performed to an audience of about 18,000 people at the Central Harbourfront last November, and was broadcast on television and radio.
However, Fohr has more in mind.
[The Wagner ‘Ring’ Cycle performances and recordings] project is a really good business card for the HK Phil to show what it can achieve ... [it’s] something even European orchestras don’t usually put on
“The variety is already very big, but you can always add new aspects such as for the younger generation … some orchestras even offer concerts for pregnant women,” he said.
“You can also go in the direction of elderly people and other generations and then you think about other timings – maybe earlier in the evening, maybe on other workdays.”
He is also planning to seek new collaborators.
“We are very thankful to Swire and the Jockey Club for supporting us in these activities, not to mention all the government support we receive,” he said.
“But we also want to continue to collaborate with the Hong Kong Arts Festival and other Hong Kong arts groups, [with] what the orchestra already does and maybe to enhance these activities to be really part of the Hong Kong community.”
For classical music fans in the city, that is music to their ears.
