‘Bay area billionaires want tickets’: interest in Yo-Yo Ma concert in Hong Kong pushes resale prices to HK$17,000
- Cellist is playing with Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra next month and tickets to sold-out show are being offered on secondary market – if you can afford them
- ‘If a fan pays HK$17,000 for a concert ticket, he or she may be better off by buying an air ticket to fly to the US, book a nice hotel and join his concert,’ observer says
Demand for tickets to a performance by cellist Yo-Yo Ma in Hong Kong next month has become so intense they are selling for HK$17,000 (US$2,170) each on the secondary market, the Post has learned.
But less well-off fans still have a chance to hear the virtuoso play at another concert when tickets go on sale later this week.
Ma, who last performed publicly in the city in 2016, is set to play with the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra on November 8 at the Cultural Centre in Tsim Sha Tsui, with Jaap van Zweden conducting. The programme consists of Dvorak’s Cello Concerto, Beethoven’s Leonore Overture No 3 and Tchaikovsky’s Capriccio italien.
Tickets for the event, which is being held to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the founding of Chinese University, were priced between HK$480 and HK$1,980.
After the concert sold out in August, ticket prices on the secondary market have jumped as high as HK$17,000, according to a source within local music circles, adding the ultra-wealthy in the Greater Bay Area were intent on hearing the virtuoso live.
“Bay area billionaires want tickets,” the source said, referring to an initiative by Beijing to combine Hong Kong, Macau and nine cities in Guangdong into an economic powerhouse.
Ma is closely linked with the university. His late uncle, Li Choh-ming, was its founding vice-chancellor, and the cellist was awarded an honorary doctorate of literature by the university.
Hong Kong cellist Eric Yip Chun-hei said he recently heard about the HK$17,000 ticket offer on the secondary market.
“If a fan pays HK$17,000 for a concert ticket, he or she may be better off by buying an air ticket to fly to the United States, book a nice hotel and join his concert,” he said.
According to ticket resales marketplace Viagogo.com, demand for concert seats was “very high” and the only two available balcony spots were going for HK$17,250 each.
Scalpers selling ‘Happy Hong Kong’ tickets ‘will be referred to law enforcement’
A Hong Kong Philharmonic spokesman told the Post on Sunday that two-thirds of 1,900 tickets were put on sale, with the rest reserved for sponsors and partners. But the organisation does not require ticket buyers to register with their names.
The spokesman said each customer was limited to two tickets, adding Urbtix was the sole authorised ticketing platform.
He warned touting of tickets was illegal and buyers were exposed to risks of fake or invalid tickets.
Local music lovers also have a chance to hear Ma play at another concert. The Leisure and Cultural Services Department has organised a duet recital featuring Ma and pianist Kathryn Stott for November 6 at the Cultural Centre.
A limited number of tickets will go on sale at 10am on Wednesday through the Urbtix website and mobile app. Buyers will have to use the names listed on their identity cards or other travel documents to make a purchase, and sales are on a first-come, first-served basis.
What is the real-name ticketing system and how does it work in Hong Kong?
The department in September offered tickets for the recital through a lucky draw arrangement, which involved registering on the Urbtix system and taking part in a ballot to decide who could purchase a ticket. If they were chosen, buyers had to use their real names to make the transaction.
“It is so hard to buy a ticket,” a music fan said anonymously. “A friend of mine was luckily allotted a quota to buy two tickets, and he was so happy that he literally shed tears.”
Tickets for the recital are priced between HK$380 and HK$1,380.
Tickets were quickly snapped up during a prioritised sale in April by an event sponsor, with one scalper reportedly offering front seats at the Hong Kong Coliseum in Hung Hom for HK$438,000.
