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Classical music

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Classical music
Home to two renowned orchestras, the Hong Kong Philharmonic and the Hong Kong Sinfonietta, and scores of other ensembles and players, as well as a magnet for many of the world’s leading performers, Hong Kong has one of the liveliest classical music scenes in Asia. Read previews and reviews of the biggest classical music events in Hong Kong, interviews with big players and tastemakers, profiles and news.
Hong Kong-born pianist Aristo Sham won the prestigious Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in June 2025. Photo: Jen-Pin Lin
Performing arts in Hong Kong

7 of the best arts stories of 2025, including a new Labubu-style soft toy

From Wallis Simpson to prize-winning Hong Kong pianist Aristo Shum, here are 7 arts stories that really drew in the readers in 2025.

World of performing arts

Meet the Korean viral ‘dancing conductor’ who says he’s not actually dancing

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Music

Hong Kong classical concert to pay tribute to fallen Tai Po firefighter

Performing arts in Hong Kong

Review | Chopin Competition winner Eric Lu thrills in Hong Kong recital

The Chinese-American pianist’s all-Chopin recital, part of the HKU Muse Piano Laureate Series, was powerful, intense and emotional.

Eric Lu, winner of the 2025 International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition, played two Chopin-focused recitals at the University of Hong Kong on December 6 and 7. Photo: Eric Hong
Performing arts in Hong Kong

Review | Violinist Midori works magic in Hong Kong concert double bill

Midori dazzled alongside pianist Ieva Jokubaviciute on November 27, two nights before sharing the stage with the Hong Kong Sinfonietta.

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Hong Kong

Who to watch at Clockenflap 2025

Hong Kong’s favourite music spectacular is back from December 5 to 7 – here are our highlights to pencil into your festival diary.

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Performing arts in Hong Kong

Review | Champion Hong Kong pianist joins Rome-based orchestra in powerful concert

The Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia – Roma, assisted by Aristo Sham, put on a strong opening night in Hong Kong.

Aristo Sham stands on stage with the Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia - Roma at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall on November 20, 2025. The Hong Kong pianist stepped in as the soloist in Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G, replacing Italian pianist Beatrice Rana, who had to cancel her visit. Photo: LCSD
World of performing arts

San Francisco Opera’s The Monkey King is a landmark in cultural exchange

This timeless Chinese folk tale retold as an opera is a sumptuous feast for the eyes and ears that provides a showcase of Chinese culture.

Performing arts in Hong Kong

Aristo Sham releases joyful solo piano album that includes ‘pure Bach’

Van Cliburn gold medallist Aristo Sham has released Timeline, an arresting collection of classical piano pieces based on his world tour.

What to do in Hong Kong

International Booker Prize winner a highlight of Hong Kong’s India by the Bay

With the theme ‘Celebrating the Best of India’, this year’s event showcases India’s diverse culture and includes leading cultural figures.

Indian writer Banu Mushtaq, winner of the International Booker Prize 2025, will give a talk at Hong Kong’s India by the Bay event that examines the intersections of literature, language and resistance. Photo: IBB
Performing arts in Hong Kong

What to expect at Hong Kong Arts Festival 2026, from Mozart to Caravaggio

Festival highlights include a mixed-reality Ryuichi Sakamoto show, a concert led by John Eliot Gardiner and a ballet starring Roberto Bolle.

The 54th Hong Kong Arts Festival will open with Ballet Nacional de España’s La Bella Otero, a retelling of 19th-century Spanish artist Carolina Otero’s life story. Photo: HKAF
Performing arts in Hong Kong

Review | Hong Kong Philharmonic puts on lively concert with pianist Kyohei Sorita

Sorita performed Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No 1 in an evening that also featured the world premiere of Charles Kwong’s Festina lente.

Performing arts in Hong Kong

Review | Superb voices, faltering design in Opera Hong Kong’s moving Aida

From lead to chorus, the performances in Aida are superb, but the production suffers from its more intimate approach and unusual costuming.

Performing arts in Hong Kong

Hong Kong Early Music Festival celebrates grand sounds of the Baroque

The October festival will feature four concerts and over 20 players, with fresh music and unusual crossovers between genres and cultures.

Hong Kong Early Music Festival founder and artistic director Karen Yeung (centre), composer Lee Wai-shan (left) and pipa player Mavis Lam will perform at the four-day festival in October. Photo: Jonathan Wong
First Mention

When the London Philharmonic Orchestra came to Hong Kong and Asia

The LPO performed in Singapore, Hong Kong, Manila, Seoul and Tokyo, with John Pritchard and Jerzy Semkow taking turns conducting.

Malcolm Sargent in a final rehearsal with members of the London Philharmonic Orchestra in Hammersmith Town Hall, in preparation for the orchestra’s Asia tour. Photo: PA Images via Getty Images
Performing arts in Hong Kong

HK Phil open new season in style under guest conductor Daniel Harding

British conductor Harding expertly navigated Mozart, Strauss and Haydn pieces in the Phil’s season opener featuring guest pianist Paul Lewis.

Performing arts in Hong Kong

Profile | Visually impaired erhu player brings traditional Chinese music to the world

Yang Enhua talks about his musical journey, from picking up the classical Chinese instrument to his innovative rehearsal process.

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World of performing arts

Esa-Pekka Salonen on his return to the LA Phil: it ‘makes a lot of sense’

The conductor, who left the Los Angeles Philharmonic 16 years ago, will pursue special projects and mentor talent as creative director.

Esa-Pekka Salonen conducts for the LA Phil’s 100th birthday at Walt Disney Concert Hall in October 2019 in Los Angeles. He will return to the LA Phil as creative director beginning in the 2026/27 season. Photo: TNS
Performing arts in Hong Kong

Review | Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra’s season opener skilfully celebrates the pipa

The HKCO’s concert showcased the various iterations of the musical instrument and how it has transcended borders along the ancient Silk Road.

Performing arts in Hong Kong

Review | Cong Quartet celebrate 10th anniversary with Hong Kong concert

Hong Kong’s foremost string quartet, the Cong Quartet marked a decade of music with works by Beethoven, Mendelssohn and Daniel Lo.

Performing arts in Hong Kong

‘Being from Hong Kong is an identity for me’: conductor on her musical rise

Vivian Ip talks about representing Hong Kong around the world, making it in a male-dominated field and being a role model.

Vivian Ip conducts at the 2025 International Ferenc Fricsay Conducting Competition in Szeged, Hungary, where she placed third. She says that success in her field is about “one’s passion, belief and ability”. Photo: International Ferenc Fricsay Conducting Competition
Your Perfect Week

What to do in Hong Kong, August 24-30

Enjoy Baroque violin masterpieces, indulge in a funghi feast at Man Ho, sip cocktails at the Mondrian, and laugh with comedian Jason Strickland.

The Mushroom Consomme Symphony, part of Man Ho restaurant’s Yunnan mushrooms six-hands feast in Hong Kong. Photo: Handout
Performing arts in Hong Kong

HK Phil’s new chief executive choice sparks controversy

An anonymous letter circulated online claims certain recent interactions of Austrian businessman Bernhard Fleischer ‘unbefitting of a CEO’.

Performing arts in Hong Kong

Review | Opera Hong Kong’s rendition of The Merry Widow is fun but feels lacking

Despite strong singing and playing under Michael Koehler’s baton, certain elements let this retelling of Franz Lehár’s 1905 operetta down.

World of performing arts

Genshin Impact video game composer signs exclusive record deal

Yupeng Chen, best known for his work on video games, is the first Chinese composer to sign with classical music label Deutsche Grammophon.

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Yu-Peng Chen has demonstrated his musical talent since he was in primary school.
On Our Radar

Opera Hong Kong brings The Merry Widow to the local stage

This retelling of Franz Lehár’s humorous tale promises an entertaining night for both novices and aficionados.

Michael Koehler has been enlisted to conduct the upcoming Hong Kong performance of The Merry Widow. Photo: Handout
World of performing arts

‘Passion is not enough’: Malaysia’s first professional violin maker

Tan Chin Seng, whose violins sell for US$14,000, is now mentoring a new generation of makers in a field little known in Southeast Asia.

Performing arts in Hong Kong

Review | Jaap van Zweden returns for Hong Kong Phil concert with Augustin Hadelich

The orchestra’s season-closing concert was an unintentional masterclass in the tension between a single visionary and collective insight.

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