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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.
Jane Houng set up charity Becky’s Button to provide women at risk with a panic button after her daughter Rebecca Dykes was murdered in Lebanon in 2017. Photo: Bella Galliano-Hale
My Life

Jane Houng: musician, author – and mother of a murdered child

The founder of Becky’s Button tells how she channelled the grief from losing her daughter into tackling gender-based violence.

Fame and celebrity

Timothee Chalamet faces the music for saying ‘no one cares’ about opera, ballet

Performing arts in Hong Kong

Review | Stella Cole Quartet’s delightful delivery of jazz and film classics in Hong Kong

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On Our Radar

The Hong Kong Arts Festival is back. These are the shows to book first

Tradition meets tech as stages both real and virtual host dance, music and immersive magic.

The Czech Republic’s National Theatre Brno will perform Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin at the 54th Hong Kong Arts Festival. Photo: National Theatre Brno
US-China relations

Exclusive | Hong Kong pianist brings music – and a message of openness – to Washington

Fresh from his Cliburn win, Sham says music can bridge divides as he tours the US amid geopolitical tensions and decoupling debate.

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Pets

Do dogs like music? Experts weigh in on how songs affect our furry friends

Music seems to have a calming effect on dogs, but under what circumstances and which genre? Animal experts explain dog music dos and don’ts.

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World of performing arts

First, Ralph Fiennes played Eugene Onegin in a movie. Now he directs the opera

Fiennes made his opera directing debut this week at the Paris Opera’s ornate Palais Garnier with his unique take on Eugene Onegin.

Ralph Fiennes attends the 2025 British Academy of Film and Television Awards in London, Britain, in 2025. The actor has made his opera directing debut with a cinematic take on Eugene Onegin. Photo: Reuters
On Our Radar

Beare’s Premiere Music Festival 2026 bids farewell to Hong Kong

As the curtain falls on the city’s principal chamber music event, the stellar line-up of musicians promises to send it off on a high note.

Chinese culture

World’s first Chinese rosewood cello stars in Hong Kong exhibition

Made over six months from a 200-year-old piece of Chinese rosewood, or huanghuali, the cello is now on show at Sheung Wan’s Liang Yi Museum.

World of performing arts

The new generation of talented leaders taking centre stage at Royal Opera House

Hrusa takes over from Antonio Pappano, Royal Opera’s music director for 22 years; Scappucci is first principal guest conductor in 30 years.

Music director Jakub Hrusa during a performance with The Royal Opera Chorus and Orchestra of the Royal Opera House in London, in September 2025. Photo: AP
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.

Hong Kong-born pianist Aristo Sham won the prestigious Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in June 2025. Photo: Jen-Pin Lin
World of performing arts

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

Some conductors are visibly moved by the music, but Korean maestro Baek Yoon-hak takes that concept a step or two further.

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Music

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

Proceeds from the December 22 show, featuring some of Hong Kong’s biggest classical musicians, will go to the family of Ho Wai-ho.

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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Japanese-American violinist Midori and Lithuanian pianist Ieva Jokubaviciute perform at the Hong Kong City Hall for the “HKS Recital Series: Midori Violin Recital”, on November 27, 2025. Photo: HK Sinfonietta
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.

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.

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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.

The tenor Kang Wang as the Money King with members of the San Francisco Opera Chorus in Huang Ruo and David Henry Hwang’s “The Monkey King”. The new opera premiered on November 17, 2025. (Photo: Cory Weaver/ San Francisco Opera)
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.

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.

Japanese pianist Kyohei Sorita makes his debut with the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra in a sold-out concert at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre on October 9, 2025. Photo: Keith Hiro/HK Phil
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.

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.

The Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra performs under guest conductor Daniel Harding for their season-opening concert at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre on September 18, 2025. Photo: HK Phil
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.

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.

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