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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.
Ralph Fiennes (right) appears with conductor Semyon Bychkov after the actor’s opera directing debut at the Palais Garnier in Paris on January 26, 2026. Photo: AP
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.

On Our Radar

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

Chinese culture

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

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.

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.

The Cong Quartet are one of the big names who will perform at “Salute to the Brave, Soothing the Soul”, a charity concert co-organised by HK Phil’s first associate concertmaster Leung Kin-fung to pay tribute to Ho Wai-ho, the firefighter who lost his life in the Tai Po fire.
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.

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.

Crowds gather on day two of Clockenflap 2024 at Central Harbourfront Event Space. The music festival returns from December 5-7 this year. Photo: Eugene Lee
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.

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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.

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.

Yang Enhua plays the erhu. The visually impaired Chinese musician – who recently placed as a top 10 finalist in New York – talks to the Post about overcoming challenges and spreading traditional Chinese music around the world. Photo: Edmond So
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.

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