HK Phil Hosts YOUR STAGE AWAITS Fundraising Concert

The Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra (HK Phil) hosted two fundraising concerts at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall on 7 & 8 February 2026 (Saturday & Sunday) successfully. Since 2009, the Fundraising Concert has brought together music lovers from diverse social backgrounds to showcase their talent on stage with the HK Phil, while raising funds for the orchestra's long-term development, including education and outreach initiatives.

Led by HK Phil's Resident Conductor Lio Kuokman, there were 24 performing units this year (in alphabetical order): Joseph Yourong Cai, Canadian International School of Hong Kong, Adele Chan, Charis Chan, Annette Che, Abraham Cheng, Dr Alex Chui Chuen-shun, John Foo, Grazioso Music Academy, HKBUAS Wong Kam Fai Secondary and Primary School with members of the HK Phil Chorus, Hong Kong Harp Chamber Music, Hong Kong International School Upper Primary Onsom Orchestra, Seven Xiya Jing, Michelle Kwong, Yannis Lee, Freya Lei, Catherine Leung, Malvern College Hong Kong, St. Stephen's Girl's College Orchestra, Yumiao Wang, Yuxin Wang, and Stacey Dongbo Zhang.

Some highlights of the concerts were:

•  The Fundraising Concert attracted a significant number of applicants and was held over two days. The HK Phil welcomed new performers and is grateful for the continued support from our returning performers, one of them includes Charis Chan, who made her debut in the fundraising concert at the age of 3 and has returned for her 11th appearance this year.

• A richly varied programme which includes classical masterpieces and a new composition, presented by solo vocalists, choirs, orchestral groups and an impressive array of instrumentalists from piano and strings to harp and marimba. Young musicians from institutions such as Grazioso Music Academy and Hong Kong Harp Chamber Music were also featured.  HK Phil musicians opened the Fundraising Concerts with Glinka's Ruslan and Ludmila Overture.

• Five student orchestral groups from Canadian International School of Hong Kong, HKBUAS Wong Kam Fai Secondary and Primary School, Hong Kong International School, Malvern College Hong Kong and St. Stephen's Girls' College shared the stage with the esteemed members of the orchestra, made possible through rigorous guidance from HK Phil principals and conductor Lio Kuokman.

• Captivating vocal performances by young talents including Annette Che, Seven Xiya Jing, Michelle Kwong, as well as seasoned performers, Dr Alex Chui Chuen-shun and Co-chair of the Fundraising Concert Organising Committee Ms Catherine Leung.

• Fisherman's Song, composed by Yannis Lee, an artist from the Arts with the Disabled Association Hong Kong, made its world premiere on stage with the HK Phil. The composition draws inspiration from the Dragon Boat Festival celebrated in Tai O Fishing Village and the vibrant tradition of Cantonese folk melodies. Yannis also took part in the performance as horn player. The performance was sponsored by the Swire Group Charitable Trust.

• An enchanting performance of Handel's Messiah: Worthy is the Lamb was presented by the HKBUAS Wong Kam Fai Secondary and Primary School, a joint performance of 20 members from the Secondary Division Symphony Orchestra; 32 members from student chorus A-Singers; 8 members from teacher and parents chorus A-Parent Singers, along with 16 members from the HK Phil Chorus.

The Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra (HK Phil) is regarded as one of the leading orchestras in Asia. Presenting more than 150 concerts over a 44-week season, the HK Phil attracts more than 200,000 music lovers annually. The HK Phil won the prestigious UK classical music magazine Gramophone's 2019 Orchestra of the Year Award – the first orchestra in Asia to receive this accolade.

Tarmo Peltokoski is the HK Phil's Music Director Designate in 2025/26 and will become Music Director in the 2026/27 season. Currently, Long Yu serves as Principal Guest Conductor and Lio Kuokman is Resident Conductor. Esa-Pekka Salonen is Composer-in-Residence in the 2025/26 season.

The HK Phil has flourished in the last two decades under Jaap van Zweden (Music Director, 2012–2024) and Edo de Waart (Artistic Director and Chief Conductor, 2004–2012). The orchestra successfully completed a four-year journey through Wagner's Ring Cycle, performing and recording one opera from the cycle annually from 2015 to 2018. The concert performances were well received, and the live Naxos recordings were praised by critics, and garnered the Gramophone Orchestra of the Year Award 2019. Other recent recording projects include Mahler's Symphony no. 10, Shostakovich's Symphony no. 10, and Tchaikovsky's Symphony no. 6 and Piano Concerto no. 1. The HK Phil collaborates with Deutsche Grammophon and is set to release Wagner's The Ring: An Orchestral Adventure arranged by Henk de Vlieger and conducted by Tarmo Peltokoski.

The HK Phil has toured extensively across the Chinese Mainland. The orchestra undertook a major tour in 2017 to Seoul, Osaka, Singapore, Melbourne and Sydney in celebration of the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. The HK Phil toured Europe, Asia, and the Chinese Mainland, performing in 22 cities across ten countries in its 50th anniversary. In the 2025/26 season, the orchestra will perform in Europe, Japan, Korea and the Chinese Mainland again.

Conductors and soloists who have recently performed with the orchestra include Anja Bihlmaier, Stéphane Denève, Christoph Eschenbach, Daniel Gatti, Daniel Harding, Pietari Inkinen, Paavo Järvi, Andrés Orozco-Estrada, Vasily Petrenko, Joshua Bell, Ning Feng, Stephen Hough, Jonas Kaufmann, Lang Lang, Leonidas Kavakos, Olivier Latry, Yo-Yo Ma and Akiko Suwanai. The HK Phil promotes the work of Hong Kong and Chinese composers through an active commissioning programme, and it has released recordings on the Naxos label featuring Tan Dun and Bright Sheng, each conducting their own compositions. 

The HK Phil runs diverse education and community programmes in schools and outdoor spaces, bringing music into the hearts of tens of thousands of children and families every year. 

The Swire Group has been the Principal Patron of the HK Phil since 2006. Through this current sponsorship donation, the largest in the orchestra's history, Swire endeavours to foster access to classical music and stimulate cultural participation in Hong Kong and the Chinese Mainland. A critical aspect of this is engaging with the community, especially young people. The sponsorship will also help promote local artistic excellence and enhance Hong Kong's reputation as one of the great cities in the world.