Musicus Society Unveils Programming For Musicus Fest 2025

Musicus Society will present Musicus Fest 2025, celebrating Musicus Society's 15th anniversary. The 2025 Musicus Fest features 10 concerts between Nov. 1 and Dec. 15, at various Hong Kong venues, including a special presentation at Shenzhen Concert Hall in mainland China. The festival showcases outstanding local and international artists, among whom is cellist Trey Lee, the artistic director and co-founder of Musicus Society. He is joined by the English Chamber Orchestra-one of the most recorded chamber orchestras in the world-and by Musicus Soloists Hong Kong, comprising some of the best emerging artists from all over the world. Please see below for all program details.

"Musicus has always been a celebration of cultural diversity and the way different cultures come together to perform great music," says Trey Lee. "This year, we're delighted to perform with the English Chamber Orchestra, Musicus Soloists Hong Kong, and spectacular guest soloists such as violinists Minna Pensola, Angela Chan and Jacques Forrestier, and the flow artist Chris Lam. We look forward to elevating Musicus as an international meeting point for cultural exchange, celebrating timeless music from the repertoire."

Musicus Fest 2025 opens on Nov. 1 with Trey Lee and the English Chamber Orchestra, following their album Seasons Interrupted, last year's climate change-themed major release on Signum Records that features world-premiere recordings of new arrangements by Trey Lee. It was the Hong Kong-born, Juilliard-trained cellist's first collaboration with the esteemed ensemble. The concert, at Concert Hall (Hong Kong City Hall), highlights Piazzolla's vibrant The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires, in Trey Lee's arrangement for solo cello and chamber orchestra, as featured on the album. The program also includes a string version of Beethoven's Symphony No. 6, "Pastoral," and Tchaikovsky's "Chant d'automne," from The Seasons. These works capture the essence of nature and the changing landscapes across the four seasons, inviting audiences on a captivating musical journey. Local students from the Ensemble Training program will perform excerpts from Boccherini's String Quintet in E and Gustav Holst's St. Paul's Suite side-by-side with the musicians of the English Chamber Orchestra.

The performances by Musicus Soloists Hong Kong, the city's leading chamber ensemble, are a highlight of the festival. Founded and directed by Trey Lee, Musicus Soloists Hong Kong is Musicus Society's homegrown string ensemble, bringing together international prizewinners on promising career paths around the world. The group brings two programs to Shenzhen Concert Hall (in mainland China, Dec. 5) and Hong Kong City Hall (Dec. 7) under the leadership of the Finnish violinist Minna Pensola. Angela Chan and Jacques Forrestier, the joint winners of the 2024 Joseph Joachim Violin Competition, will join Musicus Soloists Hong Kong in Baroque masterpieces by Locatelli and Tartini for the festival's grand finale on Dec. 7. The programs include Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 and Vivaldi's Concerto for Violin and Cello, as well as Satie's Gymnopedies No. 1 & 3 arranged for strings, featuring the flow artist Chris Lam, who uses crystal balls and eight-rings, fusing visual arts, theater and music in an explosion of movement and emotion.

Musicus Fest 2025 also brings back Marco Polo's Musical Encounter of East and West, its ever-popular family concert designed to introduce various Chinese and Western musical instruments to children. There will also be educational and outreach activities that include master classes and ensemble training, a series of highly anticipated Jockey Club Musicus Heritage Stories concerts held at unique venues in Hong Kong, and a viola recital by Hoi Yan-lok, the 2025 Musicus Young Artist Audition winner. For more information, please visit musicussociety.org.

Musicus Fest 2025

-Concert 1: Festival Opening: Trey Lee & English Chamber Orchestra-
Saturday, Nov. 1 | Concert Hall, Hong Kong City Hall

• Tchaikovsky (arr. Paul Sherman): Chant d'automne from The Seasons (for string orchestra)

• Beethoven: Symphony No. 6, "Pastoral," for String Orchestra

• Piazzolla (arr. Trey Lee): The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires (for solo cello & string orchestra)

Cello: Trey Lee

• Boccherini: String Quintet in E, G. 275, Op.11 No.5, III. Minuetto - Trio (for string orchestra)

• Holst: St. Paul's Suite, Op. 29 No. 2, IV. Finale ("The Dargason")

Featuring English Chamber Orchestra playing side-by-side with Ensemble Training students

-Concert 2: Beethoven, Piazzolla and Evening Fantasy by Musicus Soloists Hong Kong-
Friday, Dec. 5 | Shenzhen Concert Hall (Co-presented by Shenzhen Concert Hall and the Leisure & Cultural Services Department)

• Locatelli: Violin Concerto Op. 3, No.12 in D, "Harmonic Labyrinth"

Violin: Angela Chan

• Beethoven: Symphony No. 5 (string orchestra version)

• Satie: Gymnopedies No. 1 & 3 (string orchestra version)

• Piazzolla (arr. Trey Lee): The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires (for solo cello & string orchestra)

Cello: Trey Lee

-Concert 3: Festival Finale: The Devil and the Labyrinth by Musicus Soloists Hong Kong-
Sunday, Dec. 7 | Concert Hall, Hong Kong City Hall

• Locatelli: Violin Concerto Op. 3 No.12 in D, "Harmonic Labyrinth"

Violin: Angela Chan

• Satie: Gymnopedie No. 1 (string orchestra version)

• Tartini: Violin Sonata in G minor, "Devil's Trill" (version with orchestra)

Violin: Jacques Forrestier

• Satie: Gymnopedie No. 3 (string orchestra version)

• Vivaldi: Concerto for Violin and Cello in F, RV 544

Violin: Minna Pensola | Cello: Trey Lee

• Beethoven: Symphony No. 5 (string orchestra version)

-Concert 4: Harmonic Hour English Chamber Orchestra-
Sunday, Nov. 2 | Auditorium, Tuen Mun Town Hall

One-hour educational concert featuring works by Beethoven, Telemann, J. Strauss II and Coleridge-Taylor

-Concert 5: Next Generation Virtuosi: Viola Recital by Hoi Yan-lok-
Saturday, Nov. 15 | Theatre, Hong Kong City Hall

Featuring the 2025 Musicus Young Artist Audition winner in works by Prokofiev, Hindemith, Vieuxtemps and Brahms

-Concert 6: Family Concert: Marco Polo's Musical Encounter of East & West-
Saturday, Dec. 6 | Concert Hall, Hong Kong City Hall

A family concert for ages 3+

-Concerts 7-10: The Hong Kong Jockey Club Community Project Grant: Musicus Heritage Stories-
December 13-15 | Heritage sites in Hong Kong

Series of community concerts