Jaap van Zweden, Acclaimed Violinist Tianwa Yang and the HK Phil Embark on Tour to Nanjing and Shanghai

The Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra will  kick off its 50th professional season with a tour in Nanjing and Shanghai on 1 and 2 September 2023. Led by Music Director Jaap van Zweden, the HK Phil will present three Mendelssohn’s programmes in these two concerts, featuring virtuoso violinist Tianwa Yang. These performances are made possible with the support of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Shanghai of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

Tianwa Yang has been hailed as “an unquestioned master of the violin” (American Record Guide), and as an artist who “rises above her competition” (Fanfare). In the upcoming concerts in Nanjing and Shanghai, she will perform Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto, a piece beloved by both violinists and music enthusiasts worldwide.

The evening begins with Mendelssohn’s The Hebrides Overture, which portrays the violent seas off the west coast of Scotland. It concludes with Mendelssohn’s Symphony no. 4, filling the concert halls with blazing colours and sunbeams of Italy, the travel destination that inspired this piece.

The HK Phil has forged a strong relationship with Mainland China since its debut performance in 1986, including numerous concerts conducted by Jaap van Zweden since the 2013/14 Season. These performances have received high praise from critics and audiences alike. The HK Phil is honoured to return and reunite with the Mainland audience for the first time in almost four years after the pandemic, under the baton of Jaap van Zweden.

As the HK Phil celebrates its 50th anniversary during the 2023/24 Season, the orchestra aims not only to continue presenting world-class concerts to the Hong Kong audience, but also to bring the finest music-making outside of Hong Kong. The orchestra will embark on an exhilarating journey to more than 18 cities in Mainland China, Asia and Europe, sharing the beauty of music and forging connections with audiences from every corner of the world. The concerts at the Jiangsu Centre for the Performing Arts Concert Hall and the Shanghai Oriental Art Center Concert Hall, held on 1 and 2 September 2023 respectively, mark the commencement of this highly anticipated tour that celebrates the orchestra’s golden jubilee.