Young Prodigies Will Perform Musical Works by Gifted Composers With the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra

Two young prodigies will perform three musical works by gifted composers with the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra (HK Phil) on 2 & 3 February 2018 (Fri & Sat), 8PM, in the Hong Kong City Hall Concert Hall.

Hannah Tam Wan-ching began learning the violin at three and a half. In an interview she spoke of her love and passion towards the violin, "The sound of violin is very beautiful and it can produce beautiful melodies. The violin itself is very small and cute too." With such passion, Hannah, aged six, won the Japan-Hong Kong International Music Competition and was invited to perform in Tokyo in 2012. At the age of 10, she won First Prize (age 8-11 category) at the world-renowned Andrea Postacchini International Competition where she also took the Final Grand Prize, beating over 100 competitors. Now Hannah is 12 years old and will perform Mozart's Violin Concerto no. 3 in these concerts.

After hearing the National Boys Choir of Australia when he was seven years old, Nicholas Carter made up his mind to be a conductor. He was mentored by Maestro Vladimir Ashkenazy of the Sydney Symphony, and was appointed Assistant Conductor and then Associate Conductor of the Orchestra. He is now a maestro in his own right, and is currently the Principal Conductor of the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra and Kapellmeister and musical assistant to Donald Runnicles at the Deutsche Oper Berlin. He will conduct Haydn's last symphony --- Symphony no. 104 --- in these concerts.

English composer Thomas Adès was described in the 1990s as "a youth prodigiously gifted" and has since become one of the most innovative of living British composers. Clever re-orchestrations of keyboard works by an 18th century French composer, Adès' "Three Studies from Couperin" will open the concerts.

These young musical prodigies come together in these concerts as violinist, conductor and composer, whether in person or with their works, to ignite the love and passion in other potential musicians, and to share the fruits of their labour. Many parents in Hong Kong have great expectations for their children's development in the arts. For those who wish to share their passion in music with their children, this is a concert not to be missed!

Tickets priced: HK$480, $380, $280, $180 are now available at URBTIX. For enquiries, please call +852 2721 2332 or visit www.hkphil.org.

Nicholas Carter, conductor [full biography]

Nicholas Carter is Principal Conductor of the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra and Kapellmeister and musical assistant to Donald Runnicles at the Deutsche Oper Berlin. In Australia he founded a period-instrument orchestra focusing on the music, instruments and historical performance practices of the early 19th century. A three-year association with the Sydney Symphony, first as Assistant Conductor and later as Associate Conductor, gave him the opportunity to work closely with Vladimir Ashkenazy. His debut with the HK Phil was in the Swire Symphony Under the Stars 2017.

Hannah Tam Wan-ching, piano [full biography]

Currently a Form 1 student at St. Paul's Co-educational College, 12-year-old Hannah Tam entered the Junior Music Program of the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts at the age of 5 with Mr Chan Kwok-wai as her teacher. Hannah has won many prizes, including the First Prize (age 8-11 category) and Final Grand prize at the Andrea Postacchini International Competition in 2016. In July 2017 she was awarded the First Prize (Senior Professional category) in the Bravo International Violin Competition in San Diego, US, and the First Prize (for age under 15) and the Baroque Prize in the Kloster Schöntal International Violin Competition in Germany.

The Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra (HK Phil) is recognised as Asia's foremost classical orchestra. Presenting more than 150 concerts over a 44-week season, the HK Phil attracts more than 200,000 music lovers annually.

Jaap van Zweden, one of today's most sought-after conductors, has been the orchestra's Music Director since the 2012/13 concert season, a position he will continue to hold until 2022. Maestro van Zweden will be the next Music Director of the New York Philharmonic from the 2018/19 season.

Yu Long was appointed Principal Guest Conductor with the HK Phil for a three-year period commencing with the 2015/16 season.

Under the dynamic leadership of Music Director Jaap van Zweden, the HK Phil has attained new heights of artistic excellence, garnering international critical acclaim.

Following on from the success of the European tour which included a filmed concert from Vienna's Musikverein, the HK Phil has toured extensively within the mainland China. In celebration of the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the HKSAR, and with support of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Offices, the orchestra recently performed in Seoul, Osaka, Singapore, Melbourne and at the Sydney Opera House.

Maestro Jaap van Zweden, the HK Phil, and a superb casts of soloists, have presented concert performances and recordings of the first three operas from Richard Wagner's epic Ring cycle. These have been enthusiastically endorsed by both audiences and critics at home and abroad, and in recognition of their quality, the orchestra and Jaap were invited to perform Wagner's Die Walküre in staged performances at the Beijing Music Festival this October in a co-production with the Salzburg Easter Festival.

Conductors and soloists who have recently, or shortly will have, performed with the orchestra include Vladimir Ashkenazy, Charles Dutoit, Christoph Eschenbach, Matthias Goerne, Stephen Hough, Lang Lang, Yo-Yo Ma, Ning Feng and Yuja Wang.

The HK Phil promotes the work of Hong Kong and Chinese composers through an active commissioning programme, and has released recordings on the Naxos label featuring Tan Dun and Bright Sheng, each conducting their own compositions. Its acclaimed education and community engagement programmes in schools, hospital and outdoor space, bring 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 sponsorship, which is the largest in the orchestra's history, Swire endeavours to promote artistic excellence, foster access to classical music and stimulate cultural participation in Hong Kong, and to enhance Hong Kong's reputation as one of the great cities of the world.

Thanks to a significant subsidy from the Hong Kong Government and long-term funding from Principal Patron Swire, the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust and other supporters, the HK Phil now boasts a full-time annual schedule of core classical repertoire and innovative popular programming, extensive education and community programmes, and collaborations with, among others, Opera Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Arts Festival.

Originally called the Sino-British Orchestra, it was renamed the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra in 1957 and became fully professional in 1974. The HK Phil is a registered charitable organisation.

The Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra is financially supported by the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and is a Venue Partner of the Hong Kong Cultural Centre. SWIRE is the Principal Patron of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra