HK Phil Composers Workshop - Beyond The Ring Proves To Be A Huge Success

The Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra's "Composers Workshop - Beyond the Ring" Public Working Session and Showcase was held on 13 March 2018 at the Grand Hall, Lee Shau Kee Lecture Centre, Centennial Campus, The University of Hong Kong. In our commitment to nurturing composing talents in Hong Kong, the HK Phil has organised a series of workshops and a public showcase for six young local composers - Chan Chi-long, Kwok Man-ho, Meilina Tsui Mei-ling, Wong Ching-yin, So Ho-chi, and Wong Chun-wai. Their new works were premiered by the HK Phil under the baton of conductor Sebastian Per?owski, with the honoured attendance of officiating guest Mrs. Angelina Cheung, Deputy Secretary for Home Affairs.

Funded by the Contestable Funding Scheme for the Major Performing Arts Groups of the HKSAR government, the Composers Workshop was one of the HK Phil's Wagner Ring Cycle Part 4 Götterdämmerung ancillary events. The HK Phil started the search for local composers back in Dec 2017, and six local composers with promising potential were selected by a judging panel based on their previous composition works. Each of them has to compose a four-minute work inspired by Wagner's Ring Cycle. Composers have attended the briefing session and symposium as the opening part of the project, and their works were publicly workshopped and performed on 13 March by the HK Phil under conductor Sebastian Per?owski. The audience was able to observe the fascinating interaction between composers, orchestral members and the conductor, as well as to hear the HK Phil performing all six new compositions.

Feedback from the six local composers:

Chan Chi-long: "I am thrilled by this rare opportunity to have a professional orchestra workshop and perform works by young composers. I learnt a lot in the communication with conductor and musicians. It was my first time composing around a pre-existing work. It is a great idea."

Meilina Tsui: "I was impressed by the excellent performance by the HK Phil. The ancillary programmes provided me with much inspiration for my composition. The conductor was very experienced. I appreciated his comments, which will improve my future compositions."

Wong Ching-yin: "This workshop allowed me to listen to my own work, and provided me with a great experience to review and polish my work. I would like to thank Mr Fung Lam (HK Phil Director of Artistic Planning) for his insights into classical composition. I would also like to thank Mr James Boznos (HK Phil Principal Timpani), who spared his brief dinner time to help me revise my work. He has been very professional and generous."

Kwok Man-ho: "I learnt more about Wagner and his music from the ancillary programmes, and am thrilled to meet the other young composers!"

Wong Chun-wai: "I appreciate that the conductor spent a lot of time studying my music, and conducted the piece very well. Mr Fung Lam (HK Phil Director of Artistic Planning) has been a great mentor, who has helped keep the rehearsals efficient."

Eric So Ho-chi: "This has been an unforgettable experience. Comments from the conductor were both inspiring and constructive."

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.

Jaap, the HK Phil, and a superb casts of soloists, have presented concert performances and recordings of the four 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 have been invited to perform Wagner's Die Walküre in staged performances at the Beijing Music Festival last October in a co-production with the Salzburg Easter Festival.

Conductors and soloists who have recently 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 charitable organisation.

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

SWIRE is the Principal Patron of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra.