Ulysses Quartet wins first prize at the Schoenfeld International Chamber Music Competition

The Ulysses Quartet, who will make their Hong Kong debut through Premiere Performances on September 9, has been awarded first prize at the 2018 Schoenfeld International Chamber Music Competition in Harbin, China. The Ulysses Quartet will receive an award of US$20,000.

Founded in 2013, the Alice and Eleonore Schoenfeld International String Competition aims to enrich the culture of music by recognizing and promoting highly gifted young musicians.

Read more

See the Ulysses Quartet in their Hong Kong Debut at the brand-new venue of Tai Kwun on September 9 (Sun)! Click here for tickets and full concert details. 

Announcing our 2018/2019 Recital Series

Premiere Performances is proud to announce our exciting Recital lineup for the 2018/19 season.

Save up to 25% with our early bird discount – don’t miss this special offer! This pre-order period is available only on our website until 18 August, when tickets go on sale at Urbtix. Get your tickets now while you have access to the whole hall – before tickets are available to sponsors or the general public.

All recitals take place at Hong Kong City Hall Concert Hall at 8PM.

Piano genius Stephen Hough returns to Hong Kong with a specially-devised solo recital that explores every side of his artistic personality: thinker, communicator and supreme virtuoso. This new recital programme focuses on Debussy, commemorating the 100th anniversary of the composer’s death. Cleverly paired with Schumann and Beethoven, this programme explores the radical nature of Debussy’s music. It is a programme full of depth and contrast.

$580, $380, $240, $100

Experience the dazzling skills of gold medal winners István Várdai (cello) and Sunwook Kim(piano) who are teaming up to present a virtuosic recital of gems of the cello/piano repertoire.
István Várdai is the only cellist in the world to have won Gold Medals at both the International Cello Competition in Geneva (2008) and the ARD Competition in Munich (2014), the two most important contests for cellists. Sunwook Kim came to international recognition when he won the prestigious Leeds International Piano Competition in 2006 at age 18, making him the competition’s youngest winner for 40 years.

$480, $300, $200, $100

Baroque meets contemporary in this recital by two BBC New Generation Artists. Violinist Jennifer Pike and harpsichordist Mahan Esfahani will team up to present a programme pairing composers of the baroque era with those of the 20th century – while demonstrating the incredible versatility of the traditional violin and harpsichord pairing. British/Polish violinist Jennifer Pike first gained international recognition when, aged 12, she became the youngest-ever winner of the BBC Young Musician of the Year and the youngest major prizewinner in the Menuhin International Violin Competition. Iranian-born Mahan Esfahani was a BBC Music Magazine’s ‘Newcomer of the Year’, and a shortlisted artist for the Gramophone Artist of the Year — the first harpsichordist to achieve each of these accolades.

$480, $300, $200, $100

Take ten of the most prolific composers of our time, including two Pulitzer Prize winners, combine them with a mezzo-soprano superstar and a cutting-edge string quartet, and you have a recipe for a spectacular evening of music. Groundbreaking string quartet Brooklyn Rider is teaming up with Grammy Award-winning Anne Sofie von Otter to present a “constellation of diverse songs and compositions”, a unique selection of new arrangements for voice and string quartet by composers including Philip Glass, John Adams, Björk, Elvis Costello and more.

$580, $380, $240, $100

BREAKING NEWS: World-leading stringed instruments dealer J & A Beare announces a long-term sponsorship with the Hong Kong International Chamber Music Festival

World-leading stringed instruments dealer J & A Beare announces a long-term sponsorship with the Hong Kong International Chamber Music Festival

J & A Beare is delighted to announce that with effect from January 2019 it will begin a new long-term collaboration with the Hong Kong International Chamber Music Festival. The partnership will see the name of the Festival change to the “Beare’s Premiere Music Festival”.

Launched in 2009 by Premiere Performances of Hong Kong, the Festival was first major presenter of chamber music in Hong Kong and quickly became a cultural landmark. Taking place every January, the Festival showcases world class musicians performing diverse repertoire in the city’s major concert halls and smaller boutique venues alongside a range of education and outreach programs.  Since 2012, Taiwanese-American violinist Cho-Liang Lin (Jimmy) has been the Artistic Director.  Past performers have included the Emerson Quartet, Augustin Hadelich, Lynn Harrell, Ning Feng, Gary Hoffman, Wu Han and the Jerusalem Quartet.

J & A Beare, the world’s leading dealer of fine stringed musical instruments, is in many ways the perfect partner for the Festival. The company continues today its 126-year old tradition of helping musicians find their musical voice through violins, violas and cellos crafted by master Italian and European luthiers. As part of the collaboration, J & A Beare will hold a number of exclusive events at the Festival and throughout the year, showcasing a variety of the very finest examples of stringed instruments.

Steven Smith, Joint Managing Director of J & A Beare, said: “We are very excited to be involved in this culturally sophisticated and dynamic project. The Festival enables us to connect talented artists with potential patrons and provide musicians with the finest stringed instruments. This is a wonderful collaboration, further consolidating the work of the Beare’s International Violin Society established in 2011.”

Premiere Performances was founded in 2007 by Andrea D. Fessler to bring internationally celebrated artists and the world’s brightest rising stars to Hong Kong for solo recitals, chamber music and community outreach, building a vibrant local arts scene and inspiring audience members of all ages with performances that are accessible to all.  In 2018, Ms Fessler was named one of Musical America’s “Movers & Shapers” of classical music.

Ms. Fessler said: “I am absolutely thrilled to be working with J&A Beare. It is a great privilege for a burgeoning arts organisation like Premiere Performances to be partnering with such an esteemed institution. There is a great synergy between us and I look forward to developing our collaboration in Hong Kong and beyond into China”.

The 10th edition of the Festival will take place from January 16th – 24th, 2019 at various venues around the city of Hong Kong.  Full programme details will be available in October 2018 at www.pphk.org.

Australian Quintet Best of Brass set to entertain families in Hong Kong (press release)

Larger Than Life Quintet ‘Best of Brass’
Set To Entertain Families in Hong Kong

Sunday May 13th, 2018 at Sha Tin Town Hall, 4pm

The Family Concert is sponsored by the Prudential Hotel.

There will also be a Community Concert on May 15 sponsored by Hongkong Land.

Famous for their dynamic, larger than life performances, Best of Brass is set to entertain listeners with a fun-filled and exciting performance.

Read Article

Interview with Violinist Bomsori Kim

‘I remember going to see a recital by Kyung Wha Chung when I was around 7, and I think I cried. The sound that she created with her violin was really overwhelming for me.’

Read the full interview here at Interlude.